Photos this week: October 1-7

I will start with the weekend, during which I managed to pop over to Lunenburg to see the sights there. This sailboat was sitting in her cradle next to the old Smith & Rhuland shed, which appears in the background.

I also caught up with the Blue Dream Project schooner, now named Mahayana, which was launched this summer and is being completed alongside a wharf in front of the old Smith & Rhuland shed where she was built.

Mahayana alongside a Lunenburg Wharf, with the Smith & Rhuland shed in the background.

The work week started out a bit rainy, and Monday was a bit of a loss for photos, however Tuesday was sunny again and made up for it with HMCS ST. JOHN'S getting her feet wet again after a maintenance period on the Syncrolift. The speed of the process took me by surprise a bit, in that I took too long getting my camera out to capture her with the keel blocks still showing.

HMCS ST. JOHN'S being lowered back into the water.

HMCS ST. JOHN'S being lowered back into the water.

By the end of the day when I returned to Dartmouth on the ferry, ST. JOHN'S was once again alongside one of the jetties.

Speaking of frigates on the Syncrolift, I should share a view of VILLE DE QUEBEC on the lift some years ago, from a slightly different (and more impressive) viewing angle.

VILLE DE QUEBEC on the Syncrolift. I don't remember how I got close enough to get this angle.

Wednesday brought with it a terrific fog that replicated the sea smoke that one normally expects in the dead of winter with temperatures of -17 Celsius or so. I turned around just at the right time to see HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC sneaking out of the fog bank.

HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC.

HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC. Look carefully for the RHIB to the left of the photo.

Silhouetted against the rising sun and casting shadows in the fog, VILLE DE QUEBEC continued up the harbour and went to anchor.

VILLE DE QUEBEC at anchor.

Around the same time that morning, I captured an image I am calling "Last of the Old Guard": ATHABASKAN and PRESERVER are the only two HMC warships remaining to have been commissioned into the RCN before 1992 (I am being careful to specify warships here, because sail training vessel HMCS ORIOLE was commissioned in the 1950s), when the namesake ships of the HALIFAX class commissioned.

Last of the Old Guard: HMC Ships ATHABASKAN and PRESERVER. Despite the fog hiding the background, the sun is cutting through and illuminating both ships - a lucky catch!

Although a jetty queen and unable to go to sea due to corrosion issues in the hull, PRESERVER is nevertheless still in commission, but is due to be paid off on October 21, 2016. She has been used for alongside refueling in recent years. ATHABASKAN is scheduled to follow her in Spring 2017, the last of the IROQUOIS class destroyers to leave service.

From Cable Wharf I managed to get this shot of the Woodside Ferry heading to Dartmouth with the sun burning its way through the fog and cloud.

Sun, ferry, & fog. The sun is reminding me of the moon in this shot for some reason.

A day or two later, the sun cooperated for me and I caught it shining through the gun shield on HMCS SACKVILLE. 

HMCS SACKVILLE.

Cruise ship traffic continued unabated this week, with a total of five visiting on Friday, of which I only managed to photograph three.

Seven Seas Mariner appearing from behind George's Island.

Serenade of the Seas, Seven Seas Mariner, and Caribbean Princess.

Serenade of the Seas and Seven Seas Mariner.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend, everyone!

Exercise Cutlass Fury Sailpast

What better way to kick off the Royal Canadian Navy's Cutlass Fury exercise than a good old fashioned sailpast of the Halifax waterfront? Apart from the few times that RCN vessels have deployed in task groups in recent years, this has been the first proper sailpast in many years. After scouting several locations, I eventually decided on the wharf at Sackville Landing. It wasn't my first pick, but was a useful trade-off in that it was less crowded, and I had the option of running for the boardwalk south of the tug wharf to get shots of the ships departing in a line.

Overall, it was a a beautiful day for the sailpast, even if the light was a bit harsh (and the photos required a bit of Photoshop help).

Of the ships participating in the exercise, the two supply ships (USNS Robert E Peary and SPS PATINO) left early and did not participate in the sailpast. Peary left too early for me to catch her, but I did manage to photograph PATINO as she left.

SPS PATINO.

SPS PATINO.

