Canadian Forces Maritime Command
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Canadian Forces Maritime Command (MARCOM) is the naval branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. As the naval branch, it is also the senior branch or service of the Canadian Armed Forces, following the tradition that comes from the Royal Navy. MARCOM is the descendant of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) which was Canada's naval service from the navy's foundation in 1910 until 1 February 1968. Prior to 1910, the Royal Navy provided naval protection for Canada. After 1968, the RCN was merged with the army and air force to form the Canadian Armed Forces. MARCOM's ships still bear the acronym HMCS as they did before 1968.
MARCOM is currently headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario with the Atlantic headquarters (MARLANTHQ) based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and the Pacific headquarters (MARPACHQ) based in Esquimalt, British Columbia. The headquarters of the Naval Reserve is based in Quebec City, Quebec.
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History
- For history before 1968, see Royal Canadian Navy.
Image:Canadian Armed Forces Maritime Command badge.png MARCOM was formed on 1 February 1968 following the amalgamation of the three branches of the Canadian military--the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force with a common rifle-green uniform, known as "CF green" and Army-based rank structure, with only cap and collar badges identifying "naval" personnel. However, MARCOM got its naval-based rank structure back, and in the 1980s got Distinctive Environmental Uniforms (DEU's) broadly similar to the pre-1968 RCN uniform, though ratings did not revert to the British-derived "square rig" uniform.
This was the first time a nation with a modernised military had combined sea, land, and air branches into a unified-command structure. The move also saw the fleet air arm of the Royal Canadian Navy transfer to the Maritime Air Group, and was eventually placed under the Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM) in 1975.
Re-structure
Following re-organisation, MARCOM undertook several changes to its force structure. The sole remaining aircraft carrier, Template:Warship, was nearing the end of her service life, being a World War II-era vessel. In the early 1970s, it was decided to pay Bonaventure off and not find a replacement, instead focusing on the traditional blue-water navy.
The fleet was enhanced in 1972 with the addition of the four new Iroquois-class destroyers, also known as the Tribal class. By the mid-1970s, the navy was looking at a new class of frigate-helicopter (FH) vessels to replace the aging St. Laurent, Restigouche, Mackenzie, and Annapolis classes. This design evolved into the Canadian Patrol Frigate (CPF), which was promised by the government in the early 1980s during a period of increased military spending. By the late 1980s, with construction of the first six vessels underway (by now called the Halifax-class frigates), construction of six further vessels was announced. Nine of the twelve CPF vessels were built at Saint John, New Brunswick, and the remaining three were built at Lauzon, Quebec.
The mid-1980s saw the announcement of the Tribal Update and Modernization Program (TRUMP), which saw the four early-1970s Iroquois-class destroyers updated into area air-defence destroyers. The update saw these vessels become the first non-US ships to carry the Standard Arm anti-aircraft missile.
Action post-1968
MARCOM provides vessels for Standing Naval Force Atlantic and for exercises off Norway in support of Canada's defence obligations for northern Scandinavia under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), patrols the north Atlantic and Pacific oceans in support of Canadian sovereignty, and is tasked by NATO with anti-submarine patrols for the northwest Atlantic.
In August-September 1990, MARCOM hurriedly modernized and deployed the Restigouche-class destroyer escort Template:Warship, the Iroquois-class destroyer Template:Warship, and the supply ship Template:Warship to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield and later Operation Desert Storm, where these vessels were involved in escort duties of various coalition naval forces and non-combatants.
During the mid to late 1990s, MARCOM provided vessels for a NATO task force patrolling the Adriatic Sea off the former Yugoslavia. As part of Operation Apollo, Canada's military contribution to the international campaign against terrorism, several MARCOM vessels have been patrolling in the Arabian Sea in recent years.
