WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 18 2024
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Fatal landslide
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HMCS PROTECTEUR
Seaspan launches Canada’s longest naval ship BRENT RICHTER
brichter@nsnews.com
North Vancouver’s Seaspan has launched the longest naval ship ever built in Canada, complete with a bottle of sparkling B.C. wine smashed on the bow.
Dignitaries, elected officials, naval leadership and more than 2,000 workers gathered at Seaspan’s Pemberton Avenue shipyard Friday for the official naming and launch of HMCS Protecteur. When it is completed and turned over to the Royal Canadian Navy in 2025, the 173.7-metre joint support ship will be tasked with resupplying Canadian and allied warships at sea with fuel, food, spare parts and ammunition. The ship will contain helicopter maintenance repair equipment, exercise and gym facilities, medical and dental care centres, a barber shop and a library, among other amenities. At the outset of the ceremony, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) representative Rebecca Duncan brushed the ship’s keel with cedar boughs and sang a blessing song, a tradition her people have long used in launching new canoes to cleanse them and keep the vessels safe on the water. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on hand for the launch of the Protecteur, which he cited as a key example of Canada’s growing commitment to defence spending. Continued on A40
Seaspan workers erupt in cheers during a ceremony on Friday as dignitaries launch HMCS Protecteur, the Royal Canadian Navy’s new joint support ship built at the North Vancouver shipyard. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN
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