In August 2023 it was reported that the Canadian Department of National Defence had "initiated the project to inform timely governmental decision-making about a potential replacement for the Kingston-class."[1]
The Kingston class was the result of the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project (MCDV) in the late 1980s. The project came about due to four influences, along with restrictions. The vessels in use by the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve were ageing and needed replacement. At the time, the Maritime Command was using old s, s and s to train reservists, with the vast majority of the ships having begun service in the 1950s and early 1960s. The navy lacked a mine warfare capability. Furthermore, the new s were not capable of inshore and restricted area patrol and finally, the government sought to keep the shipbuilding efforts ongoing, as the frigate program was already well underway.
The MCDV project was also the culmination of a series of political promises offered by then Minister of National Defence Gilles Lamontagne. The government sought to move the National Reserve Headquarters from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Quebec City, Quebec, as part of their effort to increase French representation in the armed forces. The move was to provide a site where French-Canadians could live and work in their native language. Lamontagne faced opposition within the Forces due to Quebec City being far from the existing naval bases and the waters around it freezing during winter months. Lamontagne promised to replace the ships for naval reserve training in order to move the project forward. The program began in the 1987 National Defence White Paper under the concept of "Total Force". This was intended to mask reductions in the regular force by increasing the capabilities of the reserve forces. This led the navy to add minesweeping and coastal patrol duties to the reserve force's list of duties.
There were five main criteria for the design. The ships had to be built in Canada, they had to be inexpensive to build, they had to be operable by naval reservists, the design had to have role flexibility included, and they had to be inexpensive to operate. This was exemplified by the Royal Navy's which was operated by the Royal Navy Reserve. The design originally called for steel-hulled mine countermeasures vessels and training ships. The Kingston class was built to naval standards in stability and maneuverability, and in the magazines; but otherwise only to commercial standards, to reduce costs. The ships' mixed construction is visible in their two square, separated funnels, which were cheaper to manufacture, and their poor seakeeping and large radar signature. The vessels were re-designated MCDV from MM (General Mine Warfare Vessel) when two follow-on programmes of purely minesweeper/hunters were cancelled, denoting their mixed duties.[2] The ships have a standard displacement of 772t light and fully loaded. During sea trials, the vessels were found to be top heavy and a further of permanent ballast was added. The Kingston class measure 55.31m (181.46feet) long overall and between perpendiculars with a beam of and a draught of . The vessels have a maximum crew of 47, with crew sizes changing depending on the vessel's task. The crew is a mix of reservists and regular force personnel, with the regular force personnel assigned to engine room and electronics tasks. The Kingston class are equipped with Kelvin Hughes Nucleus S-band surface search radar.The Kingston class use an electric drive system that is powered by four Wärtsilä UD 23V12 diesel engines which are coupled to four Jeumont ANR 53-50-4 alternators, creating 715 kilowatts each. Two Jeumont C1 560 L electric motors provide power to the two LIPS FS-100 Z-drive azimuth thrusters which are fitted with fixed-pitch reversing propellers. In total the system creates 3064shp and a maximum speed of 15kn. When minesweeping, the vessels have a maximum speed of . The Kingston class have a range of 5000nmi at and have an endurance of 18 days.The Kingston class were initially armed with a single Bofors 40mm/60 calibre Mk 1N/1 anti-aircraft gun mounted in a Mk 5C Boffin mount and two single Browning M2 machine guns. The Bofors guns were refurbished World War II models that had been previously used by the Canadian Army for air defence in Europe. The Bofors gun was mounted on the forecastle deck until their removal in 2014. The machine guns are mounted on either side at the front of the bridge deck.[3] The 40 mm guns were used as monuments after being dismounted.[4] 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 .[5] [6] [7] The Nanuk .50 calibre RCWS from Rheinmetall was trialled as a replacement aboard in 2018.[3] All twelve ships have degaussing coil arrays fitted, but only the first three ships have the control system, with it situated between the two funnels.
