HMCS Harry DeWolf Docks At Dieppe Gardens

windsoriteDOTca News Staff

Tuesday October 29th, 2024, 8:24am

One of the newest of Canada’s naval ships, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Harry DeWolf, has docked at Dieppe Gardens. The visit is part of the vessel’s current month-long deployment in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, including stops in Toronto and Hamilton.

HMCS Harry DeWolf (AOPV 430) is the first ship of its class of Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The class was derived from the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship project as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy and is primarily designed for the patrol and support of Canada’s Arctic regions. Named after Vice Admiral Harry DeWolf, a former head of the RCN, the vessel was ordered in 2011, laid down in 2016, and launched in 2018. The vessel completed sea trials in July 2020, was delivered to the RCN on July 31st, 2020, and began post-acceptance sea trials before being commissioned on June 26th, 2021. Shortly after its commissioning, the vessel became the first RCN ship to complete the Northwest Passage since 1954 and then went on to circumnavigate the entire continent.

The ship has a maximum displacement of 6,660 tonnes, is 103 metres in length with a 19-metre beam, holds a maximum crew number of 87, reaches a top speed of 17 knots (31 kilometres per hour), and has a range of 6,800 nautical miles.

The Harry DeWolf-class AOPVs enhance the RCN’s ability to assert Canadian sovereignty in Arctic and coastal Canadian waters and support international operations. This is the first time in the RCN’s history that a class has been named after a prominent Canadian Naval figure. The remaining ships in the class are named to honour other prominent RCN heroes who served their country with the highest distinction. All ships in the Harry DeWolf class will be affiliated with the six Inuit regions in the north.

During the ship’s visit to Windsor, acitizenship ceremony will take place on Wednesday, October 30th, 2024, in partnership with Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Public tours of the vessel, hosted by the crew, will be available on Friday and Saturday, November 1st and 2nd, 2024, from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

The ship is scheduled to depart Windsor’s waterfront on Sunday, November 3rd, 2024, heading for a counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean in the new year.