HMCS WINDSOR returns to the water

On my commute this morning on the ferry, I noticed that HMCS WINDSOR has been rolled out of the submarine maintenance facility building after a refit, and was sitting on the Syncrolift platform. 

WINDSOR sitting on the Syncrolift platform.

WINDSOR sitting on the Syncrolift platform.

WINDSOR sitting on the Syncrolift platform.

On my afternoon commute, the Syncrolift platform and WINDSOR had been lowered into the water.

WINDSOR lowered into the water.

June's Naval Harbour Traffic

With an exercise in the North Atlantic, and visitors for Canada's 150th birthday, naval traffic has picked up over the past few weeks.

HNLMS ZEELEEUW (S803) departing HMC Dockyard.

Royal Netherlands Navy submarine ZEELEEUW spent a short time in port on June 19.

HNLMS ZEELEEUW (S803) departing for sea.

The next major visitor was USNS Robert E. Peary, on June 27.

USNS Robert. E. Peary.

Unlike ships bearing the "USS" prefix, USNS (United Stated Naval Ship) ships are unarmed auxiliary vessels that are not commissioned vessels, and are operated by Military Sealift Command. They are usually crewed by civilians, sometimes with small military contingents.

USNS Robert E. Peary.

She is a part of the USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER carrier battle group, and was followed in on June 28 by Ticonderoga class cruiser USS SAN JACINTO (CG 56) and USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81).

USS SAN JACINTO (CG 56).

USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL is an Arleigh Burke class destroyer.

USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81).

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69), also known as "Ike", followed the two latter ships in later in the afternoon on June 28.

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69).

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69).

Ike is the second of the NIMITZ class nuclear aircraft carriers, and this makes her the second oldest aircraft carrier in the US fleet, now that ENTERPRISE has been decommissioned. She was commissioned in 1977.

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69).

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69).

"Ike" dressed overall with signal flags.

We typically go months between foreign naval visits, so it is always nice to see a few new faces in port. In particular, aircraft carriers are infrequent visitors, with the last visit being perhaps 20 years ago.

HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN on the Syncrolift

Earlier this month, HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN went on the Syncrolift at HMC Dockyard for some cleaning and maintenance. CHARLOTTETOWN returned from an extended deployment earlier this year, so she was probably in need of some TLC. Her hull below the waterline definitely needed a cleaning.

March 14 - newly on the lift, and looking kind of dirty. © Sandy McClearn.

I managed to take these two photos from almost exactly the same angle, and cropped them down almost identically. It is somewhat entertaining if you go to the Smugmug site where they are hosted, and use the arrow keys on your keyboard to go back and forth between the two images to see the difference (if you click on the image above or below, it will take you there). 

March 24 - the bright blue anti-fouling paint is nice and clean. © Sandy McClearn.

The Syncrolift platform has seen many changes over the years. The original Syncrolift concept was developed by a firm in Florida, and the company was eventually purchased by Rolls Royce. The original Halifax Syncrolift was powered by a total of 34 180-ton winches, with 17 on each side (these are the blue boxes on either side of the lift platform). It was originally constructed in 1967 to allow annual maintenance of the then-new Oberon-class submarines (ONONDAGA, OKANAGAN, and OJIBWA). The platform is nested between two narrow jetties on piles, upon which the winches are installed. The platform can be lowered down into the water to float ships on, and then raised again to lift them out of the water.

In 1970, the original submarine maintenance shed was constructed on the shore side of the platform, and the O-boats could be rolled in and out of the shed to allow maintenance inside a heated shelter. The rails upon which the doors slid open and closed weren't actually long enough to allow the submarine to enter or depart, and the doors had to be removed altogether as shown in the image below to allow the submarine in.

HMCS/M OKANAGAN backing out of the Syncrolift shed in 1985 at the mid-point of her SOUP (Submarine Operational UPgrade) refit. The O-boat's hull design was heavily influenced by Second World War German U-boats, and this is reflected in the continued use of twin propellers and the tail arrangement. At the stern can be seen the indentations from the stern torpedo tubes, which were originally fitted to fire short unguided torpedoes, but by the time the photo was taken were re-purposed to accommodate a towed array sonar (and reportedly cold beer storage).  DND photo, courtesy Corvus Publishing Group.

