(HALIFAX, Nova Scotia) — Canadian officials on Thursday celebrated another milestone for the Royal Canadian Navy’s fleet with the delivery of the second Arctic and offshore patrol ship (AOPS), HMCS Margaret Brooke.
Built by Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax, this is the second of six new patrol ships being built for the RCN. Designed with a thick and robust hull, the ships will be able to operate in up to 120 centimeters (4 feet) of first-year sea ice, and will provide the Canadian armed forces with enhanced access and capability in the Arctic.
With their considerable space to transport cargo and the capacity to embark a Cyclone helicopter, small vehicles, and deployable boats, the Harry DeWolf-class ships have the versatility to support a full range of RCN operations, while also contributing to global peace and security across the world in coordination with our allies and partners.
HMCS Margaret Brooke will remain docked at Jetty NJ at the CFB Halifax Dockyard while post-acceptance work and final ship preparation work are completed. A naming ceremony for the ship is expected to be held later in 2021, with a formal commissioning ceremony expected in fall 2022 as the ship officially enters into active RCN service. Construction of the following three ships in this class is ongoing, with construction of the sixth ship expected to begin in 2022.
Quick facts
• The AOPS are highly versatile vessels that can be used on a variety of missions at home and abroad, such as coastal surveillance, search and rescue, drug interdiction, support to international partners, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief.
• The AOPS are known as the Harry DeWolf class, named in honor of Vice Adm. Harry DeWolf, a Canadian wartime naval hero. The lead ship, HMCS Harry DeWolf, was delivered to Canada on July 30, 2020, and was officially commissioned into RCN service on June 26, 2021.
• The second AOPS, HMCS Margaret Brooke, is named in honor of the RCN Lt. Cmdr. Margaret Martha Brooke, who was decorated for gallantry during the Second World War. The ship’s designation is AOPV 431.
• The badge of HMCS Margaret Brooke features a rearing caribou symbolizing the sinking of the ferry SS Caribou, the wartime event during which Brooke displayed the courage for which she was decorated. Also to be noted is the shield symbolizing a career and a life in protection of others as well as the four-leaf clover, a personal symbol she carried with her all her life.
• Following delivery to the government of Canada, the ship will undergo final preparations and outfitting, as well as additional tests and trials to confirm final elements of the design. This will occur simultaneously with operational readiness activities and training for the future crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke.
• Work is ongoing to complete the Nanisivik Naval Facility, which will support operations of the new AOPS and other government maritime vessels. This new facility is expected to be operational in summer 2022.
– Government of Canada
