Canadian Power: The Canadian Forces as a Major Power

[TheMann]

alright...enough conspiracy theories.....

Yeah, let's nip that in the bud right now.

2001 (Part 2)
Faced with a major new challenge in terms of security with the entry of the Turks and Caicos into Canada, the Maritime Command began to station a permanent present at the Islands. The first vessel to take on this challenge is HMCS Huron, which arrives at the islands on May 26, and a flag from Huron is the first Canadian flag to be raised over the islands. Huron was busy while it was based out of the Turks and Caicos, as it and its Cyclone helicopter caught no less than three go-fast boats around the islands, frequently headed from Cuba or the Bahamas towards Florida.

Huron's challenge to ensure security led to the decision to immediately dispatch HMCS Bluenose, Canada's first landing platform dock, to the Turks and Caicos, along with five of Canada's S-2T Turbo Tracker aircraft. Though this helped, bigger plans were in the works for the new Canadian territory.

The new MP for the Turks and Caicos, Derek Hugh Taylor, asked for investment to his small, relatively poor territory. On September 5, 2001, the response came. The plan, proposed by Conservative MP Peter Goldring, would have a Canadian Forces permanent base built on the islands, and would also establish a deepwater port and international airport on the islands, with the goal of building a thriving tourism and trade economy there. Goldring pointed out that as Canada now has a "tropical paradise" of its own, Canadian tourists would come in vast numbers. The decision of Air Canada to run direct flights between Toronto, Montreal and Halifax to Cockburn Town on Grand Turk reinforced the idea of Canadian tourists coming in numbers. The plan was passed by the House of Commons on November 17, 2001. But as big as this news was, it was not the biggest news of the year.

That big news was the horror that befell New York City, Washington and a small town in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Four highjacked airliners crashed - two into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington and one, which would be later determined to be headed for the Capitol in Washington, crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The two towers in New York, struck at 8:46 am and 9:03 am, collapsed at 9:59 am and 10:28 am, claiming the lion's share of the nearly 3,700 lives lost in the attacks. A Canadian vessel, HMCS Ville de Quebec, was in New York at the time, and many of its crew raced from its berth in Midtown New York, along with its CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, to the attacks, attempting to help. The helicopter was successful in recovering 45 people from the towers before they fell, and also was helped by two USAF helicopters, which recovered 56 people between them. Eighteen members of Ville de Quebec's crew, including Lieutenant Commander Andreas Marceon, the ship's XO, died when the buildings collapsed.

The repsonse from Canada, as in the United States, was immense grief and an immense roar of anger, as well as many selfless acts. More than 700 volunteers from over 30 different police and fire departments in Canada went to the side, many of them paying for the travel costs themselves. Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie offered to pay all of these costs himself, and did. Marceon was awarded the Canadian Victoria Cross, as were the two pilots and four rescuers on Ville de Quebec's helicopter, one of whom died in the attack trying to help an injured person off the building. Four of the five Canadian Forces C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and all twelve of Canada's then-present A400Ms raced repeatedly from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Fredericton and Halifax to New York, delivering all the supplies that could be delivered.

The United States' airspace was closed after the attacks, and Canada in response initiated Operation Yellow Ribbon. Over 240 flights were forced to land in Canada as a result of the situation in the US. 38 of them landed at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, and the residents of the small town opened their homes and hearts to the people in acts that would later be looked upon as being kind on many levels. They landed as far west as London, Ontario. Some even landed at CFB Shearwater near Halifax, Canada's naval aviation home. Needing to get people home, on September 13, A "air convoy" of 45 airliners flew from several places to their destinations in the US, escorted by a dozen Canadian Forces Tomcats and Hornets.

In many cases, flights that had been diverted had their passengers housed in as best a conditions that could be arranged. Gander was the best scene, as many local residents called it one of the best experiences of their lives anmd many of the over 6,000 people whose planes landed at Gander to this day continue to keep in touch with those they met during Operation Yellow Ribbon. When the bodies of Canadian Forces personnel were recovered from Ground Zero, they were carried back to Canada. The USAF out of respect offered to deliver the bodies right to the people's hometowns, but instead ten of them were delivered by a USAF airlifter to CFB Trenton, arriving on September 16. The ceremony was private, though news photos would later see both PM Charest and Ontario Premier Mike Harris struggling to compose themselves. Despite the privacy, nearly 20,000 people gathered outside CFB Trenton, and the Convoy from Trenton to Toronto had a OPP escort and people lining virtually every bridge from Trenton to Toronto to watch.

The aftermath of the attacks was an almost immediate discovery of those responsible, and their connection to Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden. The Canadian Forces immediately went to high alert. HMCS Warrior, which was off Argentina having just went around Cape Horn at the time, was ordered to immediately head for Halifax. New anti-terror legislation was introduced by the Charest Government, and easily passed on October 20.

