The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has revealed that it will decommission eight Kingston-class maritime coastal defense vessels (MCDVs).
As informed, the navy will begin “paying off” the vessels this fall. The term “paying off” refers to the British practice of paying a crew their wages once a ship has completed its voyage. In the RCN, the tradition continues with the term paying off referring to the formal ceremony where the naval jack, ensign, and commissioning pennant are hauled down, the crew departs a ship for the last time, and the ship is then no longer referred to as His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS).
Eight of the twelve Kingston-class ships will be paid off during formal naval ceremonies. These ceremonies will take place in Halifax for HMC Ships Shawinigan, Summerside, Goose Bay, Glace Bay and Kingston.
Ceremonies in Esquimalt, B.C. will be held for HMC ships Saskatoon, Whitehorse and Brandon.
The RCN’s four remaining operational Kingston-class vessels will consolidate under Canadian Fleet Atlantic in Halifax.
As such, HMCS Moncton will remain based in Halifax, HMC Ships Yellowknife and Edmonton recently transferred to the east coast, and HMCS Nanaimo will transit to Halifax later this year.
“Kingston-class vessels have provided the Royal Canadian Navy with a significant, impactful, and flexible capability throughout their many years of service,” Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee , Commander Royal Canadian Navy, said.
“These ships have contributed important mine countermeasure roles on international operations and have regularly participated in exercises with partner navies abroad, and with the Royal Canadian Navy fleet along our Canadian coastlines.”
The Kingston-class warships were built and launched in the 1990s. MCDVs are multi-role minor war vessels with a primary mission of coastal surveillance and patrol including general naval operations and exercises, search and rescue, law enforcement, resource protection and fisheries patrols. Additionally, they have conducted nuclear submarine escorts, national and international exercises, and have supported the training of several naval occupations.
The ships have deployed on Operation CARIBBE in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean, Operation PROJECTION in West Africa, Operation REASSURANCE in European waters, and on multiple domestic operations across Canada’s three oceans.
In the future, naval mine countermeasure roles will be mitigated within Fleet Diving Units and remote and autonomous systems will be operated from RCN vessels. The Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and offshore vessels are an operationally capable platform that will also take on Kingston-class roles such as counter-narcotics operations.
An expanded fleet of Orca-class vessels will assume the training role of the Kingston-class, the navy noted.
The divestment of the Kingston-class is a process that involves many steps. The significant milestones include uncrewing the ship, the paying off, and then the transfer of “ownership” from the RCN to the Department of National Defence, Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel) group for eventual divestment.
The remaining Kingston-class vessels will be gradually paid off in the years ahead.
HMCS Yellowknife is set to be paid off in 2026, followed by HMCS Edmonton in 2027 and finally HMC Moncton and Nanaimo in 2028.