New Canadian Shipbuilding Strategy

[Rainbow1910]

You have a life, steady schedule, a generally happy workplace.

There’s also this really strange and foreign thing to CAF members, it’s called a union.

 

[quadrapiper]

Well, the "franco" can operate 100% in French, using the proper French terminology, and be based for their whole life in a francophone province or area, for one thing.

When the RCN catches up to that concept, in view of the fact that there is a strong maritime tradition in Quebec in particular, they will get 25 to 30 % greater applications of qualified applicants.

Is there anywhere, money not an object, in Quebec that would work as a third RCN base? Could have some value for NAVRES training accessibility, on top of redundancy/added capacity, and providing a posting of choice for Francophones.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Levis. Co-located with Davie (lots of room). From December to March, you just co-locate with the rest of the Fleet at Halifax for those units not in refit. If you get the CDC as ice capable as Topshee wants them, then you only have to re-locate the one or two "franco" RCD for that period.

 

[suffolkowner]

I suppose it makes good sense as Cape Breton is at the main entry point to the Gulf but I wonder, are you better to start where the ice is i.e. the river itself or steam towards the start of the ice. I am totally not familiar with ice anywhere but in whiskey, skating rinks and Georgian Bay

I think the Sydney base is just for maintenance and that the 2 Polars will be homeported out of St Johns?

 

[Furniture]

Levis. Co-located with Davie (lots of room). From December to March, you just co-locate with the rest of the Fleet at Halifax for those units not in refit. If you get the CDC as ice capable as Topshee wants them, then you only have to re-locate the one or two "franco" RCD for that period.

Forcing the sailors to spend their winters in Halifax would kill any potential morale boost associated with having a base in Levis. Forcing Halifax sailors to stand duties on ships that aren't their for the entire winter would kill morale in Halifax.

AOPVS might work for Quebec basing, but that leaves them a long sail from a lot of their normal Op areas.

 

[dapaterson]

Forcing the sailors to spend their winters in Halifax would kill any potential morale boost associated with having a base in Levis. Forcing Halifax sailors to stand duties on ships that aren't their for the entire winter would kill morale in Halifax.

AOPVS might work for Quebec basing, but that leaves them a long sail from a lot of their normal Op areas.

The CCG makes it work somehow.

Maybe the next 2 or 3 CRCN should be drawn from the CCG to get a grip on the RCN.

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a Franco CRCN.

Maybe put a MH ACSO Franco in command, if we can't get a CCG CRCN ...

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Forcing the sailors to spend their winters in Halifax would kill any potential morale boost associated with having a base in Levis. Forcing Halifax sailors to stand duties on ships that aren't their for the entire winter would kill morale in Halifax.

AOPVS might work for Quebec basing, but that leaves them a long sail from a lot of their normal Op areas.

First of all, either you base all types (except submarines - they have to be co-located) in Levis, or you don't base any: A French station cannot become a place for "secondary" units only so that franco personnel becomes relegated to secondary roles, and thus a "lower" class of sailors.

Second, sailors go on deployments, all the time. I am not advocating four months in Halifax, but three. The river and gulf are OK up to mid December and opens up in the first few weeks of March. And I am not advocating that the ships be taken over by Halifax based personnel while in Halifax. They would retain their crew. So lets say the few ships that are not ice strengthened (the RCD, which should be one or two, depending on long refits schedule) sail mid December for Halifax. They get there and go right into Christmas leave period for three weeks - in two shifts of 50% personnel, retaining whom they need for reasonable harbour watches on the one or two RCD. That brings us basically to two months in before going back home and to exercise with the rest of the fleet. Not exactly a home busting amount of time, especially if there are a few long week-end (Qc-Hal is 12 hours drive - two drivers - easy to do. I've done it when I was in Halifax and my parents lived in Quebec city).

Third, who says hey can't develop an op area in the gulf for training? Thye would be a lot more visible to Merchant ships than where we train around Halifax. There are a lot more such ships in the gulf than around Halifax's training area.

Moreover, what you are saying are exactly the excuses that the RCN has always used to justify not even trying to set up such a base. Fine. If the RCN doesn't want to tap into 25% of the population, that's their choice, but they shouldn't claim to be a "national institution" then.