Canada’s final Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), HMCS Robert Hampton Gray (AOPV 435), is preparing to commence its final builder’s sea trials by the end of August 2025, according to Irving Shipbuilding. The vessel, launched on December 9, 2024—more than two months ahead of schedule—was floated at Bedford Basin after being transferred to a submersible barge at Halifax Shipyard.
Following these trials, the official handover and naming ceremony are expected to take place. This ship is the sixth and last in the Royal Canadian Navy’s AOPS fleet and the first to be built under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Alongside the six naval vessels, the NSS also includes two AOPS variants for the Canadian Coast Guard and 15 future River-class destroyers.
Named after Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, a Canadian naval aviator awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for his heroism during World War II, the ship began construction with steel cutting in August 2022. The keel was laid in August 2023, and the hull launched in December 2024. The ship is affiliated with the Inuvialuit region, continuing the tradition of assigning each AOPS to one of Canada’s six Inuit regions.
Stretching 103.6 meters in length and weighing over 6,600 tonnes, the vessel boasts a Polar Class 5 ice-strengthened hull with enhanced Polar Class 4 reinforcements in the bow. Powered by four diesel generators and two electric motors, it can reach 17 knots in open waters and 3 knots through first-year ice. It can operate up to 6,800 nautical miles at 14 knots and carries two rescue boats, a landing craft, and a vehicle bay suitable for Arctic terrain transport.
The ship features a BAE Mk 38 25mm cannon, M2 machine guns, and supports various aircraft, including the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter and CU-176 Gargoyle UAV. It is equipped with advanced radar, communications, navigation, and damage control systems.
The Harry DeWolf-class, based on Norway’s NoCGV Svalbard, is the largest warship class built in Canada in over 50 years. Despite criticisms over cost and limited firepower compared to foreign counterparts, the AOPS fleet has carried out numerous successful missions. HMCS Robert Hampton Gray’s commissioning will mark the conclusion of this ambitious procurement program as Canada shifts focus to the upcoming River-class and Coast Guard vessels.
