List of current ships of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Corner Brook entering St John's harbour on Newfoundland

The Victoria class are British built diesel-electric fleet submarines designed in the late 1970s to supplement the Royal Navy's nuclear submarine force. They were decommissioned at the end of the Cold War. In 1998, Canada purchased the submarines to replace the aging Oberon-class submarines. Refit for Canadian service included the removal of Sub-Harpoon missile firing and mine-laying capabilities, installation of torpedo launch systems and upgrades to weapons and fire control systems. Each vessel holds 53 crew.[6] Canada has been encouraged to invest in new submarines, but no project has been started.[7]

HMCS Fredericton, a Halifax-class frigate

The Halifax-class frigates are multi-role vessels with anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and anti-ship capability. In response to recent global security interests, the role of the class has shifted from open ocean to littoral engagement. Innovations in operational tactics have allowed the vessels of this class to adapt to new asymmetric surface threats. To ensure effective long-term capacity in this new threat environment the ships are undergoing a refit, including passive and active weapons, radars, and new combat architecture to meet the modern requirements. As of 2018, all twelve ships had been refitted. Each holds a complement of 225 officers and crew. All ships of the class are named after major Canadian cities.[8][9]

HMCS Harry DeWolf under construction, May 2018

The Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels are warships from the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) procurement project, part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. In July 2007 the federal government announced plans for acquiring six to eight icebreaking warships for the RCN. The class is based on the Norwegian Coast Guard ship NoCGV Svalbard, and is named after Vice Admiral Harry DeWolf. The class is equipped with a hangar and flight deck and can operate the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone. The ships can deploy with multiple payloads, including shipping containers, underwater survey equipment or landing craft and have a 20-tonne (20-long-ton; 22-short-ton) crane for loading and unloading. They are for use in the Arctic regions of Canada for patrol and support within Canada's exclusive economic zone.[10][11][12]

HMCS Nanaimo and HMCS Saskatoon, two Kingston-Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels

The Kingston-class coastal defence vessels are multi-role vessels built and launched from the mid- to late-1990s and are crewed by a combination of Naval Reserve and Regular-Force personnel. Each vessel displaces 970 t and runs with a complement of between 31 and 47 officers and crew. Their main missions are counter narcotics, coastal surveillance, sovereignty patrol, route survey, and training. The ships' capabilities include a mechanical minesweeping system, a route survey system, and a bottom object inspection vehicle.[15][16]

PCT 59 Wolf

Orca-class patrol vessels are primarily used for one-to-six-week long 'at sea' naval officer training. Regular force boatswains, engineers and naval communicators serve in these ships to train junior officers and non-commissioned sailors. They also patrol coastal waters for pollution infractions and fishing violations, and are frequently tasked for search and rescue operations. They operate year-round in the coastal waters of British Columbia.[17][18]

The new Protecteur class of ships will be based on the German Berlin-class replenishment ship

The RCN is undergoing a complex program of capacity expansion, ship life extension, modernization and fleet procurement. The Nanisivik Naval Facility on Baffin Island in the arctic will provide shore services for fleet operations in the arctic during the four month summer season.[20][21] The National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy will invest more than $60 billion into the development of Arctic capable patrol vessels, frigate-class surface warships, and long-range auxiliary supply vessels. Delivery has been initiated on a class of six Harry DeWolf-class vessels under the Arctic Patrol Ship Project. (A further two AOPS are planned for the Canadian Coast Guard). The commercial containership MV Asterix is currently in service as a fleet supply vessel, to meet operational requirements until the two new Protecteur-class auxiliary vessels are completed.[22][23] While up to 15 warships of the Canadian Surface Combatant/Type 26 frigate program remain in the planning stages, the RCN has upgraded all current frigates with advanced systems and life extension maintenance to maximize operational capability into the 2030s.[24] In addition to the fleet component, the Canadian Armed Forces has replaced the former CH-124 Sea King helicopters with the CH-148 Cyclone. The first six Cyclones were delivered June 2015[25][26] followed by a further two Block 1.1 Cyclones in November/December 2015. As of May 2021, 23 Cyclones had been delivered and the aircraft had reached initial operating capability.[27] In May 2019, it was announced that the Skeldar V-200 UAV would be acquired for both the RCN and Canadian Special Forces. As a light helicopter UAV, it will be capable of operating from a range of RCN vessels.[28] On 29 April 2019 Ocean Industries was awarded a contract to build four tugboats to replace both the Fire-class fireboat (one retired in 2014) and Glen-class tugs to be delivered beginning in 2021.[29]

• Royal Canadian Navy
• Origins of the Royal Canadian Navy
• History of the Royal Canadian Navy
• List of ships of the Royal Canadian Navy
• Hull classification symbol (Canada)
• His Majesty's Canadian Ship
• List of aircraft of the Royal Canadian Navy