Photo: The Canadian Press The Royal Canadian Navy’s newest Arctic and offshore patrol vessel, HMCS Harry DeWolf, docks in Victoria, B.C., after arriving from Vancouver on Sunday, October 3, 2021. The warship was forced to abandon an Arctic mission due to a breakdown diesel generator. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Daryl Dyke A mechanical failure has forced one of Canada’s newest warships to abandon an Arctic mission. HMCS Harry DeWolf was en route to participate in Operation Nanook in the Far North when one of its four diesel generators failed Wednesday, the Royal Canadian Navy confirmed Friday. As a result, the ship capsized and was sent back to its home port of Halifax for repairs, the navy said in a statement on Twitter. The navy described the failure as an “isolated incident” that did not affect any crew members or other systems. The voyage would be the second Arctic voyage for the vessel, the first Arctic offshore patrol vessel built at the Halifax Shipyard as part of Canada’s national shipbuilding strategy. The warship was handed over to the navy on July 31, 2020 and commissioned on June 26, 2021. In December 2021, the ship completed its first operational mission: a four-month deployment that included sailing through the Northwest Passage, crossing the Arctic Circle and circumnavigating North America. Earlier this month, the ship departed Halifax to take part in Operation Nanook, an annual multinational mission aimed at promoting security in the Arctic. The two-month mission calls for community relations, scientific testing and patrols along the Northwest Passage, with assistance from the United States Coast Guard, the Royal Danish Navy and the French navy. The Canadian-led mission is expected to be completed by the crews of the Arctic patrol ship HMCS Margaret Brooke and the Kingston-class coastal defense vessel HMCS Goose Bay. The mission marks the first operational deployment for the 103m HMCS Margaret Brooke, which was delivered to the navy in July 2021. The annual Arctic operation, which began in 2007, includes up to four deployments throughout the year.
