Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship AOPS

[Gorgo]

If anyone is interested in seeing Rolette's badge, it's here:

Canada’s Fifth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship is Delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy - Canadian Defence Review

During a ceremony at Halifax Shipyard, Dirk Lesko, Irving Shipbuilding President; Rear Admiral Josée Kurtz, Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic Commander; and Commander Jolene Lisi, HMCS Frédérick Rolette Commanding Officer, signed the ship’s documents. The ceremony also...

canadiandefencereview.com

 

[Good2Golf]

Great to see Fleet Air Arm aviators in key positions in the RCN!

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Great to see Fleet Air Arm aviators in key positions in the RCN!

?

Not tracking.

 

[Furniture]

?

Not tracking.

A joke about the moustaches I suppose...

 

[Navy_Pete]

Wonder how many more defects we accepted, on top of the hundreds they come with as a baseline for 4 months early delivery?

I guess it's down from 4000 or so, so progress I guess.

 

[Furniture]

Wonder how many more defects we accepted, on top of the hundreds they come with as a baseline for 4 months early delivery?

I guess it's down from 4000 or so, so progress I guess.

As much as I think the AOPVs are actually a great platform for the RCN, I still can't fathom why they haven't fixed any of the known issues with them.

We know exactly why HDW is not able to fly helos, why is Robert Hampton Grey going to have the same issues nearly 10 years later?

 

[Good2Golf]

A joke about the moustaches I suppose...

Wait, women in the Navy are allowed mustaches now?

 

[dapaterson]

Wait, women in the Navy are allowed mustaches now?

I thought traditionally they were beards?

 

[Navy_Pete]

As much as I think the AOPVs are actually a great platform for the RCN, I still can't fathom why they haven't fixed any of the known issues with them.

We know exactly why HDW is not able to fly helos, why is Robert Hampton Grey going to have the same issues nearly 10 years later?

I don't get it either; the design effort would be a one time thing, then you could get the shipyard to fix it on the last few ships, with the info you need to do it on service on the first few ships. Instead we have to now fix the same defect on all six ships (after paying ISI to install things we don't want on the last few ships).

 

[Furniture]

Wait, women in the Navy are allowed mustaches now?

I remember back in 2013 when I was RPO on PRO a young sailor asking why some of the women didn't have to shave their beards while he did... Poor kid couldn't grow a beard to save his life.

 

[Good2Golf]

?

Not tracking.

‘Cuz you have real wings…not ‘failed out of pilot training’ non-wings.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

‘Cuz you have real wings…not ‘failed out of pilot training’ non-wings.

Ah.

Was not aware.

Both or just one?

 

[Good2Golf]

Ah.

Was not aware.

Both or just one?

Not sure here specifically, just with some inner in the past and joked with one about the new mustache (which he didn’t think was funny…he was doing the #peakNWO thing).

Edit to add: apologies for the derail. I’ll stop with the accoutrementarily-orientated tangentialization.

 

[Furniture]

Not sure here specifically, just with some inner in the past and joked with one about the new mustache (which he didn’t think was funny…he was doing the #peakNWO thing).

I double checked the picture, neither can be pilots... I don't see a giant Breitling or IWC on either of their wrists.

 

[Underway]

As much as I think the AOPVs are actually a great platform for the RCN, I still can't fathom why they haven't fixed any of the known issues with them.

We know exactly why HDW is not able to fly helos, why is Robert Hampton Grey going to have the same issues nearly 10 years later?

Very good friend of mine works in RCN inspections of the new ships. There were waaaay more defects on HDW then the current ships. Things like hatches that were put on backwards and wouldn't open fully/safely. He's not happy with the current rate of fix but when he looks at the project overall he can point to lots of improvements that were implemented and confidently state the newer AOPS are better then the older ones by a significant margin.

At some point I expect the RCN told Irving that Air Operations is going to be an internal to the navy fix. It happens in every build. As it would require a fairly major redesign to properly be able to embark a Cyclone. The current flight deck operations situation is likely not an Irving mistake, its a PMO AOPS design/requirements mistake and paying to fix the design is not something that's in the budget.

This lesson was internalized and fixed for the JSS project where air operations were integrated from day one and the Airforce had an MPH pilot attached to the project. JSS will be able to land and launch organic helo's early on in the ships life.

I suspect the same approach is taken with CSC's.

AOPS was a massive learning experience for everyone. PMO AOPS needs to take some of the blame for how the ships currently are.

Now on those 4000 defects that have been identified? That's on Irving and the RCN (who are willing to accept the ship with the defects).

 

[Navy_Pete]

Very good friend of mine works in RCN inspections of the new ships. There were waaaay more defects on HDW then the current ships. Things like hatches that were put on backwards and wouldn't open fully/safely. He's not happy with the current rate of fix but when he looks at the project overall he can point to lots of improvements that were implemented and confidently state the newer AOPS are better then the older ones by a significant margin.

At some point I expect the RCN told Irving that Air Operations is going to be an internal to the navy fix. It happens in every build. As it would require a fairly major redesign to properly be able to embark a Cyclone. The current flight deck operations situation is likely not an Irving mistake, its a PMO AOPS design/requirements mistake and paying to fix the design is not something that's in the budget.

This lesson was internalized and fixed for the JSS project where air operations were integrated from day one and the Airforce had an MPH pilot attached to the project. JSS will be able to land and launch organic helo's early on in the ships life.

I suspect the same approach is taken with CSC's.

AOPS was a massive learning experience for everyone. PMO AOPS needs to take some of the blame for how the ships currently are.

