RCN’s fourth Harry DeWolf-class ship named HMCS William Hall It has been named after petty officer William Hall, the first Nova Scotian to receive Victoria Cross.

 

HMCS William Hall was named during a naming ceremony held at Halifax Shipyard in Nova Scotia on 28 April. Credit: © Irving Shipbuilding/GlobeNewswire.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has christened its fourth Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and offshore patrol ship (AOPS) HMCS William Hall, being constructed by Irving Shipbuilding.

An official naming ceremony was held at Halifax Shipyard in Nova Scotia on 28 April.

The ceremony was attended by shipbuilders, ships’ sponsors as well as several dignitaries and officials from the RCN and Canadian Ministry of National Defence, including Defence Minister Anita Anand.

During the traditional event, the ship’s sponsor retired chief superintendent Craig Gibson, revealed the name of the fourth Harry DeWolf-class vessel and broke a bottle of wine against the vessel’s bow.

The vessel has been named to honour petty officer William Hall, who joined the RCN in 1852. He was the first Nova Scotian and the first black person to receive the Victoria Cross.

Gibson said: “Today is the culmination of 4 years of hard work by thousands of people across Canada. We are proud of our 2,300 skilled shipbuilders.

“This ship is 90% complete and will be delivered for 44% fewer hours than the first ship of the class. This improvement in efficiency is a tribute to the determination and skill of the entire shipbuilding team that includes Canada and our industry partners.”

Launched in November last year, HMCS William Hall is being constructed as part of the country’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).

Irving Shipbuilding has been delivering one ship every year to the RCN, with the last ship expected to be delivered by 2026.

So far, the shipbuilding company has delivered three AOPS to the RCN, while three are currently underway at Halifax Shipyard.

Anand said: “Today is the latest example of how our government’s NSS is delivering positive economic and social benefit to our region while supporting our RCN and the Canadian Coast Guard.”