Unlike the later ships, PATINO headed out using the eastern channel.

The Eastern Canada Towing wharf was in the way, and I had to crop this photo severely to hide it.

While we were waiting for the ships to depart, there was also a fair bit of air traffic.

A CH-148 Cyclone and a CH-124 Sea King in the same shot.

CH-148 Cyclone. I'm cheating with this one, as I caught it from the ferry on the way home from work.

The ships participating in the sailpast had departed the Dockyard earlier in the morning, and headed into Bedford Basin where they could form up for the sailpast. The departed the Basin in time such that the lead ship, FREDERICTON, could make it to be in line with HMCS PRESERVER for 1300. Alongside in the Dockyard, PRESERVER acted as the review ship. Soon after, FREDERICTON appeared from behind Cable Wha....errrr....DOWN IN FRONT, THEODORE!

Pesky Theodore Too and other traffic in the Big Harbour.

Where was I? Oh, right - FREDERICTON emerged from behind the Cable Wharf.

HMCS FREDERICTON.

HMCS FREDERICTON.

FREDERICTON was followed by USS BULKELEY, an Arleigh Burke Flight IIA class destroyer.

USS BULKELEY.

USS BULKELEY.

BULKELEY following FREDERICTON.

Apart from the ships, there was some smaller naval traffic in the harbour as well.

What I assume to be an RCN Boarding Team in a RHIB (Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat). Either that, or a harbour tour gone wrong.

As the ships passed Sackville Landing, each ship saluted HMCS SACKVILLE, at which time the CO of SACKVILLE returned the salute.

(Correction: A previous version of this post suggested that SACKVILLE was saluting each passing ship, when in fact, the reverse was occuring. SACKVILLE is the senior ship.)

Salute from HMCS SACKVILLE.

Salute from HMCS SACKVILLE.

Following BULKELEY was USS GONZALEZ, an older Burke Flight I class destroyer.

USS GONZALEZ.

USS GONZALEZ.

Next after GONZALEZ was the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS MONMOUTH.

HMS MONMOUTH.

HMS MONMOUTH.

HMS MONMOUTH.

The French destroyer LANGUEDOC was next in line. What a difference 20-25 years makes in warship design! As mentioned in a previous post or two, the AQUITAINE class (of which LANGUEDOC is a member) is presumed to be a contender for the Canadian Surface Combatant program to replace the RCN's current destroyers and frigates.

FS LANGUEDOC.

NH-90 helo on FS LANGUEDOC.

A CH-148 Cyclone flies in the background of FS LANGUEDOC and her NH-90 helo.

FS LANGUEDOC.

After the last of the foreign warships, it was back to Canadian Content with HMCS ATHABASKAN. 

HMCS ATHABASKAN.

Crew manning the rails of ATHABASKAN.

HMCS ATHABASKAN.

Next came the two MCDVs, HMC Ships GOOSE BAY and SUMMERSIDE.

HMCS GOOSE BAY.

HMCS GOOSE BAY.

HMCS SUMMERSIDE.

HMCS SUMMERSIDE.

Finally, after I announced that I didn't think WINDSOR was participating, guess who appeared? Submariners are sneaky that way.

HMCS WINDSOR.

It was at this point that I made a mad dash from the Sackville Landing wharf to the boardwalk by Bishop's Landing in order to get better pictures of the ships heading out in a line, cameras and backpack bouncing, and I suddenly remembered why I don't ever run anywhere. If anyone saw this sad sight, you can keep your opinion to yourself.

HMCS WINDSOR.

The two MCDVS, GOOSE BAY and SUMMERSIDE, as well as WINDSOR, all turned around and came back into the harbour on the east side of George's Island. Presumably the MCDVs won't be participating in the main ASW portion of the exercise, and WINDSOR may make her way to the exercise area on her own.

It took a while before all the tugs and sailboats cleared the way so I could get this shot of the main fleet of surface combatants departing the harbour.

The fleet departs with Holland America's cruise ship Rotterdam to the right.

To finish, I present a photo of another of the contenders for the Canadian Surface Combatant program, which was also present in the harbour this afternoon:

Kite Surfer.

I also have a previous blog posting with photos of the ships alongside and, in some cases, as they arrived last week.