Protecteur-class auxiliary vessel

The Protecteur class (formerly known as the Queenston class) of naval auxiliaries for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) began as the Joint Support Ship Project, a Government of Canada procurement project for the RCN that is part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. It will see the RCN acquire two multi-role vessels to replace the earlier Protecteur-class auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels that were operated by the RCN.[3]

This article is about the replenishment ships under construction. For the Cold War tankers, see Protecteur-class replenishment oiler.

The Protecteur class of ships will be based on the Berlin-class replenishment ship
Class overview
Name: Protecteur class
Builders: Seaspan Marine Corporation
Operators:  Royal Canadian Navy
Preceded by: Protecteur class
Cost: CA$2.6 billion (2015 estimate);[1]$4.1bn (2020 estimate)[2]
Planned: 2
Building: 1
General characteristics
Type: Joint Support Ship
Length: 173.7 m (569 ft 11 in)
Beam: 24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Height: 17.5 m (57 ft 5 in)
Draught: 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
Aircraft carried: 2 × Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone
Aviation facilities: Hangar and flight deck

The project has suffered from considerable delays. Originally announced in 2004, a contract for the construction of these ships was to have been signed in 2009, which would have seen the first vessel available for operational service in 2012. In 2010 the federal government grouped the Joint Support Ship Project under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, which was finalized in October 2011. While initial construction work on modules for the lead vessel began in 2018, a formal contract for the construction of both ships was only signed in June 2020.

On 2 June 2013, it was announced that ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada's Berlin-class replenishment ship was selected as the basis for the design of the Joint Support Ship Project. The Canadian vessels will be a variant of the Berlin class, as the design had to be optimized for Seaspan's yard in Victoria, British Columbia.[4][5][6]

In order to speed construction of the Protecteur-class naval auxiliaries, the delivery of the new polar icebreaker, CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, will be delayed until at least the end of the 2020s.[7][8]

Class name

On 25 October 2013, the Minister of National Defence announced the JSS has been named Queenston class with two ships named, HMCS Queenston and HMCS Châteauguay.[9] Their namesakes were to be the Battle of Queenston Heights and the Battle of Châteauguay, two battles during the War of 1812. A possible third ship in the class could be built, to be named HMCS Crysler's Farm, also named after a battle from the War of 1812.[10] The option for the third vessel was dropped due to budget constraints.[11] On 12 September 2017, the Canadian government announced the renaming of the class and vessels, taking the names of the ships of the class that they are to replace. Queenston became Protecteur and Châteauguay became Preserver. According to Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, this was due to the ties both serving and former Navy personnel had with the names.[12]

Purpose

The Joint Support Ship Project consists of two multi-role vessels that will replace the former underway replenishment capability of the earlier Protecteur-class auxiliary vessel, as well as provide basic sealift for the Canadian Army, support to forces ashore, and command facilities for a Canadian Forces "joint force" or "naval task group".[13]

The Joint Support Ship Project should not be confused with the Amphibious Assault Ship Project, which is a proposed separate procurement project but one which has never advanced beyond a conception stage.

Proposed ship capabilities

As of 2010, the Joint Support Ship Project envisioned several multi-role vessels capable of supporting the Royal Canadian Navy's warships at sea, as well as providing strategic sealift and some airlift for naval task groups or army operations. The vessels were envisaged as having a multi-purpose covered deck with the ability to carry up to 10,000 tonnes of ship fuel, 1,300 tonnes of aviation fuel, 1,100 tonnes of ammunition as well as 1,000–1,500 lane metres of deck space for carrying vehicles and containerized cargo. The vessels were also to have hospital facilities as well as a large helicopter deck with two landing spots, hangar space for four helicopters, and a roll-on/roll-off deck for vehicles onto a dock.[14]

Particulars of the Berlin-class design

The Berlin-class design ultimately selected by the RCN in 2013 incorporated somewhat modified components:

  • Ability to transport 9,600 cubic metres (2,100,000 imp gal) of fuel, 550 cubic metres (120,000 imp gal) of water, 160 tonnes (160 long tons; 180 short tons) of ammunition, 280 tonnes (280 long tons; 310 short tons) of food, 100 tonnes (98 long tons; 110 short tons) of dry stores and 32 containers.
  • Ship fitted with replenishment-at-sea (RAS) systems and accommodates up to two helicopters. The loading and offloading of cargo is carried out by two 24-ton cranes.
  • The modular hospital of the Berlin class has 45 beds for general patients and four for intensive care (including hospital ward).[15]

The Canadian variant of the Berlin class may incorporate additional modifications from the original design.