Today's fleet
The current fleet involves thirty-five ships and submarines plus many more supply and support vessels, making MARCOM one of the largest naval forces in the world. The fleet is evenly split between the Atlantic and Pacific commands. MARCOM participates in NATO exercises, and ships are deployed all over the world in support of the Canadian military and in conjunction with multinational deployments. Air cover is provided by Sea King helicopters--providing anti-submarine patrols, search and rescue, and reconnaissance. CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft also support MARCOM operations. All air deployments are provided by AIRCOM.
Vessels and aircraft of Maritime Command
See main article List of Ships of the Canadian Navy.
| Class or name | Type | Quantity | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | frigate | 12 | 1992 | The backbone of MARCOM, the twelve Halifax-class frigates carry the Sea King helicopters of the Air Force as well as anti-submarine torpedoes and anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. |
| Iroquois | destroyer | 3 | 1972 | Area-air-defence and command-and-control destroyers with Sea King helicopters, refitted in the 1990s from anti-submarine role. |
| Kingston | patrol | 12 | 1995 | Coastal surveillance, general naval operations and exercises, search and rescue, law enforcement, resource protection, fisheries patrols and mine countermeasure capabilities. |
| Orca | patrol | 8 | 2007 | Training and inshore patrol. |
| Protecteur | auxiliary | 2 | 1968 | At-sea resupply of frigates and destroyers and medical support. |
| Victoria | submarine | 4 | 2000 | Diesel-electric hunter-killer submarines with long-range patrol capability. |
| Endeavour | Survey ship | 2 | 1990 | Oceanographic research ship. |
| Aurora | aircraft | 15 | 1980 | Strategic airborne anti-submarine warfare aircraft with surface-surveillance capability. |
| Arcturus | aircraft | 3 | 1991 | Strategic airborne surface-surveillance aircraft. |
| Cyclone | helicopter | 28 | 2008 | Anti-submarine warfare helicopter. |
| Sea King | helicopter | 28 | 1963 | Anti-submarine warfare helicopter. |
Submarines
Image:HMCS Victoria SSK-876 near Bangor.jpg Image:HMCS Algonquin (DDG 283).jpg Image:HMCS Protecteur.jpg
The 1987 military review highlighted Canada's abysmal capabilities of enforcing sovereignty on its Arctic coast. It was therefore announced that MARCOM would receive a fleet of 10-12 nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) suitable for operating for extended periods under the Arctic ice. The proposed SSN fleet would force any nation, friend or foe, to possibly think twice before using Canada's territorial seas in the Arctic for operating nuclear submarines. During 1987-1988, MARCOM examined several British and French SSN designs. The planned procurement, however, was cancelled in 1988-1989 during a time of increased defence cuts.
In 1998, the Canadian government made a deal with the United Kingdom to acquire four mothballed, but state-of-the-art Upholder-class diesel-electric submarines that were made surplus by the Royal Navy's decision to operate only nuclear-powered submarines such as the Trafalgar-class boats. The Upholders were considered too valuable and technologically advanced by the Royal and US navies to allow them to fall into the hands of a non-allied nation. Therefore Canada was encouraged through significant discounts to acquire the Upholders. The four submarines were eventually purchased after much foot-dragging by the federal government for $750 million CAD.
The transaction was supposed to have included some reciprocal rights for British forces to continue using CFB Suffield for armoured-unit training and CFB Goose Bay for low-level flight training, while Canada received four well-built and very lightly used high-technology submarines to replace the 1960s-era Oberon class. (It was later revealed that there were no reciprocal rights. It was a plain lease-to-buy arrangement.) After a costly update program which took longer than expected, along with several public and highly embarrassing equipment failures, the Upholders are being successfully reactivated following a decade of mothballing and are now being integrated into the Canadian navy as the Victoria class. Technical problems still seem to plague the fleet however. Part of this deal will see MARPAC receive its first submarine in four decades and returning an active submarine presence to Canada's west coast.
