HMCS Margaret Brooke returns from deployment to southern seas

Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel HMCS Margaret Brooke (AOPV 431) returned to Halifax on 9 May 2025 from a 4-month deployment to Antarctica and a circumnavigation of South America. 

HMCS Margaret Brooke approaching Jetty NJ in the Dockyard.

I plan to write a piece for Warships IFR magazine on the deployment and mission. 

Update: My piece appears in the September 2025 issue of Warships IFR magazine.

Future HMCS Max Bernays

The future HMCS MAX BERNAYS, the RCN's next-to-launch Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), continues to take shape at the Halifax Shipyard - with some speculation that she may be ready to launch in the near future. Personally, it looks to me that there is some final painting of the hull that should be done prior to launch, but in any case I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some photos of the ship out of the water.

The future HMCS MAX BERNAYS sitting on land at the Halifax Shipyard prior to launch.

Interestingly, the antifouling paint on the MAX BERNAYS is the traditional blue that we tend to sea on the HALIFAX-class frigates, whereas, I believe the two previous ships (HARRY DEWOLF and MARGARET BROOKE) were both launched with red antifouling. 

The red wheeled platforms in the foreground are the transporters that will lift the cradles upon which the ship is supported, and will move the ship onto the semi-submersible launching barge (Boa Barge 37) when the time comes. The barge's white superstructure can be seen in the background, behind the ship's stern.

This view shows well the icebreaking profile of the ship's bow.

Updated: According to Halifax Shipping News, MAX BERNAYS will be rolled onto Boa Barge 37 on Friday October 22 in order to be launched on Saturday, October 23, 2021.

Future HMCS MAX BERNAYS

(Note: A previous version of this blog post incorrectly indicated that the WILLIAM HALL was rolled out, however, it is actually the MAX BERNAYS. The keel for the WILLIAM HALL was laid recently, hence my confusion on the subject. The quickest way to find the answer to something is to post the incorrect answer on the internet.)

The future HMCS WILLIAM HALL MAX BERNAYS is taking shape at the Halifax Shipyard, with the stern and midships sections having rolled out of the building hall within the last few months, and having recently been joined together. MAX BERNAYS will be the third Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) to enter service in the Royal Canadian Navy. The first, HARRY DEWOLF, is currently undergoing sea trials and has recently operated in ice off Baffin Island. She will commission into the RCN later this year.

The arrangement of the building yard, storage for snow, ship's cradles, and high fencing does not make for easy photography, but one manages.

The opening for the port stabilizer can be seen just to the right of the yellow debris chute - it is retracted into the hull, as it would be when the ship is operating in ice or coming alongside. Icebreaking hulls are not known for great handling in rough sea conditions, and these stabilizers will help to make the ships a little more comfortable and prevent excessive rolling.

Photography from the ferry at dusk is similarly not easy, as it is taken from a distance at high ISO levels, but it can certainly be pretty. I need to find a better vantage point for this sort of night time image.

For those interested, I have a two-part article on these ships coming out in the April and May editions of Warships International Fleet Review magazine, and these articles greatly benefitted from an interview with the commander of HMCS HARRY DEWOLF.

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. 

Foundation Maritime: Salvaging HMCS QUINTE

Commissioned on August 30, 1941, the Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS QUINTE was essentially brand new and had undergone a recent refit in Lunenburg in late 1942 when she ran aground and had to be "beached" - at some point she seems to have additionally capsized and sunk in the St. Peter's Canal. Foundation Maritime deployed to salvage the wreck, but winter apparently set in and the canal froze over before work could begin in earnest.

QUINTE lies on her side in the frozen waters of the St. Peter's Canal. The salvage operation has begun, and righting masts with block and tackle have been set up on the pier to begin righting the ship. This photo looks to the south.

The salvage operation began with the ship up against the sea wall on the east side of the canal entrance. The ship was lying on her port side with the bow pointed to the north, up into the canal.

Looking to the north, a man stands on a gangway rigged from the pier to the wreck. Tackle rigged to the righting masts is already connected to the ship.

The ship is sitting on the bottom in these photos, and her exposed sides and deck would have been subject to the rise and fall of the tides - with all the ice present, this probably contributed to scouring paint from the hull.