The Syncrolift worked a treat for the RCN's submarines, but it didn't provide the Navy with the ability to perform basic maintenance on their larger vessels. After the near-bankruptcy of Halifax Dartmouth Industries Limited (HDIL) in the 1970s, the RCN got nervous, and looked for a way to achieve some redundancy for HDIL's facilities. A local engineering firm, CBCL, suggested lengthening the platform from 307 metres to 413 metres and upgrading the winch capacity to allow larger vessels to be lifted out of the water. The Syncrolift was actually used during the construction work, as it was used to lower the new caissons into the water (the new caissons may even have been formed and poured on the platform prior to being floated out). The complement of winches were now made up of 26 180-ton winches, and 20 280-ton winches under the heavier middle portion of the ships (e.g. the engine room). The winches were split with 13 180-ton and 10 280-ton winches on each side of the platform. I have seen somewhere this rendered the Syncrolift capable of hoisting a 6,000 tonne "NATO" frigate, but can't find the reference at the moment. It can certainly handle the 5,235 ton Canadian Patrol Frigate and 5,100 ton IROQUOIS class destroyer (those are their full load numbers, and I'm not sure how heavy the ships normally are when they are hauled out).

HMCS IROQUOIS was the first destroyer lifted by the newly refurbished Syncrolift, on Nov. 1, 1986. The larger winches (the blue "boxes") are of 280 ton capacity each, while the smaller winches are of 180 ton capacity. The 280 ton winches are placed around the machinery spaces of the ship, which weigh more than other portions of the ship. Also seen here are CORMORANT, a Saint class tug, SKEENA, and ATHABASKAN. DND photo, Courtesy of Corvus Publishing Group. 

This meant that one can occasionally get a glimpse of things like the housing for the SQS 510 sonar found under the hull of these ships.

A view of HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC in the early 2000s from close up. The SQS 510 housing can be seen under the ship, not far back from the ship's forefoot (the bottom of the bow). Canadian Patrol Frigates have bilge keels mounted midships to reduce rolling at sea, also visible here. In the background, the old maintenance shed is still standing. The bright blue anti-fouling paint colour is a relatively new feature. © Sandy McClearn.

HMCS ATHABASKAN. The SQS-510 Hull Outfit C3 sonar dome is removed for maintenance. The fairing itself is seen at bottom left, and is facing backwards. The covers are removed from the winches in this photo.

SACKVILLE was a Syncrolift customer both before and after her restoration to her original appearance as a corvette. Seen here in 2008, she is showing a considerable amount of marine growth. © Sandy McClearn.

A slightly different angle on SACKVILLE. © Sandy McClearn.

The blocking under SACKVILLE is better visible in this image from directly aft. In this photo the old submarine maintenance shed has been torn down, and in its place is a temporary tent structure shielding one of the new VICTORIA class submarines from view and the weather during a refit. © Sandy McClearn.

Although the upgraded Syncrolift could handle the newer and heavier VICTORIA class submarines, there was still a problem. Not only are the VICTORIA class heavier than the older OBERON class submarines, but that heavier load is spread out over a shorter length, and that greater load density meant that the inshore winches and platform support beams were not rated to support the new submarines when they were being transferred inshore for extended refit periods. In the photo above, the submarine in the temporary shelter had to be stripped down to reduce the weight and avoid overloading the inshore 180-ton winches and support beams. The old submarine maintenance shed was also too small for the new submarines, which were beamier than their predecessors.

VICTORIA on the Syncrolift in 2002. Submarine propellers are carefully guarded secrets, and although it would have been tarped at the time I took the photo, I decided to play it safe and not capture it at all. Either that, or my lens simply wasn't wide enough. The old shed seems to be standing in this photo. © Sandy McClearn.

CORNER BROOK in 2008. You can see the difference in size between the 180-ton (left) and 280-ton (right) winches.
© Sandy McClearn.

During the mid-2000s, the old submarine maintenance shed was torn down, and at least one submarine underwent an extended maintenance and refit period under a temporary tent structure on the site of the old shed. After the submarine finished her refit, and was returned to the Syncrolift, construction began on a new submarine maintenance building that could accommodate the newer VICTORIA class. The Syncrolift platform and winches were again upgraded to allow the heavier submarines to be transferred into the new building without stripping them of excess weight. The same bollard and tow motor that were used to haul submarines into the old shed are still used in the new building.

WINDSOR in 2012. To the left of the photo is the control cabin, from where the winches of the Syncrolift are controlled and monitored during operation. © Sandy McClearn.

