NEAR CAMBRIDGE BAY, NTV. – Delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy last summer, HMCS Robert Hampton Gray is the newest Arctic and offshore patrol vessel helping bolster Canada’s presence in the North.
On a brisk September day near Cambridge Bay, Nvt., during Operation Arctic Ghost with the Canadian Coast Guard and the RCMP, Cmdr. Brian Henwood surveys the bridge of the ship like an officer exactly where he wants to be.
“I mean, this is our territory. These are our Arctic waters,” Henwood told CTV News. “Having our ships here, patrolling and making sure people aren’t coming through without our permission is critical.”
But …
Canada’s Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) are frequently critiqued by defense analysts as being designed to “patrol, but not to fight.” The phrase “told to run from conflict” stems from the reality of the ships’ highly limited armament and construction standards, which make them unequipped to handle peer-to-peer naval engagements