On the aft sweep deck, there are three positions that can receive a variety of mission payloads in the form of 20order=flipNaNorder=flip ISO containers. The Royal Canadian Navy has a limited number of each mission payload;
Furthermore, the vessels have additional systems not in an ISO container format that can be fitted, including;
The modules are split between the naval bases on each coast. The Trailblazer module is based at CFB Esquimalt, there are two route survey modules per coast, and the two minesweeping modules are located at CFB Halifax. In November 2009, the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle was successfully trialled aboard a Kingston-class vessel.
The Royal Canadian Navy discarded a $100-million mid-life refit plan for the twelve vessels in this class.[8] It was intended to retain the "mid-lifed" vessels through 2045–2055. While the RCN concluded that the money would be better spent in acquiring a new platform, the Liberal Government's 2017 defence policy statement, Strong, Secure and Engaged, did not reference replacing these vessels. The RCN review listed low speed and small size as reasons for the MCDV being inadequate for patrol duties (both are factors of the original specification). Notwithstanding the success of the ships in their deployment, critics suggest that patrol and training were tacked onto the mine-countermeasures role and that the platform lacks serious armament for a sovereignty enforcement role.[8]
In October 2011, L-3 MAPPS was awarded a contract to supply degaussing systems for the Kingston-class ships. The advanced degaussing systems were to be delivered and supported locally in collaboration with SAM Electronics.[9] In November 2012 MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates was awarded a two-year $13.4 million contract to repair and upgrade the deployable sonar systems.[10]
In 2018 the Royal Canadian Navy acquired the UAV AeroVironment Puma II AE with Mantis i45 Sensor for use on the Kingston class.[11]
In May 1992, a $650 million contract was awarded to Halifax Shipyards of Halifax, Nova Scotia, to construct twelve ships of the class. The vessels would be tasked with coastal patrol, minesweeping, law enforcement, pollution surveillance and search and rescue duties. Steel cutting for the first ship begin in December 1993, and by July 1999 all twelve Kingston-class ships were in service. The ships are evenly distributed between the east and west coasts. One vessel on each coast is maintained for rapid deployment: this responsibility is rotated amongst the ships. The Kingston-class ships deploy regularly as part of Operation Caribbe in the Caribbean Sea and the Central American Pacific coast.[12] [13] The ships also deploy to the Arctic as part of Operation Nanook,[14] and in naval exercises off the west coast of Africa[15] and in the Baltic Sea among others. On 13 May 2010, it was announced that six of the twelve MCDVs would be placed in extended readiness due to lack of funds and the inability of the Naval Reserve to provide sufficient personnel to man the ships. However, on 14 May that order was rescinded.[16]
Kingston class construction data | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pennant | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport | Status | Image |
MM 700 | Halifax Shipyards, Halifax, Nova Scotia | 12 December 1994 | 12 August 1995 | 21 September 1996 | CFB Halifax | Active | ||
MM 701 | 28 April 1995 | 22 January 1996 | 26 October 1996 | CFB Halifax | Active | |||
MM 702 | 11 August 1995 | 17 May 1996 | 10 May 1997 | CFB Esquimalt | Active | |||
MM 703 | 8 December 1995 | 31 October 1996 | 21 June 1997 | CFB Esquimalt | Active | |||
MM 704 | 26 April 1996 | 15 November 1996 | 14 June 1997 | CFB Halifax | Active | |||
MM 705 | 26 July 1996 | 24 February 1997 | 17 April 1998 | CFB Esquimalt | Active | |||
MM 706 | 7 November 1996 | 5 June 1997 | 18 April 1998 | CFB Esquimalt | Active | |||
MM 707 | 22 February 1997 | 4 September 1997 | 26 July 1998 | CFB Halifax | Active | |||
MM 708 | 31 May 1997 | 5 December 1997 | 12 July 1998 | CFB Halifax | Active | |||
MM 709 | 5 September 1997 | 30 March 1998 | 5 December 1998 | CFB Esquimalt | Active | |||
MM 710 | 6 December 1997 | 10 July 1998 | 5 June 1999 | CFB Esquimalt | Active | |||
MM 711 | 28 March 1998 | 26 September 1998 | 18 July 1999 | CFB Halifax | Active |