QUINTE still on her side, with her starboard lifeboat davits pointing up into the air. The ground is still covered in snow in this image.

The tug that supported the operation at this stage was the Saint-class Ocean Eagle - a Canadian Government asset at this time, and formerly Royal Navy tug St. Arvans, she had been placed under the operational control of Foundation Maritime during the war.

Though ice remains in the canal, snow cover on the ground itself is receding, and Foundation Maritime has managed to maneuver the crane barge Foundation Scarboro into position alongside the now-righted wreck. Operated during the war by Foundation Maritime, the government tug Ocean Eagle can be seen to the right of the image. Foundation Scarboro's shear legs are in the stowed position in this photo - folded down onto the deck on the right side of the barge.

The masts and tackle are still in position after righting the wreck, though she has not yet been refloated. If is hard to tell if the wreck has already been relocated, or if some of the photos have been reversed, because she is now port side-to the pier as opposed to starboard side-to in the previous photos. I am assuming they would not have relocated the righting masts, so I believe this photo is mirrored - the opposite side of the canal in this photo should be the west side.

Once QUINTE was back on a more or less even keel, she was refloated. Presumably Foundation Scarboro's participation would have been critical to this state of the operation.

Now refloated, QUINTE is rafted outside Foundation Scarboro on the west side of the canal entrance, the latter with her shear legs now deployed. Ocean Eagle can be seen in the background. The righting masts can still be seen erected on the east (near) side of the canal.

Apart from the removal of a minesweeper wreck, this end of the St. Peter's Canal hasn't changed that much over the years - the sea wall is still there, and you can see the knuckles in the edge in these Google Map Streetview images to locate the action all those years ago. In fact, the house in the background appearing between the shear legs on Foundation Scarboro still appears in the Streetview image here. 

QUINTE alongside Foundation Scarboro on the west side of the canal. The house in the background right of the image still exists and can be seen in the Google Streetview link above.

A close-up of the now-refloated QUINTE, looking rather the worse for wear after her ordeal. This is the starboard side of the ship, which would have been exposed to tidal action and ice, and presumably the paint has been partially scoured off - although I am unable to immediately find a photo of QUINTE taken before her sinking, so I don't know what her paint scheme would have been - but the camouflage applied during the war tended to consist of lighter colours in order to blend in on the horizon.

After completing the salvage operation in 1943, QUINTE was towed to the Foundation Maritime-operated Pictou Shipyard, where she was repaired by 1944, and then she spent the rest of the war as a training ship attached to the HMCS CORNWALLIS training base in Digby, NS. Although the Bangors had been built with enclosed bridges, it would appear that QUINTE's new training role demanded an open bridge modeled along the lines of the Flower-class corvette, and she appears to have received a new armament outfit as well, at least as compared to her contemporary sisterships.

In 1946, she briefly operated with the Naval Research Establishment in Halifax, but paid off by October 25th of that year. All this might seem like a lot of work for little return, as QUINTE was scrapped in Sydney, NS, in 1947. But then, salt water has a bad effect on electrical wiring, and perhaps problems were beginning to surface - certainly, if her history was known, she would not have been among the first to be purchased by other navies after the war.

The entire incident seems to have been relatively unknown, to the extent that at least one RCN ship historian wasn't even sure that it had occurred - until I was able to produce the photos. And the only reason I myself had the photos was because I was able to access the archives of the Foundation Company of Canada in Toronto, thanks to the kind assistance of Harold Beswick, who combed the archives, collected anything he found of interest and couriered it to me in Nova Scotia, and then received it back when I was finished scanning it. I learned just last week that Harold passed away on April 10th, at the age of 87. So if you've read this and enjoyed it, please say a little thank-you to Harold.

A Flight in a CH-148 Cyclone

Last year, as a local contributor for Warships IFR magazine, I was exceptionally fortunate to fly in one of the RCAF's new CH-148 Cyclone helicopters out to HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC so that I could prepare a piece on the Cutlass Fury naval exercise off the coast of Nova Scotia (see the January 2020 edition, Page 14). 