Survivability

Airlift
  • 2 × CH-148 Cyclone helicopters
  • Enclosed hangar with maintenance and repair facilities[16]

Vessels will be designed with double hulls for storage of petroleum products, unlike the former Protecteur-class single-hull vessels.

Joint headquarters support
  • Naval communications
  • Land communications
  • Air communications

Project timeline

In 2004 the federal government announced that it was commencing the Joint Support Ship Project. Originally, there were four syndicates vying for the contract, led by Irving Shipbuilding, BAE Systems, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada, and SNC-Lavalin ProFac. Two design finalists were selected in November 2006: ThyssenKrupp and SNC-Lavalin ProFac. Under the two remaining proposals, the ships will be built in either Marystown, Newfoundland or Victoria, British Columbia, respectively. A contract for final design and construction was expected in 2008, with the first ship of the class entering service in 2012. In January 2007, Canadian media reported that defence planners were considering the retirement of the existing Protecteur-class ships by 2010, prior to the delivery of the first replacement vessels in 2012. This news was met with criticism as it would leave MARCOM without an underway replenishment capability for two years.[17]

On 22 August 2008 the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Christian Paradis announced the termination of two procurement processes involving the shipbuilding industry. In December 2008 MARCOM officers and defence analysts had been hoping that January's federal budget would have contained up to $500 million in extra funding for the Joint Support Ship Project so that it could be completed. In the same month Defence Minister Peter MacKay suggested that the budget stimulus package would deal with MARCOM's shipbuilding needs. However, there was no extra money for the Joint Support Ship Project and the stimulus package did not address MARCOM's vessel procurement programs. Vice-Admiral Denis Rouleau, spoke to the Standing Committee on National Defence in the House of Commons and indicated that the Department of National Defence would know by summer 2009 how it would move ahead with the Joint Support Ship Project.[18]

In June 2009 officials with the Joint Support Ship Project began re-evaluating the type of ship they wished to purchase since the original concept could not be met with the money the government was willing to provide. One option would be to start from scratch and purchase a different type of ship altogether.[19] In September 2009, the Joint Support Ship Project received a new design. Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of the Maritime Staff, said that he was ready to submit design and cost estimates to the government and to the Minister of National Defence.[20]

In June 2010 the Government of Canada announced that the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) would see $35 billion spent over the next 30 years to purchase 28 new large ships and 116 small vessels for Maritime Command and the Canadian Coast Guard. The NSPS was headed by the government's procurement arm, the Department of Public Works and Government Services, with support from Department of Industry, as well as the 2 departments responsible for MARCOM and CCG, the Department of National Defence and Department of Fisheries and Oceans respectively. In July 2010, Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced that under the NSPS the federal government would initially purchase two joint support ships (at a cost of $2.6 billion) with options for a third.[21][22] On 11 October 2010 the Government of Canada announced that five shipbuilding companies were "being invited to participate in a request for proposals" for the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

On 19 October 2011, the Government of Canada announced the results of the competitive evaluation of bids in the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy which saw the $8 billion non-combat ship package, including the Joint Support Ship Project, awarded to Seaspan Marine Corporation in Vancouver, British Columbia.[23]

On 2 June 2013, the Government of Canada announced that ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada's Berlin-class AOR was selected as the design for the Joint Support Ship. On 11 October 2013, The NSPS Secretariat announced that Vancouver Shipyards will commence construction on the Joint Support Ships, followed by the Polar Icebreaker, under the NSPS non-combat package. It was expected that construction will begin in 2016–17.[24] On 25 October 2013, the Government of Canada announced that the two ships will be named Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Queenston and HMCS Châteauguay in recognition of the significant battles of Queenston Heights and Châteauguay during the War of 1812. The class would likely be named Queenston class.[25] However, these names were subsequently changed to Protecteur and Preserver respectively, announced on 12 September 2017.[12]

In August 2015 Davie Shipyard signed a contract to convert the container ship MV Asterix for the role until the specialized ships were delivered.[26] The contract is known as Project Resolve. The vessel was built in 2010 in Germany and will be converted for use by the RCN until the JSS are ready. Construction of the first JSS had been scheduled to begin at the Seaspan Yard in late 2017, following the construction of two other classes of ships for the Canadian Coast Guard.

