The first large vessel built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy is at its new home in Patricia Bay after being damaged in a test run in April.
The CCGS Sir John A. Franklin will be based out of North Saanich and is the first of three offshore fisheries science vessels to be built by Seaspan.
It’s the first such vessel built for Canadians, by Canadians.
“It’s a milestone,” said Commanding Officer Bob Bennett. “One it’s Canada accepting this vessel, and two it’s a starting point for us to start building our crews and start learning how to operate the ships.”
The state-of-the-art ship ensures that Fisheries and Oceans scientists are working with the best equipment to collect and process date on our marine ecosystem.
Not only a science vessel, the Sir John A. Franklin will also support strong environmental response and search and rescue operations.
Two crews will be trained on the Franklin, one under the command of Capt. Bob Bennett and the other with Commanding Officer Kent Reid. The training regimen begins now, but and Bennett admits the learning curve is significant.
“It’s a big learning curve going from 1970s technology to new technology,” he said from the ship’s gleaming new deck.
There’s no word yet which crew will be the first to take the ship out to sea.
“Rock, paper scissors,” says a laughing Reid.
The vessel had to be repaired after it struck the Ogden Point breakwater on March 22.
The Franklin was returning to port from its first week of sea trials when it struck the breakwater, damaging both the vessel and the sea wall.