HMCS ST. JOHN'S has also recently been a Syncrolift customer - she is shown here in September, 2016. This photo catches a lift in progress, with the ropes that held the ship in position over the blocking now falling slack towards the jetty on either side.I'm guessing these ropes would have been taut until the ship started to bear weight on the blocking. © Sandy McClearn.

Clean once again, HMCS ST. JOHN'S is pictured being lowered once again into Halifax Harbour. The new maintenance shed isn't big enough to take a frigate, but could accommodate a smaller vessel like SACKVILLE. © Sandy McClearn.

The utility of the Syncrolift is especially important in recent years, as both floating drydocks at the Halifax Shipyard (the older Scotiadock and the newer Novadock) have both been allowed to decay and have been removed from service and/or scrapped. The only remaining drydock at Halifax Shipyard, the original graving dock that survived the Halifax Explosion, has been almost continuously filled with HALIFAX class frigates during their recent FELEX refits (in fact, the current resident (HMCS HALIFAX) is in her first refit post-FELEX).

In order to write this post, I relied partly on articles in old issues of "Canada's Navy Annual" published by Corvus Publishing Group Ltd. In all, they published 6 issues, plus the original special commemorative issue for the Navy's 75th anniversary in 1985. They have since gone out of business, but were still active in the mid-1990s when I wrote them (while in university) to ask them for permission to reproduce the photos contained therein (which they kindly gave me). I managed to purchase all 7 issues used, probably at J.W. Doull.  

Ships on Ships

Occasionally ship traffic in Halifax differs from the typical container ships, car carriers, and warships. Sometimes, you get a ship carrying another ship, or better yet, a ship carrying a warship. Such was the case this past Monday when Big Lift's Happy River arrived carrying a corvette from the Bahamas.

Happy River carrying HMBS BAHAMAS.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force employs a number of smaller naval vessels in and around the archipelago state. Two ~200 foot long offshore patrol vessels, HMBS BAHAMAS and NASSAU, are in the process of their mid-life refits. NASSAU was sent to Damen in The Netherlands for her refit, and BAHAMAS was supposedly undergoing her refit in the Bahamas. However, it was BAHAMAS (her hull number of P60 is still barely visible on her transom) that showed up on the deck of Happy River during what I assume was a short stopover. This suggests to me that either the refit was not progressing well in the Bahamas, or it was always planned to complete the refit at the Damen yard.

HMBS BAHAMAS on the deck of Happy River. 

Halifax Shipping News has suggested that some Damen containers were dropped off in Halifax when the two locally reassembled OSVs Atlantic Griffon and Atlantic Shrike were delivered, and Happy River may have been dropping by to pick them up for the trip back to Damen. Indeed, there was already a Damen-labelled shipping container on Happy River's deck, which helped narrow down HMBS BAHAMAS' identity by giving us the Damen connection (a number of us on social media worked to identify her on Monday morning).

NASSAU is supposed to return to the Bahamas on her own keel once her refit is complete, and presumably BAHAMAS will do the same, although there is a snarky comment in her Wikipedia article suggesting she rarely goes to see, possibly because the RBDF can't afford the fuel. They might be better off waiting until BAHAMAS is also complete her refit and ship them both back on the same heavy-lift vessel.

Happy River carrying HMBS BAHAMAS.

Happy River carrying HMBS BAHAMAS.

Keeping pace with Happy River to help her out when she got into the narrows was Atlantic Willow. 

Atlantic Willow with Happy River in the background.

Atlantic Willow proceeded slowly up the harbour very close to the Halifax shore, which I greatly appreciated for these two photos. 

Rising sun reflections from a building on the Halifax waterfront illuminated Atlantic Willow's port side.

This is not the first time heavy lift vessels have carried warships in and out of Halifax Harbour. After her fire on her maiden trans-atlantic attempt while in RCN commission, HMCS CHICOUTIMI was towed back to the UK, and eventually made her way to Canada with the help of Eide Transporter - a ship that is essentially a self-propelled seagoing drydock. 

Eide Transporter bringing HMCS CHICOUTIMI to Halifax in February 2005.

CHICOUTIMI was towed out of Eide Transporter's well, and taken to the Dockyard for a lengthy inspection. 

CHICOUTIMI in the foreground, with Eide Transporter hull-down in the background to allow CHICOUTIMI to float out.

It was later decided to refit CHICOUTIMI on the West Coast, and another semi-submersible heavy lift vessel, this time Dockwise Tern, was hired to take her there.

