HMCS HARRY DEWOLF (AOPV 430) returns from her circum-Newfoundland cruise

Upon seeing that HARRY DEWOLF was entering Halifax Harbour yesterday morning, and not having any meetings on my calendar, I was able to nip down to Alderney Landing to take a few photos. The weather did not cooperate, starting off with light fog and ending with actual rain.

HARRY DEWOLF just rounding George's Island with McNab's Island in the background and a Canadian Coast Guard Bell 412 helicopter in the background.

One of the Glen tugs approaches HARRY DEWOLF as a CCG RHIB speeds by in the foreground.

HARRY DEWOLF with George's Island in the background.

It was at this point that the rain started, which supplanted the fog in degrading my image quality.

At this point, I think I got a single shot off before rain coated my front filter, and I had to retreat to the back of the car to clean it off.

HARRY DEWOLF passing in front of MV Asterix.

As the first of a new class of Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPV), the Navy has been putting HARRY DEWOLF through her paces both in Bedford Basin and at sea, with her most recent cruise a counterclockwise circumnavigation of Newfoundland that also took her into the Northumberland Strait where she had a photo op with the Confederation Bridge. With a planned Arctic passage in 2021, all her systems need to be certified and the crew needs to be well familiar with the ship. It is also a time to root out any inevitable bugs and deficiencies, like some recent fuel pump failures, which presumably need to be fixed under warranty by the shipyard. 

Harry DeWolf rollout

There's already lots of photos online of the rolled out midships and stern sections of the future HMCS HARRY DEWOLF (AOPV 430), but what the heck, here's mine. Harry DeWolf is the first and name-ship of a new class of Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel, or AOPV. Under the Naval Ship Procurement Strategy (NSPS), Halifax Shipyard is to build up to six of these ships.

The midships section (left) rolled out first. The stern section, shown here in the assembly building, was rolled out afterwards, and has since been mated (though not fully welded together) to the midships section.

The stair tower on the left is used by workers to access the hull.

The hull sections sit on a series of cradles which are picked up by wheeled transporters and moved to the land level transfer facility, where the hull sections are joined.

The bow section has not been completed yet, and will be joined when it arrives.

When you are shooting photos through a chain link fence, you don't always get your choice of viewing angles.

The stern section was still sitting in the assembly building on Saturday morning.

This is the first, and so far only, class of Royal Canadian Navy ships to be named after people. Harry Dewolf joined the RCN in 1918 and served in the Second World War, most notably as the first commander of HMCS HAIDA.