We’re getting an up-close look at the first of Canada’s new class of Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPV) to join the country’s Pacific fleet.
HMCS Max Bernays was in Vancouver on Thursday and took media on a day sail to show off the new vessel’s capabilities.
The 103-metre, ice-capable ship is the fourth of six planned Harry DeWolf-class AOPVs to join the Royal Canadian Navy under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
“The commander of our fleet in the Pacific has actually described us as a ‘pickup truck’ — we have a lot of capabilities, we can do a lot of things,” HMCS Max Bernays’ commanding officer Cmdr. Nadia Sheilds told Global News.
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The vessel can be deployed with multiple payloads, including shipping containers, underwater survey equipment and landing craft. It also contains a vehicle bay that can hold pickup trucks, all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles.
Shields said the vessel has a smaller crew than similar-sized ships in the Navy but comes with …