(HALIFAX, Nova Scotia) — The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has laid the keel for the Arctic offshore patrol ship (AOPS) HMCS Margaret Brooke at Halifax Shipyard, Naval-Technology.com reported.
HMCS Margaret Brooke is the second of six Harry DeWolf-class AOPSs being built by Irving Shipbuilding under a $2.3 billion contract awarded in January 2015 as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS). The first vessel in the class, HMCS Harry DeWolf, is expected to be delivered in 2018.
The six AOPSs will be capable of operating in ice of up to 3.5 feet thick. They will be deployed to enable the navy to conduct sovereignty and surveillance operations in Canadian seas across all three coasts, including in the Arctic.
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