Fast forward to April 2009, when CHICOUTIMI was again deck cargo, this time on Dockwise Tern.

Fast forward again to early 2017, and CHICOUTIMI has just recently started sea trials, after more time had to be spent after her refit fixing substandard welds.

Photos this week: October 8-14

There was a fair amount of Navy traffic this week, including an ever elusive submarine. Unusually, I will start with a photo taken in Lunenburg, where the French Navy's Saint Pierre et Miquelon patrol vessel FULMAR was tied up at the Lunenburg Foundry wharf.

FNS FULMAR (P740).

On Tuesday, HMCS ST. JOHN'S timed her departure perfectly to coincide with my ferry trip to work, and I got some nice shots of her as we ducked around her stern.

HMCS ST. JOHN'S.

HMCS ST. JOHN'S.

As ST. JOHN'S was departing the harbour, Halifax's largest cruise ship visitor to date Anthem of the Seas was arriving for another visit. I will display some more images of the latter ship later, but when looking at this shot of the two ships together I can't help but be reminded of the scene in the James Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me" where the nuclear submarine is swallowed up by the much larger oil tanker. 

ST. JOHN'S and Anthem of the Seas.

HMCS WINDSOR (SSK 877) was busy this week, and departed and returned to Halifax multiple times, even taking out some Members of Parliament during one of her trips. I'm obviously in the wrong career!

HMCS WINDSOR passing the lighthouse on Georges Island.

I was excited upon first siting WINDSOR on Wednesday, as she was running her diesels, and had the tell-tale condensing exhaust plumes streaming out behind her. Diesel-electric submarines like WINDSOR use their diesels to recharge their batteries, which in turn power the electric motors that move the submarine and power other equipment. After passing the lighthouse on McNab's Island, however, the diesels must have been shut down. Just imagine how much better the shot above would have been if she hadn't? Actually you don't have to, because on Friday I caught her again in roughly the same location.

HMCS WINDSOR running her diesels.

Unfortunately, Friday was overcast, and didn't have the nice dawn sky for a background. Maybe next week?

HMCS WINDSOR.

While on the subject of WINDSOR running her diesels, I might as well dig up these 10 year old shots of WINDSOR transiting the narrows on her way to Bedford Basin.

WINDSOR in May 2006.

WINDSOR in May 2006.

WINDSOR in May 2006.

Finally, some news on fleet disposals. HMCS PRESERVER moved south in the Dockyard this week. She will be paid off for the last time on Friday October 21. While still in commission, she has been stranded alongside for around 2 years, pretty much relegated to serving as a fuel barge.

HMCS PRESERVER on week prior to being paid off.

The former HMCS IROQUOIS will also soon be moving, when she leaves Halifax for the last time. It was announced this week that Iroquois will be heading for Liverpool to be broken up alongside ex-HMC Ships ALGONQUIN and PROTECTEUR, the former a sistership.

HMCS IROQUOIS in 2007.

Commercial traffic was also busy this week, and October is usually one of the busiest months for cruise ships. Wednesday saw at least 5 cruise ships, although two were rather small, and one had overnighted from Tuesday.

From left to right, Victory I, Pearl Mist, Crystal Serenity, and Zuiderdam.

Victory I, Pearl Mist, and Crystal Serenity in the background with Chebucto Pilot to the far right.

Victory I and Zuiderdam.

Speaking of Chebucto Pilot, I captured a nice image of her passing Georges Island, with sunlight reflected from a Halifax building illuminating her port side.

Chebucto Pilot.

Even without being part of a dastardly plot to capture HMCS ST. JOHN'S, Anthem of the Seas is an impressive sight. She is apparently the fourth largest cruise ship in the world (for now, anyway).

Anthem of the Seas.

Anthem of the Seas.

Serenade of the Seas seems small by comparison.

Serenade of the Seas.

Serenade of the Seas.

On Tuesday, Common Venture was at anchor after receiving fuel from Algoma Dartmouth.

Common Leader.

Veteran Atlantic Conveyor was threading her way out through the narrows, on what is probably one of her last trips before heading to the breakers. 

Atlantic Conveyor.

Nolhanava.

Coriolis II is the former CCGS John Jacobson. She was tied up at the former Dartmouth CCG base, which is now slated to become an ocean research facility. 

Finally, in case you missed it, I will mention my previous post with photos of the Picton Castle up on the Lunenburg Marine Railway.