That trip has been constantly on my mind since the tragic accident this past week in the Ionian Sea, involving a Cyclone (tail number 148822) flying from HMCS FREDERICTON (FFH 337). The body of one sailor has been found, and the remaining sailor and four aviators onboard are now presumed lost as well. From the RCAF website, the deceased are: Sub-Lieutenant Abbigail Cowbrough, a Marine Systems Engineering Officer; Captain Brenden Ian MacDonald, Pilot; Captain Kevin Hagen, Pilot; Captain Maxime Miron-Morin, Air Combat Systems Officer; Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Pyke, Naval Warfare Officer; and Master Corporal Matthew Cousins, Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator (AESOP). My condolences to the families and friends of the crash victims.

While I intend to try and provide some minor context to Cyclone flight operations, I will preface this post with a disclaimer: I do not have any special knowledge or perspective on Cyclone flight operations, or indeed flight operations involving any maritime helicopter, and am merely writing this post to describe my one personal experience flying in one of these helicopters. 

September 17, 2019:

We (myself, and a CTV video journalist) joined our Cyclone (tail number 148817) at 12 Wing Shearwater. After meeting in a briefing room and being provided with some basic instruction, we were suited up and led out to the aircraft. The water temperature was cold enough that day that we were provided with orange immersion suits to keep us warm if we needed to ditch on the ocean. The suits are not themselves inherently buoyant, so we were also provided with life jackets. We also needed to wear hearing and eye protection. Add in my camera bag, and I was walking to the helicopter like a mummy.

Cyclone on the ground at 12 Wing Shearwater.

Keep your head down!

The Cyclone is a state-of-the-art maritime patrol helicopter - as one would hope, seeing as they are brand new and still being delivered to the Air Force. That said, they are far from luxurious inside, and in fact the cabin is rather utilitarian. 

Cabin looking forward, with the cockpit in the background. The white plastic knobs on the rail (top right) are intended to point you to the nearest emergency exit in the event of an emergency when visibility is curtailed - in other words, at night or underwater. The orange-suited guy to the left is standing in front of the tactical console, from which the helicopter's surface and sub-surface sensors are operated - this is where the AESOP would be seated. We were encouraged to NOT take photos of this console, so I didn't.

Another view looking forward, this time with the AESOP sitting at the tactical console to the left.

Helicopters are loud and sound insulation is heavy - so we were instead provided with hearing protection. Passenger seating is basic, and folds up when not in use. We were joined by two foreign naval officers on this trip, one of whom is pictured here, with his green inflatable life-jacket worn over his orange immersion suit..

While strapped into my seat, my movement restrained by my immersion suit and life jacket plus the two cameras handing from my neck, I replayed our safety briefing in my head, and hoped fervently that none of that instruction would prove to be pertinent within the next few hours. In the event of the helicopter ditching, we were told (among many other things) not to inflate our life-jackets until after exiting the aircraft, otherwise we might be too bulky to fit through the emergency exit. The Cyclone predecessor, the Sea King, was designed to land on, float on, and take off from the surface of the water - in calm conditions at least. The Cyclone, like most helicopters, is not designed in this way, and will tend to capsize (flip over) even during a gentle landing on water - helicopters are very top heavy, with the gas turbine engines mounted above the cabin.

The view from the cockpit.

The Cyclone is designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare and, in addition to the impressive sensor suite intended to locate surface and undersea objects, is fitted with large windows to allow crew and passengers a good view outside. There is some video taken during our flight here.

The view out a starboard side window. I lost the toss for the jump seat beside the open door on the way out to VILLE DE QUEBEC, and so had to content myself with this window beside my seat.

The irony is that with the crash of 148822 from FREDERICTON last week, probably the most capable platform with which to immediately search for the missing crew members was already lost. 

A room with a view!

On our way out to VILLE DE QUEBEC ("VdQ"), we flew over FREDERICTON ("Freddie") carrying out boarding drills.

A rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) from FREDERICTON approaches Leeway Odyssey during a boarding exercise. At the bow, out of site from the RHIB, are two "armed" men. FREDERICTON and NATO warships will be expected to be proficient in this sort of boarding operation. 

On the approach to VdQ, with the ship visible out the window.

We left Freddie, and headed to VdQ. Conditions were good and relatively smooth in the air, but landing on a ship sometimes requires sharp maneuvering - my stomach was in for a bit of a treat, with some banking back and forth on our approach. There is a video of this maneuver here.

