New-era naval ship arrives at CFB Esquimalt on Monday
HMCS Max Bernays left Halifax on March 11, made its way through the Panama Canal and is now heading north from San Francisco for arrival at CFB Esquimalt on Monday about 10:30 a.m.
Named after a hero of the Second World War, the Max Bernays is an Arctic and offshore patrol vessel designed to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic’s Northwest Passage and on the West Coast, and to support international operations.
Four of the new Harry DeWolf-class vessels were built at Irving Shipyards in Halifax and are operational while another two are under construction.
CFB Esquimalt will be home port for two of the vessels — the Max Bernays and the Robert Hampton Gray, currently being built in Halifax, said Sub-Lt. Simon Gonsalves.
He said the DeWolf-class ships differ from the navy’s frigates in look and capabilities. They are each 103 metres long with a top speed of 31 km/h (17 knots), a range of 6,800 nautical miles and a crew of up to 85. The class has ice-breaking plating and special design features for operation in drastically different environments — from Arctic to tropical waters — and the ability to provide rapid mobility to navy and other Canadian Armed Forces personnel.
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Chief Petty Officer Max Bernays, a Vancouver native, served as the coxswain on HMCS Assin iboine during the Battle of the Atlantic.
On Aug. 6, 1942, during intense surface gun action against German submarine U-210, the Assiniboine manoeuvred in and out of fog attempting to ram and sink the enemy submarine. Both vessels were firing high-explosive shells at close range, resulting in a fire that engulfed the bridge and wheelhouse of Assiniboine. Surrounded by smoke and flames while steering the ship, Bernays ordered two junior sailors to get clear, leaving him alone at the helm and trapped by the blaze.
Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 April 2024 - 04:06 AM.