Refitting the Last Corvette, HMCS SACKVILLE

Although SACKVILLE last received a refit and maintenance during a docking period in 2018, that refit identified a number of critical areas that still required attention, and money and time were limited. After receiving new funding, the ship has once again been docked via the Navy's Syncrolift and Submarine Maintenance Facility, and is undergoing more work. I'll provide a more detailed report as time goes on, but for now will share some photos of the docking itself on September 24th. 

Once on the lift, the ballast tanks were pumped out, and the ship was lifted the rest of the way.

Although divers have removed the majority of the growth on the ship's bottom, some growth remained and was cleaned off in the coming weeks using high pressure water. The sacrificial anodes were in very good shape.

Once the lift was secured, the ship was pulled forward into the maintenance building. The previous customer, HMCS WINDSOR, recently completed a refit in the same shed.

The tug pulls the ship along this chain.

SACKVILLE viewed from one of the platforms along the side of the shed.

The refit is expected to last into the spring, and will involve the cladding of critical areas of the ship's existing plating under the waterline. This refit is intended to buy the ship another 10 years before more significant work needs to be done.

RCN ships return from Exercise Joint Warrior 2020

The RCN deployed four ships as part of Exercise Joint Warrior off the northern coast of Scotland this month: HMC Ships VILLE DE QUEBEC and HALIFAX plus MV Asterix departed from Halifax, and HMCS TORONTO was already deployed on NATO duty. I missed HALIFAX when she returned earlier today, but I did manage to catch Asterix on her return around 5:30. The light didn't exactly cooperate, but I captured some images anyway.

CSS Acadia at sunrise

The blog has been on a bit of a hiatus for the summer with everything else I had going on, but now that we are back into autumn and reduced travel, I can get this started again.

After heading back to the office a few days a week, I get to enjoy my morning ferry and waterfront commute again, at least for a while. With sunrise well timed for my walk past the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic this morning, I was rewarded with these views of retired survey vessel CSS Acadia on the waterfront with the rising sun behind her.

The winter cover has been reinstated, allowing the rising sun to provide a nice glow over the deck. At the same time, the smooth water allows for a nice silhouette of the ship's reflection.

The images can be found here: https://smcclearn.smugmug.com/Nautical/Ships/

Hopefully the nice weather continues well into fall, to keep my morning walk as pleasant as possible.