Exercise Cutlass Fury 2019

Exercise Cutlass Fury 2019 will run from September 9-20, and will begin with a sailpast (and flypast) of the Halifax waterfront on Monday, September 9th. The ships began arriving today, Thursday September 5th. It is planned to have some ships open to the public over the weekend, however, we have yet to see what impact the remnants of Hurricane Dorian will have on this.

My photos of the exercise will appear in a gallery on my Smugmug website as I upload them.

Ships having arrived to date include:

Sisterships HNLMS VAN SPEIJK (Dutch) and BNS LEOPOLD I (Belgian).

The Dutch built a class of Karel Doorman class frigates in the early 1990s, and have recently sold some of the ships to the Belgians and the Portuguese - thus there are three ships of the same class here this year, all belonging to different navies. In fact, LEOPOLD I on the right of the above photo, is actually the lead ship of the class - the former HNLMS KAREL DOORMAN herself.

USS GRIDLEY.

HNoMS THOS HEYERDAHL.

HDMS PETER WILLEMOES

USS JASON DUNHAM

HMS NORTHUMBERLAND

NRP DOM FRANCISCO DE ALMEIDA

NRP DOM FRANCISCO DE ALMEIDA is another of the Karel Doorman class frigates here this year.

USNS PATUXENT

HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC will also participate.

I will no doubt post more on this subject, and may fill in some more information on this post as I have time - assuming we have power over the weekend, that is.

Upcoming 50th Anniversary of HMCS KOOTENAY gearbox explosion

On October 23rd, 1969, HMCS KOOTENAY was exercising off the coast of England with a task group of ships of the Royal Canadian Navy when her starboard gearbox exploded, killing a total of 9 sailors - the RCN's largest ever peacetime accident. 

To mark the 50th anniversary of this event, I have a two-part article appearing in Warships International Fleet Review magazine. Part I will appear in the September issue, and Part II will appear in the October issue. Already out in the UK, the magazine is typically received in Halifax about a month late - the September issue should appear in Halifax in early October. 

The cover of the September 2019 issue.

I have written on this subject before, but the article has been expanded with some more detail and a survivor's account. 

Warships IFR is typically found in Halifax in both Atlantic News and Chapters.

CSS Acadia refit

Phase I of the ongoing refit of CSS Acadia is nearing its end, and the ship was opened up for visitors for the first time in a long time. Access was limited to the starboard side of the main deck, so that the public could see the re-decking progress.

Looking forward near the bow.

Some tools of the trade and a sample of the douglas fir being used to replace the old decking. Yes, it really is that thick. 

Once the decking is installed, oakum is hammered into the joints between the deck planking, and eventually a black sealant installed above the oakum.

Looking aft along the starboard side.

Looking aft at the stern.

If you look closely in the above photo, you can see the wood plugs placed above the steel bolts that holds the deck planking down to the steel deck. Some of the black sealant can be seen amongst the planking to the right of the photo.

A deck level view - the oakum is installed, but the sealant is missing.

Acadia's refit will continue into 2020. Built in 1913 and having seen service in both world wars, Acadia has earned the attention she is receiving.

Hiatus....and fancy yachts

I'm on a bit of a hiatus from posting to the blog at the moment, due to a busy summer and a few other projects that I have on the go - some of which I hope to announce soon.

In the meantime, check out my Smugmug website for photos of some of the yachts that have visited Halifax this summer: Hetairos, Marie, and Satisfaction.

Also, there was a sailpast by the Cunard ships Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth on Friday night last week.

That's all for now.

Container Ship CMA CGM Orfeo

Container ships are getting larger and larger, and CMA CGM Orfeo is one of the larger vessels to call in Halifax these days (though there are much larger ships out there). Seeing her alongside at Halterm  last Sunday with several cranes working her cargo of containers puts her into some perspective.

Loading is almost complete in this photo.

Tugs are present, and the ship is preparing to depart.

Orfeo left the pier and headed out as we were heading back to the jetty in VILLE DE QUEBEC.

HMCS ORIOLE

Based in Halifax since 2017 after a long stint on the West Coast, HMCS ORIOLE first arrived in time for Tall Ships 2019. She underwent a refit in Lunenburg over the winter of 2017/2018, and then did a Great Lakes tour in 2018, and I believe is due for another in 2019. ORIOLE is the oldest RCN vessel in commission.

After an event at the Royal Nova Scotian Yacht Squadron on Saturday, ORIOLE sailed past HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC during the Battle of the Atlantic service on Sunday, May 5.

Although initially under sail flying her spinnaker, possibly with wind filtered down through the northwest arm, light wind caused the spinnaker to collapse several times and she gave up on sail and reverted to engine power. Without her sails up, she rolled a fair bit in the swell to which both ships were presenting their beam.

Hopefully I will manage to catch her properly under sail before she heads to the Great Lakes.

ARM Cuauhtémoc

While we were out for the Battle of the Atlantic service on Sunday, we caught the arrival of the Mexican Navy's sail training vessel, ARM Cuauhtémoc. A sister-ship to Gloria, Simon Bolivar, and Guayas, the barque is similar in design to the Blohm & Voss designs such as Gorch Fock, USCGC Eagle, and NRP Sagres (the latter visited about a year ago).

Cuauhtémoc appearing out of the fog.

If you look closely, you can see the sailors manning the yard arms.

Beam to, with the tugs hidden behind.

The lighthouses on Georges and McNabs Islands to the left.

Cuauhtémoc pulled into Pier 24.

Cuauhtémoc was open to the public over several days, and I managed to get onboard on the final day, Wednesday, before her departure. 

As with many similar vessels, Cuauhtémoc was flying a huge ensign from the mizzen mast.

Each stair tread bears the ship's name.

One of the ship's boats.

The rest of the photos can be found here.