Canadian Navy strengthens Arctic sovereignty with sixth offshore patrol ship HMCS Robert Hampton Gray.

On August 21, 2025, at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) officially accepted delivery of HMCS Robert Hampton Gray, the sixth and final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) of the Harry DeWolf-class. The handover marked the end of a nearly two-decade program to provide the Navy with Arctic-capable patrol vessels under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
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The HMCS Robert Hampton Gray's maximum speed is reported at 17 knots in open water and about 3 knots in first-year ice up to about one meter, with an endurance of 6,800 nautical miles at 14 knots and accommodations for a core crew of 65 plus additional embarked personnel. (Picture source: Canadian Navy)

During the delivery ceremony, documents were signed by Irving Shipbuilding President Dirk Lesko, Rear Admiral Josée Kurtz of Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic, and Commander Brian Henwood, the ship’s commanding officer. Following the ceremony, the vessel left the shipyard’s pier for His Majesty’s Canadian Dockyard Halifax, where it will undergo a series of post-delivery activities, including sea trials, cold and warm weather trials, and acceptance testing before its planned commissioning in Esquimalt, British Columbia, in 2026.

HMCS Robert Hampton Gray (AOPV 435) is designed to operate in the Arctic and abroad, with the class specifically intended to strengthen Canada’s ability to uphold sovereignty in northern waters and to participate in international operations. The ship has a length of 103.6 meters, a beam of 19 meters, and a displacement of 6,615 tonnes. Its diesel-electric propulsion system, which includes four MAN 6L32/44CR diesel generators powering two 4.5-megawatt motors, allows a maximum speed of 17 knots in open water and about 3 knots when moving through one meter of first-year ice. With an endurance of 120 days and a range of 6,800 nautical miles at 14 knots, the vessel is capable of extended patrols. The ship can carry 65 crew and accommodate 20 additional embarked forces, while additional features include retractable fin stabilizers, a bow thruster for maneuvering without tugs, and a vehicle bay supported by cranes capable of handling 20- and 3-tonne loads.

The ship has aviation and combat systems appropriate for its patrol and support role. It features a flight deck and hangar that can accommodate a CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter, a CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter, or a small unmanned aircraft. The armament consists of a BAE Mk 38 Mod 3A 25 mm cannon and two 12.7 mm machine guns, providing basic self-defense and constabulary capability. For mission support, it is equipped with two multi-role rescue boats, one landing craft, and space for small vehicles such as pickup trucks, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Its integrated systems include a CMS 330 combat management system, OSI Maritime Systems integrated bridge navigation, Kelvin Hughes SharpEye radars, a Terma SCANTER 6002 surveillance radar, and BlueNaute inertial navigation. Planned upgrades include the installation of additional surveillance sensors to expand its maritime domain awareness role.

The Harry DeWolf-class was developed to extend Canadian naval operations in the Arctic, where the ships can operate between June and October in ice of up to 120 centimeters. The program originated in 2007 when Canada announced plans to acquire six to eight vessels based on the Norwegian Coast Guard’s Svalbard-class. Official construction began in 2015, with the first ship delivered in 2020 and commissioned in 2021. Over time, program costs rose from an initial $3.5 billion to an estimated $4.98 billion for six naval vessels and $2.1 billion for two modified Coast Guard variants. Despite delays, Halifax Shipyard delivered one ship per year to the Royal Canadian Navy, while also beginning construction of Coast Guard vessels and shifting resources to the River-class destroyer program, which will consist of fifteen ships, starting with HMCS Fraser.

Operationally, the class has already participated in multiple missions. Since 2021, AOPVs have deployed under Operation CARIBBE in counter-narcotics patrols, Operation HORIZON in Indo-Pacific waters, and Operation NANOOK in Arctic regions, including Nanook-Tuugaalik and Nanook-Nunakput. They have also conducted a circumnavigation of North America, sailed to Antarctica, and provided disaster response within Canada under Operation LENTUS. The vessels can conduct armed surveillance, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and support allied operations, and their endurance and cargo capacity enable them to transport supplies, vehicles, and helicopters for extended missions. Critics have noted the relatively light armament and modest speed compared to foreign patrol vessels of similar size, such as Russia's Project 23550 Ivan Papanin, but Canadian defense authorities argue that the ships were designed for sovereignty patrols and constabulary duties rather than combat engagements.

HMCS Robert Hampton Gray is named for Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, a Canadian pilot who joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1940 and flew with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. He participated in campaigns in Africa, Norway, and the Pacific, flying Hawker Hurricanes and later Vought F4U Corsairs. On August 9, 1945, he led an attack against Japanese naval forces in Onagawa Bay, striking and sinking the escort ship Amakusa before being killed when his plane was shot down. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery and is the only member of the Royal Canadian Navy to have received that decoration during the Second World War. The ship’s crest, featuring an eagle and trident, recalls his service with the 1841 Naval Air Squadron and HMS Formidable, while its affiliation with the Inuvialuit region continues the Navy’s tradition of linking ships with Inuit Nunangat communities.

The commissioning of HMCS Robert Hampton Gray in 2026 will complete the integration of six AOPVs into the Royal Canadian Navy fleet, with two based on the West Coast and the remainder on the East Coast. This deployment posture provides Arctic access from both seaboards and supports the broader strategy of asserting Canada’s sovereignty and contributing to allied operations. The program has faced cost overruns, construction delays, and technical issues such as potable water contamination from lead fittings in earlier ships, but these were addressed as production advanced. The conclusion of the naval AOPV series allows Irving Shipbuilding to transition its resources fully to the River-class destroyer program while continuing to build the Coast Guard’s AOPS variants. With this final delivery, the Royal Canadian Navy closes the first complete ship class built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy in more than 25 years, while Canada’s shipbuilding industry prepares for its next phase of naval modernization.