The four submarines and their former Royal Navy names:
- Template:Warship, formerly Template:Warship
- Template:Warship, formerly Template:Warship
- Template:Warship, formerly Template:Warship
- Template:Warship, formerly Template:Warship
NOTE: A naval investigation was conducted into a fatal fire aboard HMCS Chicoutimi which killed a sailor and injured several others during its maiden voyage from Faslane Naval Base, Scotland to Halifax in October 2004. The investigation focused on two hatches that were left open during repairs, thus allowing seawater inside while the submarine was on the surface in a period of rough weather, as well as faulty insulation for wires and a panel near the commanding officer's cabin. The wires were insulated using an older water-resistance specification than the other Victoria-class boats, because it was older than the other three. The other three Victoria-class boats were placed on restricted duty for several weeks following the fire and during the period of investigation.
The investigation found that a series of unexpected circumstances led to the tragedy, (HMCS Chicoutimi Board of Enquiry website). No blame was placed on the commanding officer, as it was decided he was reasonable in allowing both hatches to be left open for the repairs. Running with both hatches open was common on the Oberon-class boats. Recommendations include improved water-resistant insulation for electrical wires, improved firefighting training, and a change of operational procedures that will no longer allow a submarine to operate on the surface with both hatches open. The widow of the officer killed, in writing, accepted the findings of the investigation.
Future
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Maritime-helicopter replacement
Although aviation assets are the responsibility of Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM) since unification, the political fiasco surrounding the maritime-helicopter replacement has had a major impact on the ability of the Canadian patrol frigates to deliver their expected capabilities. In 1993, the Maritime Helicopter Program, which had selected the AgustaWestland EH101 as a replacement for the aging CH-124 Sea King, was cancelled by incoming Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in an infamous decision that dogged his government for over a decade. Chrétien's government did end up ordering fifteen CH-149 Cormorants, a slightly cheaper version of the EH101, for search-and-rescue services, however it took until July 2004 for a replacement of the now-ancient Sea Kings to be announced. The Sea Kings will be replaced with the CH-148 Cyclone, with delivery expected to be completed by 2008-2010.
Current and future programs
In the late 1990s, one of the fleet's three underway-replenishment vessels, HMCS Provider, was paid off. The remaining two supply ships, HMCS Preserver and HMCS Protecteur, were showing their age, and MARCOM began studies into designing a new class of underway-replenishment and naval sealift-capable vessels.
On 16 April 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced plans to purchase three new Joint Support Ships (JSS) to replace the Protecteur-class underway-replenishment vessels. In addition to supporting naval operations, the new ships will be able to transport an army battle group--a capability Canada's navy has lacked since the departure of the light carrier HMCS Bonaventure in 1970. Some critics have suggested that a combined at-sea replenishment and heavy-transport ship would not be able to do either job very well and cost more than just a straight purchase of separate classes of ships.
In the first months of 2005, senior members of the Canadian Forces and the government have been discussing the possibility of purchasing two new or used amphibious-assault vessels in keeping with the new government's commitment to developing greater joint capability in the Canadian Forces. This is apparently not connected to the Joint Support Ship announcement of 2004.
The program to replace the navy's eight wooden YAG officer-training vessels with modern, steel patrol boats (the Orca program) is well underway and being contracted by Victoria Shipyards Limited. Final delivery and acceptance trials are scheduled for mid-2007.
A program office for the Halifax-class Frigate Life Extension (FELEX) program has been established and is expected to begin soliciting bids in 2007. It is believed that introduction of the active phased array radar (APAR) that the Canadian Forces developed with the Dutch navy will not be undertaken during FELEX due to the weight of the system and stability considerations. Canada is considering a 4-10 vessel replacement program for the Iroquois-class destroyers, likely involving the use of APAR. To save money, the replacement classes for the Iroquois- and Halifax-class ships will have identical hulls and propulsion machinery.
A mid-life upgrade program for the Kingston-class patrol vessels has appeared on a list of the Chief of Maritime Staff's project priorities. There are ongoing discussions about designing warships suitable for ice operations off Canada's Arctic coast.