Canadian Forces Maritime Command Navy Bases And Training Centres

Following unification on February 1, 1968 MARCOM undertook several changes to its force structure. The navy's sole aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure was nearing the end of its service life, being a World War II-era vessel. In the early 1970s it was decided to pay the Bonny off and not find a replacement, instead focusing on the traditional blue water navy.

2.1 Tribal class and patrol frigates

The fleet was enhanced in 1972 with the addition of the four new Tribal-class destroyer-helicopter (DDH) vessels, also known as the Iroquois class. By the mid- 1970s the navy was looking at an entire new class of frigate-helicopter (FH) vessels to replace the aging Saguenay, Restigouche and MacKenzie classes. This design evolved into the "Canadian Patrol Frigate Program" which was promised by the government in the early 1980s during a period of increased military spending. By the late-1980s, with construction of the first six vessels underway (by now called the Halifax class), construction of a further six vessels was announced. Nine of the twelve CPF vessels were built at Saint John, New Brunswick, and the remaining three were built at Lauzon, Quebec .

2.2 TRUMP

The late 1980s also saw the "Tribal Update and Modernization Program" or TRUMP, which saw the four early-1970s Tribal destroyers updated into area defence destroyers. The TRUMP update saw these vessels become the first non-U.S. ships to carry the Standard-Arm antiaircraft missile.

2.3 Gulf War

MARCOM hurriedly modernized and deployed HMCS Terra Nova, a Restigouche-class destroyer-escort, along with HMCS Athabaskan and the supply ship HMCS Protecteur to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield and later Operation Desert Storm where these vessels were involved in escort duties of various coalition naval forces and non-combatants.

2.4 CPF and MCDV

In the mid-1990s, the patrol frigate program was winding down and most of the Restigouche, Saguenay, and MacKenzie class vessels were retired. Additional new vessels were entering service as the "Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Program" began delivering the new Kingston-class minesweeper and coastal patrol vessels which were being designed to be crewed by reservists from MARCOM's various naval reserve divisions across the country.

2.5 Upholder submarines

In 19981998 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Ocean''. Events January January 1998 A massive ice storm, caused by El Nino, strikes New England, southern Ontario and Quebec, resulting the Canadian government made a deal with the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly to acquire four mothballed, but state-of-the-art Upholder-classThe Upholder class submarines ( now known as Victoria class were diesel-electric hunter-killer (SSK) submarines designed in the late 1970s to supplement the Royal Navy's nuclear submarine force. That force was intended to comprise 18 nuclear-powered attac diesel-electricA number of vehicles use a diesel-electric powerplant for providing locomotion. A diesel-electric powerplant includes a diesel engine connected to an electrical generator, creating electricity that powers electric motors. The most well-known vehicle to us submarineUSS Los Angeles (SSN-688)|USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized boat that travels under water, usually for military or scientific purposes. Most major navies of the world employ submarines. Submarines are also used for marine and freshwater sciences that were made surplus by the Royal Navy's decision to consolidate its submarine forces on the Trafalgar-class nuclear boats. The Upholders were considered too valuable and technologically advanced by the Royal and U.S. Navies to allow them to fall into the hands of a non-allied nation; therefore Canada was encouraged (through significant discounts) to acquire the Upholders. The four subs were purchased for $750 million CAD.

The transaction included some reciprocal rights for British forces to continue using CFB Suffield for armoured unit training and CFB Goose Bay for low-level flight training, while Canada received four well-built and very lightly used high-tech diesel submarines to replace the 1960s-era Oberon class. After a costly update program which took longer than expected, along with several public and highly embarrassing equipment failures, the Upholders are being successfully reactivated following a decade of mothballing and are now being integrated into the Canadian navy as the Victoria class. Part of this deal will see MARPAC receive its first submarine in four decades and returning an active submarine presence to Canada's west coast.

The four submarines (and their Royal Navy names):

HMCS Chicoutimi ( HMS Upholder)
HMCS Victoria ( HMS Unseen )
HMCS Corner Brook ( HMS Ursula )
HMCS Windsor ( HMS Unicorn )

NOTE: Currently there is a Military investigation ongoing in regards to a deadly fire aboard HMCS Chicoutimi which killed on sailor. Currently the fire is being blamed on a know fault in the insulation in and around the Captain's Cabin. Due to the fire all Upholder Class submarines have been recalled from active duty and will remain as such until the conclusion of the investigation.

2.6 Maritime helicopter replacement

Although aviation assets are the responsibility of Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM) since unification, the political fiasco surrounding the maritime helicopter replacement has had a major impact on the ability of the Canadian patrol frigates to deliver their expected capabilities. In 1993 the Maritime Helicopter Program, which had selected the EH-101 Merlin as a replacement for the aging CH-124 Sea King, was cancelled by incoming Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in an infamous decision that dogged his government for over a decade. Chrétien did end up ordering 15 CH-149 Cormorants, a slightly cheaper version of the Merlin, for search and rescue services, however it took until July 2004 for a new replacement of the now-ancient Sea Kings to be announced (they will be replaced with the Sikorsky S-92 ) with delivery expected to be completed by 2008- 2010.

2.7 Supply ship replacement

In the late 1990s one of the fleet's three underway replenishment vessels, HMCS Provider, was paid off. The remaining two supply ships, HMCS Preserver and HMCS Protecteur, were showing their age and MARCOM began studies into a designing a new class of underway replenishment and naval sealift-capable vessels.

On April 16, 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced plans to purchase three new joint support ships to replace the Protecteur-class underway replenishment ships. In addition to supporting naval operations, the new ships will together be able to transport an army battle group, a capability Canada's navy has lacked since the departure of the light-carrier HMCS Magnificent in the late 1950s when she was used as a transport during the Suez Crisis.

Also under active speculation was the possibility that Canada would be looking at a 6-10 vessel replacement program for the Tribal-class destroyers, possibly involving the use of the U.S.-developed AEGIS radar system.

3 Current status

As of 2004, MARCOM operates a fleet of about 30 surface ships:

2 Protecteur Class underway replenishment ships
4 Iroquois-class destroyers
12 Halifax-class frigates
12 Kingston-class coastal defence vessels
4 Victoria-class submarines
various minor tenders and auxiliaries

4 See also

5 External links

Navies Canadian Navy Military of Canada

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Home > Canadian Forces Maritime Command

1 Navy bases and training centres

2 History since unification