In 2020, it was reported that project costs had escalated significantly with an estimated $4.1 billion now being required to complete the project.[2]

Construction

The first of class, Protecteur, is scheduled for a 2023 delivery. Preserver is expected to follow in 2025, though the dates for the operational service entry of both ships remain "under review".[27][28] Given delays and in an effort to try to speed up the process of building the ships, steel was cut for the ships in 2018 during a lull in the construction of two Canadian Coast Guard science vessels at the yard.[29] On 5 February 2019, it was announced that the construction of the first vessel in the class would be advanced and the ship would be completed at the Seaspan yard ahead of the construction of the planned Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) for the Canadian Coast Guard. The second vessel would be completed only after the OOSV entered service.[30] The first ship, Protecteur, was formally laid down on 16 January 2020.[31] The formal contract for the construction of both ships was awarded in June 2020.[28]

Ships
Protecteur class
Number Ship Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Status
Protecteur (ex-Queenston) Seaspan Shipyard 16 January 2020 Building
Preserver (ex-Chateauguay) Ordered

See also

References
  1. Auger, Martin (15 June 2015). "The National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy: A Five-Year Assessment". Canadian Library of Parliament.
  2. "Canada to pay $4.1B for Navy support ships in latest cost increase". Kamloops This Week. The Canadian Press. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. "Future Canadian Amphibious Assault Ship and Joint Support Ship" (PDF). Canadian Forces. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2011.
  4. "Backgrounder: Joint Support Ship Design Decision". National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. 2 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013.
  5. McKnight, Zoe (3 June 2013). "Navy adopts German design to be built in North Vancouver". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  6. Scott, Richard (26 May 2016). "Rebuilding Canada's navy [CANSEC2016D2]". janes.com. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  7. "Canadian Coast Guard may be forced to lease icebreakers as aging fleet increasingly at risk of breakdowns". National Post. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  8. Berthiaume, Lee (29 February 2020). "Federal government soliciting pitches from Canadian shipyards to build new icebreaker". CTV News Vancouver Island. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  9. "Names chosen for the Royal Canadian Navy's new Joint Support Ships". Government of Canada. Royal Canadian Navy. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  10. Pugliese, David (8 April 2016). "Royal Canadian Navy picks a name for a third Joint Support Ship". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  11. "National Defence blames 'fiscal restraints' for cutting third navy resupply ship". National Post. The Canadian Press. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  12. Pugliese, David (12 September 2017). "War of 1812 names for Joint Support Ships are history – Protecteur and Preserver are the new names". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  13. "Canada to build 2 Joint Support Ships". Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  14. "Canada's CA$2.9B "Joint Support Ship" Project, Take 2". Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  15. "Berlin Class Fleet Auxiliary Vessels". naval-technology.com. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  16. "Joint Support Ship: Replace Existing Systems with Newer or Different System". National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  17. ""Naval plan 'hare-brained'," The Halifax Chronicle-Herald". 2 February 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2007.
  18. Joint Support Ship
  20. Ships still on drawing board
  21. Weese, Bryn (14 July 2010). "Canadian Navy moves forward on new supply ships". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  22. Tutton, Michael (14 July 2010). "Navy to buy two new support ships for $2.6 billion". The Star. Toronto. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  23. Fowlie, Jonathan; Berthiaume, Lee; Hiltz, Robert; White, Marianne (20 October 2011). "Jubilation greets $8-billion shipbuilding contract for B.C." The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  24. "National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy Secretariat announces Vancouver Shipyards to build the Joint Support Ships in 2016". Government of Canada. 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  25. Pugliese, David (25 October 2013). "Joint Support Ships to Be Named HMCS Queenston and HMCS Châteauguay". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  26. Pugliese, David (26 September 2015). "Canada To Lease Commercial Vessel To Refuel Navy Ships". defensenews.com. Tegna. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  28. "Joint support ship". Government of Canada. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  29. Berthiaume, Lee (5 March 2018). "National Defence aims to save time by cutting steel on resupply ships early". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  30. Brewster, Murray (5 February 2019). "Ottawa pushes navy's planned supply ships to the front of the construction queue". CBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  31. Wilson, Carla (16 January 2020). "Ceremonial keel-laying held for new HMCS Protecteur". Times Colonist. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
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