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Justin Trudeau hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

and a huge number of those canals and railways floundered, even before being finished.
Like all business, tons of false starts and casualties.

The Panama Canal had numerous false starts and a 400 year history of numerous failed schemes before the Americans finally succeeded.


The most Canadian engineering project ever. Spending a foolish amount of money on something that was neither practical or required.
 
Like all business, tons of false starts and casualties.

The Panama Canal had numerous false starts and a 400 year history of numerous failed schemes before the Americans finally succeeded.



The most Canadian engineering project ever. Spending a foolish amount of money on something that was neither practical or required.
Made an excellent hunting trail(ducks/partridge/deer) though.
 
why not? Seaspan could easily contract the buoy tenders to a smaller yard, take a small profit from each and build two more JSS. The smaller coast guard vessels don't require any fancy cranes and large construction spaces

As was mentioned elsewhere, these "buoy tenders" aren't small nor especially easy to construct vessels. It's a 100m long, 9,000t and Polar Class 4 ice strengthened vessel with an order of potentially up to SIXTEEN vessels in total. That isn't something that would be or really could be contracted to a smaller yard, given this is a bread and butter program that will be keeping Seaspan busy for quite a few years.

The RCN very well could decide to contract another 1-2 JSS once the order book for Seaspan dries up, similar to what the German's did with the Berlin class. There was a third ship procured around a decade after the first two that incorporated many design improvements.

You be better off leasing the Wave Class tankers, laying up a couple of the CFP's and provide the USN with tanker support till the RN needs them back or the enough River Class are commissioned.
I've seen folks elsewhere put forward the idea of Canada founding its own Royal Fleet Auxiliary, with the idea of getting the pair of Wave class vessels for fairly cheap and using them to help found the force. You could also try to buy Asterix to found the force alternatively but Davie is going to charge out the nose for such a purchase. This would give the RCN an auxiliary force of 2 JSS and 2 Wave, giving a lot more variety to assisting NATO/regional allies in various operations alongside providing additional redundancy to our own operations. Once the Wave class age out, contract a replacement pair of vessels largely off the shelf from abroad to replace them and keep on trucking.

Ideally, a hypothetical RCFA would be drawing off manpower pools that wouldn't be entirely interested in joining the Navy proper as it is drawn from industry and are classified as civilian employees under DND.
 
As was mentioned elsewhere, these "buoy tenders" aren't small nor especially easy to construct vessels. It's a 100m long, 9,000t and Polar Class 4 ice strengthened vessel with an order of potentially up to SIXTEEN vessels in total. That isn't something that would be or really could be contracted to a smaller yard, given this is a bread and butter program that will be keeping Seaspan busy for quite a few years.

The RCN very well could decide to contract another 1-2 JSS once the order book for Seaspan dries up, similar to what the German's did with the Berlin class. There was a third ship procured around a decade after the first two that incorporated many design improvements.


I've seen folks elsewhere put forward the idea of Canada founding its own Royal Fleet Auxiliary, with the idea of getting the pair of Wave class vessels for fairly cheap and using them to help found the force. You could also try to buy Asterix to found the force alternatively but Davie is going to charge out the nose for such a purchase. This would give the RCN an auxiliary force of 2 JSS and 2 Wave, giving a lot more variety to assisting NATO/regional allies in various operations alongside providing additional redundancy to our own operations. Once the Wave class age out, contract a replacement pair of vessels largely off the shelf from abroad to replace them and keep on trucking.

Ideally, a hypothetical RCFA would be drawing off manpower pools that wouldn't be entirely interested in joining the Navy proper as it is drawn from industry and are classified as civilian employees under DND.
Further to that Idea I would add a fifth Ice Strengthened Baltic class Ferry to the Newfoundland Run as a hot Idle spare that regularly transits the Atlantic right to Riga. Do those exercises at the End of the Argentia Newfoundland Runs in the Fall. Heck while I am at it the Feds should standardize the Atlantic Ferries between Digby-Saint John, the Two Pictou- PEI Ships and the Mag Island Ferry. The Digby Ferry could easily carry the equivalent of an entire Armoured Recce Squadron and kit. Anywhere.
 
The RCN very well could decide to contract another 1-2 JSS once the order book for Seaspan dries up, similar to what the German's did with the Berlin class. There was a third ship procured around a decade after the first two that incorporated many design improvements.
You mean like not treating the NSS as a one off to replace our rusted out fleets and actually having a perpetual build of new ships to constantly renew the fleet before they self divest???
 
Made an excellent hunting trail(ducks/partridge/deer) though.
It's kind of funny because they probably could have built a half-decent transloading rail line to take supplies from one side to the other, which at the time, would have been value added.

The Panama Railway did this very thing for years prior to the Panama Canal being finished.
 
Like all business, tons of false starts and casualties.

The Panama Canal had numerous false starts and a 400 year history of numerous failed schemes before the Americans finally succeeded.



The most Canadian engineering project ever. Spending a foolish amount of money on something that was neither practical or required.
There is still talk of a Nicaraguan canal and even another canal to challenge the Suez canal.

The Biggest dumb idea was to dam the Med and drain it....
 
Further to that Idea I would add a fifth Ice Strengthened Baltic class Ferry to the Newfoundland Run as a hot Idle spare that regularly transits the Atlantic right to Riga. Do those exercises at the End of the Argentia Newfoundland Runs in the Fall. Heck while I am at it the Feds should standardize the Atlantic Ferries between Digby-Saint John, the Two Pictou- PEI Ships and the Mag Island Ferry. The Digby Ferry could easily carry the equivalent of an entire Armoured Recce Squadron and kit. Anywhere.
This is a really decent idea. The downside is the cost of DND being forced to subsidize the cost of building and likely operating/maintaining the ships.
 
This is a really decent idea. The downside is the cost of DND being forced to subsidize the cost of building and likely operating/maintaining the ships.
The Feds have constitutional responsibilities to pay the costs of the Ferries anyway. A slight increase in Ticket prices would cover the operating. The Digby Ferry is mostly tourists and Fish product on the way to Boston. Have you seen the price of LAWBSTAAH!
My Idea serves a Civilian need for most of the Time and let me tell you there is huge anxiety in Newfoundland when one of the Ferries bonks. Its Food trucks and tourists while the rest of the Economy waits.
 
That's quite the design. Covers a lot of "potential needs" in one package! 2 or 3 should do it.

I don't understand the focus on amphibious forces. We just don't have those land force protection needs. We just need old fashioned transport for getting heavy forces to Europe or around the Pacific. That's more suited to an auxiliary role with ferries.

I think some kind of flat top with naval air power is more relevant to Canada. Something like the old HMS Ocean for the RN.
 
While UK government and the RN keep saying they will retain both QE carriers, they probably wouldn’t refuse a decent cash offer for one of the two.

“I don't understand the focus on amphibious forces. We just don't have those land force protection needs. We just need old fashioned transport for getting heavy forces to Europe or around the Pacific. That's more suited to an auxiliary role with ferries.”

Presumably the usable port and ferry facilities in the Baltic and much of Northern Europe will be destroyed.
 
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