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Pointblank said:

HMCS Iroquois has been sidelined indefinitely due to corrosion in the machinery spaces :

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HALIFAX -- The Royal Canadian Navy has decided to keep one of its few destroyers tied up after assessing a string of rust patches on its hull and concluding it may not be safe to send out to sea.

Capt. Peter Ryan said naval engineers and architects reviewed the corrosion in an area that stretches between a couple of decks on HMCS Iroquois, which was sidelined in April after the rust was detected.

They are now trying to determine if the aging ship should be repaired or retired, leaving the navy fleet further diminished as more than a dozen other vessels undergo regular maintenance, modernization or repairs.

"They are looking at what they can consider for possible repair options ... (and) whether it can be fixed," Ryan said in an interview.

"Until they can figure out what to do for repair options, she will not sail."

He said the destroyer will be used for training until the navy determines its fate.

Images and video taken by divers and obtained by The Canadian Press through access to information legislation show more than a half dozen rust spots on the exterior of the ship and inside in an area behind the solid ballast. Many appear to be a few inches in length.

Another photo from the mezzanine deck indicates an average loss of thickness in the plate of up to 30 per cent and cautions that there is an "allowable loss" of only 20 per cent, according to the Naval Architecture and Material Engineering Non-Destructive Ultrasonic Inspection Report.

Ryan could not say how extensive the corrosion is or where it's exactly located, but said officials can't guarantee the ship or crew's safety so it won't leave the dock. He also couldn't say whether the navy has had to reassign other ships or withdraw from operations as a result of the problems with HMCS Iroquois.

Underwater video shows a swath of rust spots that appear to start about 0.6 metres below the waterline.

Cmdr. Jay Harwood, who oversees the fleet's engineering state, said in May that fixing the 42-year-old ship before it is due to be decommissioned might prove too expensive.

Analysts have said the loss removes a vital asset and certain capabilities from the fleet. The destroyers serve as command and control vessels, but are also the only naval ships that have long-range air defence missile systems.

With HMCS Iroquois unavailable and its sister ship, HMCS Algonquin, undergoing repairs from an accident in February, the navy has only one destroyer at the ready.

The navy is also without many of its Halifax-class frigates, which are undergoing a lengthy modernization program to add radar and command and control systems, while upgrading radar and missile capabilities.

This latest problem comes after fatigue cracks were found on HMCS Iroquois in February when the ship was in Boston. An engineering team travelled to the U.S. to inspect it and deemed it safe to return to its home port in Halifax.

Officials acknowledge that the rust problem could lead to the early decommissioning of the ship, which is due to be retired in the next few years and before any successor ships are in place.

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Pointblank said:

Update to this story: the rust is worst than expected. Some sections of the ship have lost up to 30% in average thickness. She's going to be tied up indefinitely until a decision is made to fix or retire her:

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Navy ship ordered back to Canada after misconduct by sailors

The head of the Royal Canadian Navy has taken the rare step of ordering one of its ships to return from an international exercise because of misconduct by its sailors.

Vice Admiral Mark Norman issued the message Monday, citing three incidents involving the crew of HMCS Whitehorse that took place during Exercise RIMPAC 2014.

The message, leaked to the Ottawa Citizen, also noted that Norman was appointing a senior officer to look at what is behind recent incidents involving the breakdown of professional and personal conduct in the navy.

RIMPAC is the world’s largest multinational naval exercise and takes place mainly in Hawaii. But some aspects of the exercise are conducted off the coast of California and on July 1, HMCS Whitehorse was docked in San Diego.

Whitehorse arrived early Monday at its home port of CFB Esquimalt, B.C., navy officials confirmed Monday night.

Norman didn’t provide details about the incidents in question.

Navy officials, however, told the Citizen that two occurred on board the ship. The other involved the arrest of a Canadian sailor by U.S. police.

In his message, Norman said he recently reflected with tremendous satisfaction about the many recent accomplishments of navy personnel, both at home and abroad.

“And so, it is with great disappointment that I must now signal why I took the difficult decision to return HMCS Whitehorse to Esquimalt from Exercise RIMPAC 2014, following three incidents of personal misconduct ashore,” he wrote in the navy-wide message to sailors. “While the actions of a few sailors in Whitehorse was the trigger for my decision, I recalled her home because I am troubled that across the RCN a small number of our personnel have fallen short of the timeless expectations of naval service and have failed in their roles as ambassadors of their navy and country — no matter where they serve.”

Norman said in his message he is satisfied that when incidents of personal misconduct occur, they are addressed by individual commanders quickly, firmly and fairly.

But he wrote that when such incidents are considered collectively, they raise a deeper concern. Norman noted that such incidents could distract the navy from operational excellence and put the health and safety of individuals at risk.