Cyclone #817 approaching the ship on a flight subsequent to ours. This image is taken from the Landing Safety Officer (LSO) hut on the flight deck, from which the Beartrap hauldown equipment is operated.

The helicopter approached VdQ from aft and off to one side, then slid sideways over the deck, and touched down. It was a calm day at sea, with minimal sea state, and the Cyclone was able to land without assistance. In more lively sea states, the ship and helicopter would make use of a Canadian invention called the Beartrap (or C-RAST) haul-down and traverse system, which assists in landing the helicopter and moving it in and out of the hangar and allows helicopter operations to continue in up to Sea State 6. 

Rotor wash is visible on the surface of the water as the Cyclone comes in for a landing. The white object near the bottom right of the image is one of the ship's railing stanchions. 

The Cyclone is now moving to port, over the deck.

Now touched down on the ship, crew will run out and put chocks under the wheels, and attach chains to the helicopter to hold it to the deck.

The pilots kept the engines running to push the helicopter down onto the ship's deck until the wheels were chocked and chains were attached. Non-essential personnel are kept away from this area of the ship during helicopter operations, to minimize the number of people who could be injured in an accident - we were even told we couldn't stay in the hangar while a helicopter was operating due to the risk of a rotor blade detaching from the helicopter and being thrown through the hangar doors.

Helicopter crew members stand at the starboard door while a ship's crewmember chocks the aft wheels.

Another photographer takes photos of us from the LSO hut. Presumably there is an unflattering photo of me in a large orange suit around somewhere - having seen him there gave me the idea to ask if I could take photos of the helicopter's return to the ship from that same location. 

Ship's crewmembers aid in the landing of the helicopter. As you can see from the blurred rotor tip in the top of the image, the rotors are still spinning at this point, and we were kept on deck beside the helicopter.

Anchor chains and wheel chocks are in place to hold the helicopter on deck.

The control cabin can be seen in the top left of the image.

While the Beartrap is controlled from the LSO's hut at deck level, helicopter operations are directed from the control cabin one deck higher.

The flight operations control cabin at the aft port corner of the hangar superstructure on VdQ, with USS JASON DUNHAM in the background.

After dropping us off onboard VdQ, the Cyclone spun up again and headed off to transfer personnel to another ship in the exercise.

Liftoff!

The Cyclone slid to port and took headed off.

The Cyclone was constantly active during our visit, and carried out several take-off and landing evolutions. I was able to watch a second takeoff from the starboard bridge wing, and I was fortunate that the helicopter headed off down VdQ's starboard side this time. I have to assume it was all just luck, but I definitely felt I was being catered to as a photographer.

The Cyclone takes off and moves off the deck to starboard.

Rotor wash is kicking up spray from the ocean's surface.

If you look closely, you can see tip trails extending from the rotor blades to the right of the image.

We were not the only visitors to fly out to the ship that day - ships at sea provide good resting spots for migrating birds, such as this Baltimore Oriole.

After being overcast for most of the day, the sun briefly broke through as we headed out onto deck to re-board the Cyclone.

The North Atlantic is hard on ships, and VdQ is showing some of the wear and tear.

VdQ at sea.

As with the flight out, our return to Shearwater was uneventful. Our approach took us in over Eastern Passage, and I took this photo of a car carrier tied up at the Autoport - a reminder that one of the purposes of exercises like Cutlass Fury is to keep open our sea lines of communication and the delivery of cars and other products upon which we depend.

Car carrier at the Autoport in Eastern Passage.

In October 2019, I was able to attend the memorial service held in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the HMCS KOOTENAY gearbox explosion. Seven RCN sailors died in that accident.

The 50th anniversary service for the KOOTENAY gearbox explosion at the HMCS BONAVENTURE Anchor Memorial in Point Pleasant Park.

Local sailors and aviators gathered at the HMCS BONAVENTURE Anchor Memorial in Point Pleasant Park. The service was accompanied by a flypast and wreath laying by Cyclone helicopter - which, coupled with an onshore breeze, ensured that everyone got wet with salt spray. This memorial, built around an anchor from HMCS BONAVENTURE, bears the names of sailors lost at sea during peacetime. Sadly, some new names will now be added to that memorial.

The Cyclone headed off, spraying Air Force personnel in the process.