Irving Shipbuilding launches patrol vessel HMCS Harry DeWolf

Irving Shipbuilding of Nova Scotia has launched a new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) on September 15.

The patrol vessel will carry the name HMCS Harry DeWolf upon commissioning.

Harry DeWolf is 103 metres long and weighs 6,615 tonnes, making it the largest RCN ship built in Canada in 50 years.

The ship was transitioned from Irving’s Halifax land level facility to a submersible barge on September 14 and launched in the Bedford Basin the following day.

The lead ship in the RCN’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) programme is now pier side where the builder will continue working to prepare it for sea trials and commissioning, both of which will take place in 2019.