Because of that, Norman said he is appointing a senior officer to conduct a review of “policies and procedures that underpin the hands-on leadership of our personnel.”

That reviewing officer will “ensure that we are doing everything we can, and should, to provide clear expectations and direction for all personnel as it relates to professional conduct and responsibility, both on and off duty,” he added.

Norman noted that the actions of sailors reflect not only on themselves but as well on the navy and Canada.

Norman will receive the preliminary findings from the review in September.

He noted that the vast majority of sailors are “exemplary ambassadors” for Canada but the navy must go further in reinforcing what is and is not acceptable conduct.

There have been other high-profile incidents of misconduct recently. In May a Royal Canadian Navy officer was given a severe reprimand and a $5,000 fine for deserting his post on a supply vessel after alleging he faced harassment and ridicule.

Lieut. Derek de Jong told his court martial that prior to deserting on Sept. 17, 2012, he was subjected to behaviour that at one point involved a female colleague urinating in his cabin. HMCS Preserver was docked at Key West, Fla., when he left the ship.

The navy later said it would investigate the urination incident.

Canada is contributing a frigate, submarine, aircraft and maritime coastal defence vessels to the RIMPAC 2014 exercise, which ends in August. HMCS Whitehorse is a maritime coast defence vessel.

Twenty-two nations, 49 surface ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC, according to the U.S. Navy.

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Pointblank said:

HMCS Whitehorse has been ordered home from RIMPAC 2014 due to misconduct by her sailors:

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That's deeply disappointing.

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CBC News said:

The Royal Canadian Navy recalled one of its ships, HMCS Whitehorse, following incidents involving three crew members that include allegations of drunkenness, shoplifting and sexual misconduct, CBC News has learned.

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman ordered the ship to withdraw from a joint training exercise known as the Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, off the U.S. coast. The ship arrived at its home port of Esquimalt, B.C., on Monday.

The navy will not confirm details of the alleged misconduct, saying only there was a "series of incidents" involving the crew that took place while the ship was in port in San Diego, Calif., over a two-day period. The incidents are still under investigation.

But sources told the CBC's Evan Solomon the incidents all appear to involve alcohol and they point to a concern about off-duty conduct undermining the navy's operational reputation.

The sources told Solomon, host of CBC News Network's Power & Politics, the incidents included one that is now being assessed as possible sexual misconduct, an arrest for shoplifting and a senior sailor spending the night in a drunk tank while AWOL.

Cmdr. Hubert Genest, a navy spokesman, told CBC News earlier Tuesday that two of the incidents occurred on the ship between crew members and a third incident happened in downtown San Diego, involving a crew member and another person. Genest said that crew member was arrested and subsequently released.

Genest suggested the fact the two on-ship incidents were reported internally signal that navy personnel know their rights and feel they can come forward with allegations.

In a statement, Norman said, "The men and women in our Royal Canadian Navy set a high standard of conduct when representing our country at home and abroad. While instances have arisen that have fallen short of these standards, the vast majority of our personnel serve with distinction and professionalism."

Norman said in his statement that an internal review of the navy’s policies and procedures will be conducted by Commodore Craig Baines, newly appointed commander of the Canadian Fleet Atlantic, in light of the "recent incidents." The review includes expectations of navy personnel when ashore.

Genest said the incidents are being considered a "tipping point" inside the navy and a sign that something needs to change to protect the reputation of Canada's navy around the world. Genest also suggested Norman believes the answer to these problems requires a "bold decision."

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National Defence was warned a year before the devastating fire aboard HMCS Protecteur that the electrical system, main engine controls and navigation system aboard both of the navy's supply ships were on their last legs — and prone to catastrophic failure.

The unusually blunt assessment was contained in a four-page confidential briefing note prepared by the former head of the navy as he was about to retire last year.

The document, from former vice-admiral Paul Maddison, was prepared as the Harper government debated whether long-promised replacement vessels would take priority at the assigned shipyard in Vancouver — or a new coast guard heavy icebreaker.

Maddison noted that the power generators were showing their age and that replacement parts were no longer available for both Protecteur and her sister ship HMCS Preserver, which were ordered replaced by the former Liberal government a decade ago.

There had been failures of the turbo generators that caused ship-wide blackouts and loss of propulsion, creating "dangerous" conditions for a ship at sea.

The navy said Thursday it was still investigating the cause of the Feb. 27 engine-room fire aboard Protecteur, which left the ship burning, powerless and adrift off Hawaii for 11 hours.

But "first-hand accounts from eyewitnesses and first responders indicate that the fire may have originated from one of the generators inside the engine room."

The military wouldn't say when the investigation would be completed. The blaze saw 20 crew members suffer minor injuries.

Briefing warned ships were 'showing their ... age'

Protecteur, commissioned in 1969, was towed first to Pearl Harbor, then towed back to its home port of Esquimalt, B.C.

