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Transport to Tactical, the story of Canada's combative support ships

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Silver Fox:
In 2015 the Royal Canadian Navy, with predictable Government fanfare, made the announcement that 2 Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO-RO) transport ships were to be built. The new ships were to be based on the new class of fleet tankers even now just entering construction. In truth, the decision was as much political as strategic. The Canadian Government had made a great deal of noise concerning its national shipbuilding strategy, and that strategy was now in danger of becoming a purely notional strategy.

The problem was two-fold. First, a lack of money made building the ships questionable. Second, with so many ships needed, there was the issue of not enough building slips. The new AOR class was competing with the new Canadian Coast Guard ice breakers for yard space. The obvious solution would be to award either the AORs or the CCG ships to Canada’s third large shipyard and to throw more money on the pile. Politically, this was simply not feasible. Money could be found, after all it always could when a government wanted to buy something, but the whole point of the national shipbuilding strategy was that one yard would build combatants, another would build non-combatants. Some change in that plan was in order.

It was the CCG ships that offered the “out” the government needed. A revision of the original plan was devised whereby one yard would build combatants, one non-combatants… and one would build CCG ships. Political opponents were quick to point out that this meant an almost total abandonment of the shipbuilding strategy. All three shipyards were now involved and there was a real danger of slipping back into the pattern of boom-and-bust ship construction.

To counter this, the government of the day announced an expansion of the strategy. Four “extra” ships were to be built, two more heavy icebreakers of the same class as the one planned and two RO-RO naval transports to be based on the AORs. The new ships would place an unbearable strain on the two original designated shipyards; it only made sense to expand to make best use of all three large shipyards. Politically, the plan was transparent. Problems were to be solved with cash, and the political gains to be made in the Province of Quebec (where the new CCG shipyard was located) were not inconsequential.

The new naval RO-RO transports shared much of their design with the AOR which preceded them. There were some significant changes to suit them to their new role though. The upper hull was built up to provide a “through-deck” configuration allowing for simultaneous helicopter operations to be carried out. A new superstructure was offset to starboard, clearing a 550’ long flight deck slightly offset to port. The new ships would carry three Phalanx MK Ib CIWS as opposed to the AOR’s two, but like the AORs the electronics suite was to be commercial standard instead of military. The RCN objected to this, but the government was unrelenting and in the end the RCN didn’t desire to look a gift horse in the mouth. The RO-ROs were to be fitted with 3 ramps, one on each of the port and starboard sides of the forward hull and a swinging ramp aft, mounted to the transom.

The names given to the new ships caused barely a stir in political circles or with the general public; HMCS Kapyong and HMCS Vimy Ridge seemed perfectly acceptable names. The more militarily astute though were watching with raised eyebrows. Kapyong was a battle honour belonging to the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). The PPCLI was second in seniority amongst the Army’s infantry regiments. Vimy Ridge was a battle honour that could reasonably belong to any of the infantry regiments, but was not the great “namesake” battle of the Royal Canadian Regiment, the senior infantry regiment. That question wouldn’t be answered until 2018 when it was announced that a third transport was to be constructed, to be named HMCS Ortona. The three infantry regiments each now had a transport they could call their own.

Construction was uneventful and HMCS Vimy Ridge was accepted in late 2019. Service trials were conducted with only minor teething problems, although the civilian-grade electronics were still a concern. Especially worrisome to RCN planners was the idea that the two ships were susceptible to the electromagnetic pulse, EMP, of a nuclear detonation. The concern was largely theoretical though, the ships were not expected to face any threat which would see nuclear weapons employed.

Unexpectedly, the service trials also saw RCAF Guardian STOL transports make free-deck landings and take offs. The Twin Otter-based Guardians proved quite adept at operating from Vimy Ridge and the RCN quickly developed an interest in using the diminutive birds in the Carrier-Onboard-Delivery (COD) role. The navalized Guardians wouldn’t be ready immediately, but they would follow soon enough to prove their worth.

The first operational mission of Vimy Ridge was a routine support mission for NATO forces in the North Atlantic. That mission was interrupted by yet another hurricane striking the unfortunate nation of Haiti. Standing off of Haiti and using her powerful helicopter compliment, as well as the massive amount of stores she carried, Vimy Ridge proved her worth in humanitarian missions. It would fall to her as yet unfinished sister Kapyong to demonstrate the class’s worth in a more traditional military venue.

Part 2 to follow.

Silver Fox:
The observant reader will have noted that my stories concerning the RCN's Malignant Mustelids  (Guardian 500), Bombardier Airacobras and now the story of the RCN's Vimy Ridge class transports all overlap. It didn't start as a conscious attempt to write an alt-history, but the venue seems to draw me back.

What can I say... I seem to be going gonzo over Persian Excursion II.

Silver Fox:
Playing with Shipbucket pieces. That is a Berlin-class hull modified for the Ro-Ro role with a through deck.

The Big Gimper:
Nice. I like the Twin Otter.

