HMCS Saskatoon (MM 709)

HMCS ''Saskatoon'' is a delivered to the Canadian Forces in 1998. ''Saskatoon'' is the tenth ship of her class and is the second vessel to use the designation . Named after the Canadian city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, other references to the city are found on the ship with the ships captains desk named Cranberry Flats and a main corridor in the ship named after Idylwyld Drive. ''Saskatoon'' is assigned to Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) of the Royal Canadian Navy and is homeported at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt.

Design and description

The ''Kingston''-class coastal defence vessel was designed and built as a result of the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project undertaken by the Department of National Defence beginning in the mid-1980s. Aimed to fulfill the minesweeper, coastal patrol and reserve training needs of the Canadian Armed Forces, the ''Kingston'' class replaced the and minesweepers, s and Royal Canadian Mounted Police coastal launches. Following their construction, the vessels became known as the ''Kingston''-class maritime coastal defence vessels (MCDVs). The ''Kingston'' class was designed to conduct eighteen-day coastal defence missions, with a mixed gender crew of twenty-four, and the ability to deploy out of area for up to six months with a crew of thirty-seven for mine warfare or training missions. In order to perform the various duties assigned to them, the ''Kingston''-class vessels are designed embark mission-specific payloads contained in three powered ISO containers on the open deck aft. Seven module types available for embarkation on the ''Kingston'' class include: four route survey, two mechanical minesweeping and one bottom inspection modules.

Built to the same specifications, all twelve ''Kingston''-class vessels are steel hulled vessels built to commercial standards with naval hull shock resistance, damage control and compartment subdivision features. The vessels displace and are long overall, with a beam of and a draught of . The vessels are powered by four Jeumont ANR-53-50 alternators coupled to four Wärtsilä UD 23V12 diesel engines creating . Two 360° rotating LIPS Z-drive azimuth thrusters on the ''Kingston'' class are driven by two Jeumont CI 560L motors creating giving the ships a maximum speed of and a range of at .

The ''Kingston'' class are equipped with a Kelvin Hughes navigational radar using the I-band (NATO) and a Kelvin Hughes 6000 surface search radar scanning the E and F bands. The vessels carry an AN/SQS-511 towed side scan sonar for minesweeping and a remote-control mine hunting system (RMHS).

The vessels were originally equipped with one Bofors 40 mm/60 calibre Mk 5C gun and two M2 machine guns. Intended for exploding floating mines and self-defence, the Bofors guns installed on the MCDVs once served on the aircraft carrier and as anti-aircraft guns located at CFB Lahr/ CFB Baden in Germany. Declared obsolete and removed from the vessels in 2014, some of the MCDV Bofors guns ended up as museum pieces on display at various naval reserve installations across Canada, with ''Saskatoon''s gun being donated to the naval reserve division in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Construction and career

''Saskatoon'' was laid down on 5 September 1997 by Halifax Shipyards Ltd. at Halifax, Nova Scotia and was launched on 30 March 1998. The ship transferred to the west coast in September 1998 and was commissioned into the RCN on 5 December 1998 at Esquimalt, British Columbia. ''Saskatoon'' carries the hull classification symbol MM 709. Named after the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, references to the city are found on the ship with the ships captains desk named Cranberry Flats and a main corridor in the ship named after Idylwyld Drive.

In 2007, a court martial revealed that a third of ''Saskatoon''s crew used illicit drugs, namely cocaine, leading to a Canadian Armed Forces wide drug use investigation.

In February 2012, ''Saskatoon'' took part in Exercise Pacific Guardian, a joint coastal defence exercise. During the exercise, ''Saskatoon,'' along with sister ships and trained with naval reserve units, and United States Coast Guard vessels involving various scenarios focused on drug or immigrant smuggling, pollution detection, marine mammal sightings, shellfish poaching, illegal logging and criminal activities.

In February 2016 and ''Saskatoon'' deployed to Operation Caribbe. As part of Canada's contribution to the multinational campaign combating illicit trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, on 19 March ''Saskatoon'' intercepted a fishing boat, that when observed by ''Saskatoon'', jettisoned its cargo and fled. ''Saskatoon''s crew subsequently recovered ten bales or of cocaine from the water. On 25 March, a patrol aircraft spotted a boat in international waters, which when noticing the plane, dumped its cargo and fled. Dispatched to search the area, ''Saskatoon'' recovered sixteen bales of cocaine totaling . On 29 April 2016 ''Saskatoon,'' along with ''Edmonton'' returned to Esquimalt. In June 2016, , , ''Saskatoon'' and sailed from Esquimalt to Hawaii to participate in the biannual international maritime warfare exercise Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC).

''Saskatoon'' once again deployed to Operation Caribbe, departing CFB Esquimalt on 20 February 2017. While taking part in the operation, ''Saskatoon'' intercepted a small vessel carrying roughly of cocaine on 12 March in cooperation with the United States Coast Guard. On 6 April, ''Saskatoon'' moved to intercept a fishing vessel off in international waters, launching its rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) with United States Coast Guard personnel embarked. Upon boarding the vessel, ''Saskatoon''s crew retrieved eleven bales of cocaine, totaling and arrested three people. A week later, ''Saskatoon'' moved to intercept two more vessels in international waters. Upon approaching the suspected vessels, of cocaine was dumped by the occupants and while one of the vessels was caught the other escaped. ''Saskatoon'' returned to CFB Esquimalt on 28 April 2017.

In July 2019 ''Saskatoon'' was laid up in Victoria, British Columbia's Upper Harbour for six months of maintenance. Scheduled to return to service in February 2020, ''Saskatoon'' received planned upgrades to its hull, galley, HVAC, and fire fighting system. From February to May 2021, ''Saskatoon'' and sister ship deployed as part of Operation Caribbe, taking part in the interception of illicit drugs off the coasts of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America. Saskatoon seized an estimated 200 million dollars of illicit drugs. From February to May 2022, ''Saskatoon'' and sister ship deployed as part of Operation Caribbe, taking part in the interception of illicit drugs off the coasts of the Eastern Pacific.

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External links

HMCS ''Saskatoon'' (MM 709) – official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saskatoon, HMCS
Fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy
Kingston-class coastal defence vessels
1998 ships
Ships built in Nova Scotia