"They are the oldest ships in the (Royal Canadian Navy) and are well past their original design life of 25 years," Maddison said in the briefing, obtained by The Canadian Press under access-to-information legislation.

"Numerous systems, that are as old as the ships, are no longer supported by an Original Equipment Manufacturer. All systems are showing their 40 plus years of age with increased failure rates."

"For example, recent failures of the 1000 (kilowatt) Turbo Alternators have resulted in total ship blackouts and loss of propulsion, creating a potentially dangerous and unsafe situation for the ship and crew."

In a written statement Thursday, the navy would not be specific about how many times the generators have failed but noted that the last incident involving Protecteur occurred at the harbour entrance to San Diego in 2011.

Navy Lt. Kelly Boyden described that incident as minor.

"It did not represent a fire hazard," he said in an email.

"The ship was being assisted by tugs at the time and back-up generators were quickly back on line, causing no danger to the ship or ship's company."

Replacement contract cancelled in 2008

The ships had for years been on track for replacement when, just before the 2008 federal election, the Harper government cancelled the procurement because shipyard bids had come in higher than the project's budget envelope.

A report by the parliamentary budget office last year said that had the government stuck with the original program, instead of restarting it, the navy would already have its supply ships, likely at a cheaper cost than the new program, and they would be more capable than the ones now being planned.

Last year, there was vigorous debate within government about whether the navy could get more life out of the existing boats until their replacements arrived in 2019-20.

But Maddison's note laid out in painstaking detail how worn out the vessels had become despite the best efforts of the fleet maintainers.

"Frequent mechanical breakdowns are beginning to affect the operational availability of the two ships and efforts to ensure their reliability are putting increasing pressure on an already strained engineering work force and budget," said the documents.

"Even if increased funding is directed towards the (Protecteur) Class ships, there is a limit as to how long the onboard systems can be supported and certified given their age and operational effectiveness."

Maddison cited not only the electrical system, but the main engine controls where the failure of obsolete parts would "render the propulsion system inoperable" and the outdated navigation system panel that "distributes critical" data.

NDP defence critic Jack Harris said the memo raises important questions about whether both ships should be decommissioned now.

"I would be concerned about the safety of naval personnel aboard these ships," he said.

"In 2008, the government cancelled the (replacement) contract. We would have new ships now. This represents a political failure on the part of this government."

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OTTAWA -- The Canadian navy is going to retire four veteran ships that have been in service for decades.

Sources tell The Canadian Press that HMCS Algonquin, Iroquois, Preserver and Protecteur will be decommissioned, with an announcement expected later today.

The move comes as no surprise for any of the ships.

Protecteur's days were thought to be numbered after a fire in the 45-year-old tanker's engine room left the ship adrift in the Pacific last February and it had to be towed back to Victoria from Hawaii.

Protecteur and sister ship Preserver were ordered replaced by the federal government a decade ago but their replacements aren't due to enter service until 2019 at the earliest.

The other two vessels are Tribal-class destroyers. They were commissioned in the early 70s and have been Canada's largest fighting ships for decades. One of the class, HMCS Huron, was retired in 2000 and sunk as a target in 2007.

The Tribals have been a mainstay of Canada's contribution to NATO and have been sent to various international trouble spots.

HMCS Athabaskan, the remaining Tribal, left Halifax on Saturday to join an ongoing multi-national patrol of the Caribbean to fight organized crime and drug trafficking.

The exact timeline for retiring and disposing of the ships is unclear.

The federal government has announced a new class of 15 ships to replace the Tribals and Canada's Halifax-class frigates, but it's unclear when work will start on the vessels or when they'll begin entering service.

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The first of the Arctic offshore patrol ships to be built in Halifax will be named after a Nova Scotia native who was one of Canada's most distinguished sailors during the Second World War.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that the navy vessel will be named after Vice-Admiral Harry DeWolf, whose lengthy naval career included command of HMCS St. Laurent and HMCS Haida from 1939 until 1944.

DeWolf earned a number of accolades for his service, including an appointment as a commander of the Order of the British Empire and as an officer of the U.S. Legion of Merit.

Harper made the announcement on board HMCS Haida, which is now a floating museum docked along Hamilton's waterfront.

The Arctic offshore patrol ships are to be built by the Irving Shipyard in Halifax as part of the federal shipbuilding project.

The federal government has said it plans to build six to eight of the vessels, but the auditor general has warned that the navy may not get the number of vessels it needs because of cost restrictions.

Construction of the ships is scheduled to begin next September.

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Pointblank said:

The Navy is expected to announce the decommissioning of four ships today:

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Farewell old friends! You have served us well.

