HMCS Brandon (MM 710)
 HMCS Brandon (MM 710) in July 2004
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Brandon |
| Namesake | Brandon, Manitoba |
| Builder | Halifax Shipyards Ltd., Halifax |
| Laid down | 6 December 1997 |
| Launched | 10 July 1998 |
| Commissioned | 5 June 1999 |
| Homeport | CFB Esquimalt |
| Honours and awards |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Kingston-class coastal defence vessel |
| Displacement | 970 t |
| Length | 55.3 m (181.43 ft) |
| Beam | 11.3 m (37.07 ft) |
| Draught | 3.4 m (11.15 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15 kn (27.78 km/h) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,260.00 km) |
| Capacity | 47 |
| Complement | 31 to 47 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
HMCS Brandon is a Kingston-class coastal defence vessel that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1999.
Brandon is the eleventh ship of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project. She is the second vessel to use the name HMCS Brandon.
Brandon was laid down on 6 December 1997 at Halifax Shipyards Ltd., Halifax and was launched on 10 July 1998. She was officially commissioned into the CF on 5 June 1999 and carries the pennant number 710.
She is assigned to Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) and is homeported at CFB Esquimalt.
Design and Construction
The Kingston-class coastal defence vessel was conceived to use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment and construction techniques in a ship designed to military specifications. The construction of the design required the building of partially outfitted steel block units, which were assembled into larger blocks and those blocks were integrated into the ship. The decks were assembled upside down with pre-outfitting of the underside of the deck prior to installation on the ship. The ship is outfitted with a degaussing system from Power Magnetics and Electronic Systems.[2]
Kingston class vessels are designed to carry up to three 6.1-metre (20 ft) ISO containers with power hookups on the open deck aft in order to embark mission-specific payloads.[3]
Armament and Sensors
Kingston-class vessels are outfitted with a Bofors 40 mm 60 mk5C rapid fire gun, and two 12.7mm machine guns. The ships are equipped with one of three modular mine countermeasures systems: the deep sea Thales MMS mechanical mine sweeping system, the route survey system or the Sutec remotely operated vehicle (ROV) mine inspection system.[2]
The navigation equipment installed in Kingston-class vessels are a Kelvin Hughes I-band navigation radar and a global positioning system. The surface search radar is the E to F-band Kelvin Hughes 6000.[2]
Propulsion
The ship is equipped with four main Wärtsilä UD 23V12 diesel engines which are coupled to four alternators (600 V AC). Two Jeumont electric motors (±740 V DC) provide power to the two LIPS Z-drive azimuth thrusters which are fitted with fixed-pitch reversing propellers. The propulsion system provides 15 knots (28 km/h) maximum continuous speed. The range at the economical cruising speed of 9 knots (17 km/h) using two engines is 5,000 nautical miles (9,000 km) with a 20% margin in tank capacity. Mechanical minesweeping is carried out at 8 knots (15 km/h). The crash stop length is five ship lengths from a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h).[2]
Service history
Brandon, accompanied by Winnipeg, Calgary and Yellowknife, departed in October 2014 to take part in San Francisco Fleet Week and the Task Group Exercise with the US Navy in American coastal waters.[4] Following those exercises, Brandon and Yellowknife deployed as part of Operation Caribbe, completing their tour on 4 December.[5]
In October 2015, Brandon deployed with Whitehorse off the Pacific coast of North America as part of Operation Caribbe. During their deployment, Brandon performed two seizures of smuggling vessels. In total, seven seizures were performed interdicting a total of nearly 9,800 kilograms (21,600 lb) of cocaine. The two ships returned to Canada in December.[6]
References
- ^ "Volume 2, Part 1: Extant Commissioned Ships - HMCS Brandon". Official Lineages. National Defence and the Canadian Forces. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Kingston Class Coastal Defence Vessels, Canada". naval-technology.com. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
- ^ Saunders, Stephen (ed.) (2008). Jane's Fighting Ships 2008–2009. Jane's Fighting Ships (111th ed.). Surrey: Jane's Information Group. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7106-2845-9. OCLC 225431774.
{{cite book}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "HMCS Calgary, Winnipeg, Brandon and Yellowknife set sail for U.S. exercise". Defence Watch. Ottawa Citizen. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ Pugliese, David (4 December 2014). "Canadian military concludes annual contribution to Operation CARIBBE 2014". Defence Watch. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ^ Dedyna, Katherine (9 December 2015). "Esquimalt ships heading home after anti-drugs mission". Times-Colonist. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
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