History
Canada
NameSir John Franklin
Port of registryOttawa, Canada
Ordered19 October 2011
BuilderSeaspan Shipyard, North Vancouver
Laid down24 June 2015
Launched8 December 2017
In service27 June 2019
HomeportCCG Base Patricia Bay (Pacific Region)
IdentificationIMO number: 9781839
StatusIn service
General characteristics
TypeFisheries research vessel
Displacement3,212 t (3,161 long tons; 3,541 short tons)
Length63.4 m (208.0 ft)

CCGS Sir John Franklin[note 1] is an offshore fisheries research ship of the Canadian Coast Guard. The ship was ordered in 2011 as part of the Canadian National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) as a replacement for aging Canadian Coast Guard vessels. The ship was launched on 8 December 2017, named for Sir John Franklin, an arctic explorer who led two Royal Navy expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage, the second ending with the death of all his crew around 1848. The first of three vessels, Sir John Franklin is the sister ship of CCGS Capt. Jacques Cartier and CCGS John Cabot.

Design and description

Sir John Franklin is the first of three vessels ordered on 19 October 2011 by the Canadian government under the NSPS for offshore fisheries research.[1] The three vessels are intended to replace the aging CCGS Teleost, CCGS W.E. Ricker and CCGS Alfred Needler.[2] The initial design for the research vessels called for a 55-metre (180 ft)-long ship that could act as "floating laboratories for scientific research and ecosystem-based management."[2][3] However, when Seaspan received the technical plans from the government in 2012, they found that the ship's design would be prone to capsizing. The design was altered, leading to an increased design length of 63.4 m (208 ft) and a larger displacement of 3,212 metric tons (3,161 long tons; 3,541 short tons), 610 metric tons (600 long tons; 670 short tons) more than initially planned.[3][4] The ship was constructed in 37 blocks and welded together.[1] The research vessels are powered by a diesel-electric system giving the ships a maximum speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). The ships are equipped with four labs; a wet lab, a dry lab, an ocean lab and a control lab.[5]

Service history

The ship was ordered in 2011 and construction began on the vessel at Seaspan Shipyards, in Vancouver, British Columbia on 24 June 2015.[6][7] The ship was named for Sir John Franklin, an Arctic explorer, whose last mission into Canadian waters ended in death and failure. This is the second ship of the Canadian Coast Guard to be named for Franklin, with the first, CCGS Amundsen, carrying the name from her launch in 1979 until 2003. There was some displeasure with the chosen name for the ship, with some claiming that it celebrated failure.[8] Others argued that Sir John Franklin epitomized the courage of exploration in the harsh conditions of Canada's north in the 19th century.[9]

The ship was launched on 8 December 2017 at Vancouver.[10] The vessel arrived at Victoria, British Columbia on 12 December 2017 to complete construction and perform sea trials.[11] In August 2018 it was announced that, due to a number of welding faults totalling up to 44 metres (144 ft), the ship would be returned to the shipyard for re-welding.[12] On 22 March 2019, during sea trials, the ship reversed at high speed into the Ogden Point breakwater.[13] This damaged the propeller and rudder as well as denting the ship's hull and causing minor damage to the breakwater.[14] The vessel was repaired in two weeks using parts from its sister ship, the incomplete John Cabot, and returned to sea trials on 15 April.[15][16]

On 27 June 2019, Sir John Franklin was accepted into the Canadian Coast Guard fleet.[17]

Notes

  1. ^ CCGS stands for Canadian Coast Guard Ship

Citations

  1. ^ a b Kieltyka, Matt (25 October 2016). "First federal ship taking shape at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards". Toronto Metro News. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Shipbuilding projects to equip the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard - Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels". Canadian Coast Guard. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b Cudmore, James (4 December 2015). "Design of Coast Guard's fisheries ships led to fears of capsizing". CBC News. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Canada's Next Generation of Non-Combat Vessels". Seaspan Shipyards. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Minister Wilkinson joins Seaspan to celebrate the launch of the Canadian Coast Guard's second new Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel" (Press release). Government of Canada. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. ^ "New offshore fisheries science ship under construction in North Vancouver". CBC News. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Harper Government Celebrates Start of Construction of First Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel" (Press release). Government of Canada. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  8. ^ Pynn, Larry (13 December 2016). "New CCGS Sir John Franklin Gets Frosty Reception". Haikai Magazine. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  9. ^ Foreman, Amanda (21 September 2016). "HMS Terror—and the Moral Challenge of Exploration". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  10. ^ Pawson, Chad (8 December 2017). "Ahoy! 1st vessel built under federal shipbuilding strategy unveiled in B.C." CBC News. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  11. ^ Duffy, Andrew A. (12 December 2017). "New Coast Guard ship coming to Victoria for finishing, sea trials". Times Colonist. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  12. ^ Brewster, Murray (16 August 2018). " "Shipbuilding program hits snag as inspection finds defective welds in hull". CBC News. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  13. ^ Wilson, Carla. "Coast Guard's newest ship dented in crash at Ogden Point breakwater". Times Colonist. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  14. ^ Wilson, Louise Dickson,Carla. "Team to probe crash of Coast Guard ship at Ogden Point". Times Colonist. Retrieved 24 March 2019.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Coyne, Todd (15 April 2019). "New Coast Guard ship damaged at Ogden Point returns to sea". CTV News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  16. ^ Berthiaume, Lee (8 July 2019). "Vancouver shipyard used one new coast guard vessel to repair, deliver another". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Government of Canada marks the delivery of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir John Franklin, the first new large vessel built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy" (Press release). Canadian Coast Guard. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
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