The Kingston-class consists of 12 coastal defence vessels operated by the
Canadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
Maritime CommandCanadian Forces Maritime Command , also known as the Canadian Navy, is the maritime force of the Canadian Forces. While equal in rank and position, The Chief of the Maritime Staff takes precedence over the Chiefs of the Land and Air Staffs following the tradition of the Royal Navy.MARCOM is the...
.
The class is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defense Vessel Project (MCDV). These multi-role vessels were built and launched from the mid- to late-1990s and are crewed entirely by members of the
Naval ReserveThe Primary Reserve is a reserve force of the Canadian Forces. It is the largest of four components to the CF reserves; those being the Primary Reserve, the Supplementary Reserve, the Canadian Rangers, and the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service .The reserve force is...
, with the exception of two regular-force technicians per crew.
Their main missions are coastal surveillance, sovereignty patrol, route survey and training.
The Kingston-class consists of 12 coastal defence vessels operated by the
Canadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
Maritime CommandCanadian Forces Maritime Command , also known as the Canadian Navy, is the maritime force of the Canadian Forces. While equal in rank and position, The Chief of the Maritime Staff takes precedence over the Chiefs of the Land and Air Staffs following the tradition of the Royal Navy.MARCOM is the...
.
The class is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defense Vessel Project (MCDV). These multi-role vessels were built and launched from the mid- to late-1990s and are crewed entirely by members of the
Naval ReserveThe Primary Reserve is a reserve force of the Canadian Forces. It is the largest of four components to the CF reserves; those being the Primary Reserve, the Supplementary Reserve, the Canadian Rangers, and the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service .The reserve force is...
, with the exception of two regular-force technicians per crew.
Their main missions are coastal surveillance, sovereignty patrol, route survey and training. They were designed with a minesweeping role in mind and are consequently classified as Mechanical Minesweepers (MM); however, this role has diminished as a result of the evolving nature of
mine warfareA naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of or contact with an enemy ship...
. The possibility of acquiring the gear necessary to undertake a more appropriate mine hunting role continues to be examined.
Design
The Kingston
-class patrol vessels have many admirable qualities, including crew comfort and ship manoeuvrability, but they represent some design compromises. The program was conceived to advance the use of commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment and construction techniques in a ship designed to military specifications.
While the Z-driveA Z-drive is a type of marine propulsion unit. Specifically, it is an azimuth thruster. The pod can rotate 360 degrees allowing for rapid changes in thrust direction and thus vessel direction...
thrusters make the Kingston
-class vessels extremely manoeuvrable (able to turn within their own shiplengths) and the engines are quite powerful and fuel-efficient, the hull shape, with a blunt stern designed for minesweeping, prevents the ship from achieving a "sprint" speed and the patrol vessels of other nations are considerably faster. However, the Kingstons' top speed is faster than that of most mine warfare vessels and is comparable to most large non-naval sea-going vessels.
The hull is a longitudinally framed structure and has been designed to minimise steel weight. The design was based on a hard chine hull form. The construction involved initial production of partially outfitted steel modules which were made into sub-assemblies and then integrated into the ship. The decks were assembled upside down with pre-outfitting of the underside of the deck prior to installation on the ship. In contrast to many modern mine warfare vessels, which often have hulls made of non magnetic
glass-reinforced plasticGlass-reinforced plastic is a material or fiber-reinforced plastic made of a plastic reinforced by fine fibers made of glass. Like carbon fiber reinforced plastic, the composited material is commonly referred to by the name of its reinforcing fibers...
or similar material, the Kingston class have conventional steel hulls. The vessels are, however, equipped with a magnetic
degaussingDegaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field. It is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, an early researcher in the field of magnetism...
system that allows the ship's magnetic signature to be manipulated in three dimensions to minimize vulnerability to magnetic mines.
The open deck aft can accommodate two standard
ISO containersAn intermodal container or freight container is a reusable transport and storage unit for moving products and raw materials between locations or countries; the terms container or box may be used on their own within the context of shipping...
with power hookups to embark mission-specific payloads. These payloads include minesweeping equipment, remotely operated vehicles and their control equipment, submarine rescue gear, diver support facilities, or additional accommodation.