Now on those 4000 defects that have been identified? That's on Irving and the RCN (who are willing to accept the ship with the defects).

Sure, but they didn't actually stop installing things we know aren't fit for purpose (like the aft TAU which is 50' too short), which could have least got us an install credit and instead just turned over the TAU uninstalled to use as a spare for the fwd one. So now instead of uninstalling 2 and installing 6 different ones we now have to uninstall all 6.

Some of the things are likely a requirement mistake, but again, no point installing lighting that doesn't work with NVGs and other helo specific equipment we'll just have to remove later.

Lots of other things that just 'went away' from being defects because LR said 'it now is fine'. Almost like ISI put pressure on the London office to overrule the local surveyors looking at stupid things that don't meet code.

 

[Kirkhill]

USCG Icebreaker 'Healy' Rushes Back to Arctic to Counter Growing Chinese and Russian Influence

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Two and a half months after suffering from an engine room fire, the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy is back in action. The vessel set...

gcaptain.com

The circled area appears to me to be the area previously known to the Alaskan fishing fleet as the Donut Hole. It is international waters surrounded by Russian and American domestic waters. Previously it was a place where foreign fishermen could operate outside of the sustainable fishery regimes and plunder the pollock stocks. Some of those boats were Chinese. Now it seems that the Chinese Coast Guard is operating in those waters.

Canada already operates in Pacific waters on fisheries protection patrols, pursuing drift netters.

Operation DRIFTNET - Canada.ca

Mission to control driftnetting and other forms of illegal fishing in the North Pacific Ocean.

www.canada.ca

It appears to me that our friends could use a hand in the Donut Hole.

At this time of the year the ice will start coming down from the north. Despite the ice the trawlers will operate right up to the ice line in ships that are generally not ice-strengthened, although some have had some extra plates added after construction.

One Canadian AOPS operating in the Donut Hole would probably be welcomed by the US at this time.

Even if it was just exercising its right of free passage between Esquimalt and Banks Island.

With continuous ice coverage in parts of the western Chukchi Sea near the terminus of Russia’s Northern Sea Route, Healy will likely stay in the waters of the Beaufort Sea to the north of Alaska and Canada.

It was here, near Banks Island, that the vessel suffered an engine room fire in July forcing it to return to Seattle on half power. Repairs took around three weeks.

Arguably Healy was in Canadian waters at the time given that the Beaufort Sea border is in dispute at this time.

But that may be closer to resolution now. Along with the icebreaker pact.

Canada and the US Move Forward With Negotiations on the Beaufort Sea Boundary

Canada and the US will create a joint task force to undertake negotiations on the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea, including their overlapping continental shelf claims in the central Arctic Ocean. Law of the Sea expert Tore Henriksen comments on the US possibly determining the outer limit...

www.highnorthnews.com

Canada, Finland, and the United States joint statement on ICE Pact

“Through ICE Pact, our governments will build on our longstanding and ongoing bilateral ties.

www.pm.gc.ca

 

[Furniture]

USCG Icebreaker 'Healy' Rushes Back to Arctic to Counter Growing Chinese and Russian Influence

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Two and a half months after suffering from an engine room fire, the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy is back in action. The vessel set...

gcaptain.com

View attachment 88303

The circled area appears to me to be the area previously known to the Alaskan fishing fleet as the Donut Hole. It is international waters surrounded by Russian and American domestic waters. Previously it was a place where foreign fishermen could operate outside of the sustainable fishery regimes and plunder the pollock stocks. Some of those boats were Chinese. Now it seems that the Chinese Coast Guard is operating in those waters.

Canada already operates in Pacific waters on fisheries protection patrols, pursuing drift netters.

Operation DRIFTNET - Canada.ca

Mission to control driftnetting and other forms of illegal fishing in the North Pacific Ocean.

www.canada.ca

It appears to me that our friends could use a hand in the Donut Hole.

At this time of the year the ice will start coming down from the north. Despite the ice the trawlers will operate right up to the ice line in ships that are generally not ice-strengthened, although some have had some extra plates added after construction.

One Canadian AOPS operating in the Donut Hole would probably be welcomed by the US at this time.

Even if it was just exercising its right of free passage between Esquimalt and Banks Island.




Arguably Healy was in Canadian waters at the time given that the Beaufort Sea border is in dispute at this time.

But that may be closer to resolution now. Along with the icebreaker pact.

Canada and the US Move Forward With Negotiations on the Beaufort Sea Boundary

Canada and the US will create a joint task force to undertake negotiations on the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea, including their overlapping continental shelf claims in the central Arctic Ocean. Law of the Sea expert Tore Henriksen comments on the US possibly determining the outer limit...

www.highnorthnews.com

Canada, Finland, and the United States joint statement on ICE Pact

“Through ICE Pact, our governments will build on our longstanding and ongoing bilateral ties.

www.pm.gc.ca

Too bad we decided it was more important to have 4 AOPVS on the East Coast and only two on the West Coast...

 

[Kirkhill]

Too bad we decided it was more important to have 4 AOPVS on the East Coast and only two on the West Coast...

Too bad we didn't ascribe all 8 built to the RCN as per the original plan and then establish a two way conveyor through the Archipelago from Halifax to Esquimalt. Maintain 2 or 3 on station, possibly with one in the Donut Hole.

 

[Furniture]

Too bad we didn't ascribe all 8 built to the RCN as per the original plan and then establish a two way conveyor through the Archipelago from Halifax to Esquimalt. Maintain 2 or 3 on station, possibly with one in the Donut Hole.

They too many other tasks for that to ever work, but three on the West Coast would likely make it easier to sustain having a ship up there more frequently.