HALIFAX — Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will preside over the official naming of Canada’s first Arctic and offshore patrol ship in Halifax today.
HMCS Harry DeWolf, built at the Irving shipyard, is to be named after a former vice-admiral who oversaw the rescue of 42 sailors from HMCS Athabaskan on April 29, 1944, during the Second World War.
It is the first of at least five Arctic and offshore patrol vessels tasked with patrolling Canadian waters, including the Arctic.
Trudeau — the wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — is expected to be joined by several federal politicians, including Treasury Board President Scott Brison and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan.
The ship will need to go through testing to make sure everything works according to the specifications in the contract.
Irving will also build 15 vessels under the Canadian Surface Combatant project over the next 25 years.
The Canadian Press