Silver Fox:
Part II: Trial by Fire:

January of 2023 saw the Islamic Republic of Iran test detonate a nuclear weapon. The weapon fizzled instead of fired, but tensions rocket to stratospheric heights. The RCN deploys 4 warships supported by a fleet tanker and HMCS Kapyong. The RCN expressed grave concerns that both the AOR and Kapyong carried civilian-grade electronics and were now being deployed into a war zone where nuclear weapons might be employed. The RCN was right to be concerned, and the government was well aware of the fact. The three AORs had already been designated for upgrades to their systems, as had both members of the Vimy Ridge-class.  HMCS Ortona was late in the building cycle, and among other changes had already received upgraded systems.

Time was of great importance to show solidarity with the Allies, so vulnerable or not, Kapyong set sail with the fleet. Normal deployments for the Vimy Ridge-class had seen a mix of 6 CH-148 Cyclone helicopters, finally available in strength, and 4 CC-138 Guardians. The Persian Gulf deployment saw that strength increased. By drawing on the air group earmarked for Ortona, it was possible to add one more Cyclone and 2 more Guardians to the air groups of both Kapyong and Vimy Ridge. That decision would prove to have profound effects on the conduct of operations against Iran.

HMCS Kapyong had been scheduled to join the Allied Support Fleet, but when the RCN was assigned command of that fleet Kapyong became the fleet flagship. The role was only made possible due to the Joint Force Command Suite that Kapyong had embarked prior to departure from Canada. Essentially, the JFCS provided Kapyong with a military communications facility, including encrypted radios. It did much to correct the handicap of the civilian electronics rig. Vimy Ridge was not going to share such benefits; she was currently embarking a Modular At-Sea Hospital.

The initial operations of the Allied Support Force, and its Canadian contingent, were uneventful. March 1st saw that change, as the Iranians launched a small boat attack on the Support Force. Guardian flights from HMCS Kapyong were instrumental in stopping the attack and showed both the utility of the new RCN ships and their diminutive Guardians. As impressive as that incident had been it was the events of a week later that would resonate as a watershed moment fro the RCN.

March 8th started relatively peacefully, with the Allied fleets repositioning in support of landing operations to be conducted just before dawn on the 9th. The night was shattered by the declaration of Case ZULU, a presumptive nuclear attack on the Allied fleets. A Canadian Guardian, Kestrel 21, would manage to kill one of the Iranian Sukhoi fighters using a capability that had been included almost as an afterthought. Certainly, at the time of development, nobody had ever thought that a live AIM-120 warshot launch was destined to be in the Guardians future!

The Canadian contribution to Persian Gulf operations was now solidified as presenting a vital contribution. The respect given by the Canadians peers in the Allied fleets was the best indication of the value of the Canadian’s presence. When Commodore R. P. Hardesty, commander of the RCN contingent, departed USS Gerald R Ford aboard Kestrel 21 on March 9th the USN view was made quite clear. When Commodore Hardesty had been “piped aboard” the announcement had been “Allied Support Force, Arriving”. On departure he heard “Kapyong Battlegroup, Departing”. To the mind of the USN, HMCS Kapyong was no longer part of the Support Force; she was its flagship… but also a warship in her own right.

March 14th saw the arrival of HMCS Vimy Ridge in the Persian Gulf. Allied air commanders had been bemused to see Vimy Ridge turn into the wind just outside the Gulf and proceed to launch a dozen CF-163 Airacobras. There was no doubt that the 550’ flight deck of Vimy Ridge was too small for something like an Airacobra to recover on board. A few observers looked thoughtful though… Canadians had long showed that a little bit of crazy was involved in how they mixed aircraft with ships. Naval Aviation historians also noted that the Royal Navy had operated F4U Corsairs from escort carriers. Many escort carriers were of a similar size with Vimy Ridge. It was hard not to wonder what Canada might have in mind for the future.

Vimy Ridge had arrived in the Persian Gulf just in time for her Guardians to make a vital contribution to the rescue of Task Force Cordon. That rescue also marked the end of the excitement for the RCN Persian Gulf force. Kapyong would continue to lead the Allied Support Force, and Vimy Ridge would offer her hospital to the benefit of the sick and wounded in allied service… but visions of glory rapidly faded. Aboard Vimy Ridge her Guardians were converted to ambulances and used for ferrying the wounded to her embarked hospital.

The Vimy Ridge-class had acquitted itself well in its first wartime deployment, but soon enough it would be time to head home. Several smaller navies looked at the Vimy Ridge-class with unabashed jealousy. The political gambit was about to pay off for the Canadian Government. Building ships in Canada may be expensive, but selling the designs was competitive on the world market. Coming full circle, Germany was the first country to inquire after the design. The AORs had been based on the German Berlin-class so construction costs were well understood. Holland would follow and soon enough Greece was also interested. The three countries would eventually make an agreement to build a 6-ship class jointly. The agreement would collapse though when Germany withdrew to build two ships of the improved Ortona-class.

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