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HMCS Iroquois

• HMCS Iroquois is a guided missile destroyer (DDG) and the lead ship of the Iroquois Class, which comprises HMCS Athabaskan on the East Coast, and HMCS Algonquin on the West Coast.
• HMCS Iroquois has been scheduled for divestment since November 2011.
• HMCS Iroquois will prepare for its official paying off ceremony in January 2015 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

HMCS Algonquin

• HMCS Algonquin is a guided missile destroyer (DDG), the fourth ship of the Iroquois Class.
• On August 30, 2013, HMCS Algonquin was involved in a collision at sea with HMCS Protecteur while conducting exercise manoeuvres en route to Hawaii. There were no injuries. The ship was able to return to its home port of Esquimalt, BC, to undergo a full damage assessment.
• It was assessed that HMCS Algonquin suffered extensive damage to its port side hangar and remained alongside in Esquimalt.
• Considering the relatively short service life remaining for HMCS Algonquin, which was scheduled to be retired in early 2019, and its current state of repair, the cost to re-instate this ship to full operational capability no longer represents a responsible use of public funds. As a result, HMCS Algonquin will begin preparations for pay off in the near future.
• A Board of Inquiry was convened to further investigate the incident and circumstances surrounding it, and will make recommendations as to how to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future.

HMCS Protecteur

• HMCS Protecteur is an Auxiliary Oil Replenishment (AOR) ship based in Esquimalt, BC, and the lead ship of the Protecteur Class. Its sister ship, HMCS Preserver, is based in Halifax, NS.
• HMCS Protecteur was designed to carry a large amount of supplies, including fuel, dry cargo and ammunition, which could be transferred to other ships through hook-up lines and re-fuelling hoses in a manoeuvre known as a Replenishment at Sea.
• HMCS Protecteur will be officially retired after sustaining serious damage in a fire in February 2014. An extensive assessment of HMCS Protecteur has concluded that the ship was damaged beyond economical repair.
• Considering the relatively short service life remaining for HMCS Protecteur, which was scheduled to be retired in 2017, and its current state of repair, the cost to re-instate the ship to full operational capability would not represent a responsible use of public funds. As a result, the ship will remain alongside and be prepared for disposal as early as is practically feasible.
• A Board of Inquiry (BOI) has been convened to investigate the cause of the fire on board HMCS Protecteur and the circumstances surrounding it. The BOI, which is still ongoing, will make recommendations as to how to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future, and its results will be made public when available.

HMCS Preserver

• HMCS Preserver is rapidly approaching the end of its operational life, which was planned for 2016.
• Engineering surveys conducted in recent months identified levels of corrosion in HMCS Preserver that have degraded the structural integrity of the ship below acceptable limits, specifically in the vicinity of the port side boiler room.
• As a result of its current material state, and considering the relatively short service life remaining for HMCS Preserver, the cost to reinstate this ship to full operational capability does not represent a responsible use of public funds. HMCS Preserver will therefore cease its operational life, remain alongside and prepare for pay off in the near future.

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The Royal Canadian Navy may purchase a soon-to-be retired ship from the U.S. to replace its two supply vessels forced into retirement since a government ship-building program has been delayed by several years, CBC News has learned.

The navy had put its trust in the government to deliver new ships, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, commander of the Canadian navy, said at a news conference on Friday. But with the navy's only two supply ships forced into early retirement this month, he said the navy is now considering other options.

The Canadian navy's two ships responsible for resupplying Canadian warships with fuel and food were permanently forced out of service earlier this month due to fire and rust. Even before that, many countries had banned HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver from entering their waters because the ships have single hulls — if they were damaged, fuel could spill into the waters.

The Canadian government has promised to build two new support ships under the Joint Support Ship Project at a cost of $2.6 billion. The first ship was once expected to arrive in 2012, but that date has since been pushed back to 2019 as part of a larger $39 billion ship-building strategy.

If the navy doesn't find a replacement for the two retired boats, that would leave Canada's fleet without the capability to refuel its ships. The navy would become a territorial defence fleet at that point, some experts say.

Canadian navy officers have turned to the U.S. navy to fill the gap, sources told CBC News.

The U.S. navy has two supply ships heading toward early retirement: the USNS Bridge and the USNS Rainier. The U.S. navy is retiring these two ships, built in the 1990s, to cut costs, it announced this summer.

Leasing the Rainier or Bridge would be a good idea, naval expert Ken Hansen said, because it would provide more capability at a lesser cost.

But Hansen said the government is likely to face a lot of questions over the navy's proposal since it will cost less than the plan to build new ships.

"The fact that this is on the table at all is a testament to how badly this government has bungled much needed equipment," wrote Joyce Murray, the Liberal defence critic, in a statement to CBC News.

In addition to purchasing or leasing one of these two ships from the U.S., the Canadian navy may also buy or lease foreign-built civilian ships and convert them to meet its needs.

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