The sixth and final Harry DeWolf-class arctic and offshore patrol ship (AOPS) for the Royal Canadian Navy was officially named HMCS Robert Hampton Gray in a ceremony at Halifax Shipyard on August 9.
The AOPS is 103.6 metres long with a beam of 19 metres and has a displacement of 6,615 tonnes. It is powered by a diesel-electric system and has a maximum speed of 17 knots. The vessel has a range of 6,800 nautical miles (12,594 kilometres) and is designed to operate in ice up to one metre thick. Armaments include one 25 mm cannon and two M2 Browning machine guns.
Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray was a Canadian naval hero who served as a pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. He was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for courage in carrying out air strikes on a Japanese destroyer in August 1945.
Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, stated that the naming is a proud milestone for the navy and that the goals of the national shipbuilding strategy are being realised in Halifax.
The Halifax Shipyard is also building two AOPS variants for the Canadian Coast Guard and is underway with production on the first of fifteen new River-class destroyers for the navy.