Weapons
The ships are equipped with a
Bofors 40 mmThe Bofors 40 mm gun is a famous anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish firm of Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems during World War II, used by most of the western Allies as well as various other forces...
Model 60 Mk 5C rapid fire gun, and two 12.7 mm (50 cal) machine guns. The Bofors gun is mounted on the forecastle deck and the arc of fire extends forwards by +/- 120°. The machine guns are mounted on either side at the front of the bridge deck. In a depressed position each machine gun fires in an arc of fire of 118°.
The main armament is a
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Bofors design that is manually loaded and lacks modern targeting capability.
In October 2006, Maritime Command experimented with mounting a remote controlled heavy machine gun station, (the OTO Melara 12.7 mm RCHMG) in place of the 40 mm Bofors cannon aboard HMCS Summerside.
Mine Countermeasures
The vessels can be equipped with one of four modular mine countermeasures systems:
- the deep sea Thales
Thales of Miletus , was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition...
MMS mechanical mine sweeping system;
- the route survey system;
- the Sutec remotely operated vehicle (ROV) mine inspection system; or
- the Remote Minehunting System.
Sensors
The navigation equipment includes a Kelvin Hughes I-band navigation radar and a
Global Positioning SystemThe Global Positioning System is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth.GPS is made up of three parts: between 24...
. The surface search radar is the E to F-band Kelvin Hughes 6000. A towed high-frequency sidescan sonar can be fitted for bottom mapping and route surveys.
Propulsion
The ship is equipped with four main Wartsila UD 23V12 diesel motors and four alternators and two Jeumont electric motors (600 V DC). The two LIPS Z drive azimuth thrusters are fitted with fixed-pitch reversing propellers. The propulsion system provides maximum continuous speed. The range at the economical cruising speed of using two engines is with a 20% margin in tank capacity. Mechanical minesweeping is carried out at . The crash stop length is five ship lengths from a speed of
Future of the class
Maritime Command is discarding its $100M mid-life refit plan for the twelve vessels in this class. Instead, MCDVs will be replaced by new vessels to enter service in 2020. It had been intended to retain the ‘mid-lifed’ vessels through 2045-2055 however, Maritime Command has concluded that the money would be better spent in acquiring a new platform. MARCOM's review listed low speed and small size as reasons for the MCDV being inadequate for patrol duties (both are factors of the original specification). Critics note that patrol and training were tacked onto the mine-countermeasures role and that the platform lacks serious armament for a sovereignty enforcement role.
HMCS Kingston (MM 700)HMCS Kingston is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1996.Kingston is the lead ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the first vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 21 September 1996
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Glace Bay (MM 701)HMCS Glace Bay is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1996.Glace Bay is the second ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 26 October 1996
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Nanaimo (MM 702)HMCS Nanaimo is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1997.Nanaimo is the third ship of her class, which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 10 May 1997
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Edmonton (MM 703)HMCS Edmonton is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1997.Edmonton is the fourth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the first vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 21 June 1997
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Shawinigan (MM 704)HMCS Shawinigan is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1997.Shawinigan is the fifth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 14 June 1997
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Whitehorse (MM 705)HMCS Whitehorse is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1998.Whitehorse is the sixth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the first vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 17 April 1998
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Yellowknife (MM 706)HMCS Yellowknife is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1998.Yellowknife is the seventh ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the first vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 18 April 1998
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Goose Bay (MM 707)HMCS Goose Bay is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1998.Goose Bay is the eighth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the first vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 26 July 1998
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Moncton (MM 708)HMCS Moncton is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1998.Moncton is the ninth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 12 July 1998
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Saskatoon (MM 709)HMCS Saskatoon is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1998.Saskatoon is the tenth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 5 December 1998
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Brandon (MM 710)HMCS Brandon is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1999.Brandon is the eleventh ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 5 June 1999
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
HMCS Summerside (MM 711)HMCS Summerside is a that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1999.Summerside is the twelfth ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the designation ....
- Builders: Canada Halifax Shipyards Ltd.
The Halifax Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since the mid-1990s, the shipyard has been owned by Irving Shipbuilding Inc., a subsidiary of J.D...
, Halifax
- Laid down:
- Launched:
- Operator:
- Commissioned: 18 July 1999
- Status: In active service
- Modifications:
- Operations:
External links