With news of the repsonse to Afghanistan filtering into Canada, The Canadian government easily and unequivocally signed on to the effort in Afghanistan. Warrior arrived in Halifax on September 23, and was only there long enough to resupply and refuel, which didn't bother its crew much, and left for Afghanistan on September 25. Arriving on station, Warrior was one of no less than six aircraft carriers on the scene - USS Nimitz and USS Abraham Lincoln, HMAS Australia, HMS Ark Royal and FS Charles de Gaulle being the others. The Pakistani Air Force did not make any trouble for them, and striking aircraft flew right over Pakistan.

President Gore, however, made 9/11 both an attempt to destroy terror, but also mend a bridge. A week after the attacks, Gore invited Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to the site, a move criticized by some at the time but would prove to be incredibly astute. Gore is said to have told Khatami "This is what real extremism looks like, isn't it?" Khatami responded by saying that Iran "Is a proud society, proud of our heritage, proud of our society." To which Gore responded "So is America, and that is why our long-standing disputes must end."

Gore took a hard line with terrorists, but repeatedly stressed that it was not a battle with Islam, but with terrorists. Gore's invitation to Khatami gave him a lot of weight in the debate. Khatami was understandably quite moved, and upon arriving back in Iran commented "America was once a nation which sought to dominate us. But I do believe that as we have changed, so have they, and we ought to respect that. I believe that if we respect them, they will do the same." The hardliners hated that, But Khatami sailed to his 2001 re-election nonetheless.

Forces of more than 60 nations began pouring into Afghanistan on October 12, 2001. The destruction of the Taliban was primarily undertaken by Afghans themselves, assisted by Special Forces troops and airpower in abundance. The Canadian SAS and Airborne Regiment were part of this, and Hornets, Tomcats and Tornados from Warrior were also in large part responsible, to the happiness of the Canadian public. The Toronto Star's headline on 9/12 had been "Bastards!" and that pretty much summed up the opinions of Canadians, and the knowledge - and in many cases, gun camera footage - of Canadian aircraft striking Taliban positions.

On December 10, 2001, a multinational effort - including the Canadian SAS - raided the Tora Bora complex, in the process picking up Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden. bin Laden was seriously ill from kidney disease, but medics kept him alive and treatment allowed him to be healthy enough to stand trial. He would stand trial, in New York, through 2002, before being found guilty on July 19, 2002, and sentenced to life in prison. The jury foreman in the case said that "Having you sentenced to death, sir, I know is what you wish, because then you can be seen as a martyr to your cause. I will not do that, because I want you to spend the rest of your life, no matter how long it happens to be, thinking about your actions.

In June 2001, Canada began the process of ordering its new Fast Sealift Ship. Three vessel designs had been proposed, but the chosen design was heavily influenced by the American Algol class of vessels, though the Canadian version was 30 feet longer than the American - it had been designed to just barely fit through the Panama Canal - and it was fitted with six cranes, with a lifting capacity of up to 55 tons, and the ability to drive vehicles on and off in two places. The vessel could carry as designed up to 750 vehicles and 300 TEU of containers, as well as being fitted with a massive desalinization unit to supply fresh water to others, and accomodation for up to 420 people. Fitted with four General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines, which when combined with four shafts and the fully automated engine control that was becoming de rigeur on Canadian-designed warships, the ship design made some 160,000 shp - enough for 33.5 knots (62 km/h) all out.

Halifax Shipbuilders won the bid to build the big ship, which was expected to displace some 62,500 tons fully loaded, on August 14, 2001, with delivery expected in late 2003. The vessel would be christened HMCS Terra Nova (AKR 1), supposedly after the valley in Nova Scotia and what the island portion of Newfoundland is often called.

 

[TheMann]

Nice handling of bin Laden.

Thank you. I thought it was the perfect way to handle the bastard. He'll rot for the rest of his years at the Supermax Prison in Colorado, right with Zawahiri, Yousef and the other 1993 WTC bombers, eventually to be forgotten, though their crimes won't be. Gore's invitation to Khatami is a sign, too. He has every intention of using the tragedy to build bridges as well as kill terrorists. By the time this is over, much of the Arab world will despise bin Laden, too.

@Forestab: I was working in the Columbia Seafirst Center in Seattle at the time, and we were all watching the attacks live on CNN. The FBI got word of what they thought was another highjacked plane and they were worried it was heading for us, and at about 10 am they cleared the Center and a few neighboring buildings. Turned out that supposedly highjacked plane (a Korean Air 747, in this case) just had a malfunctioning transponder. Didn't stop USAF and CF jets from tracking it down, and both US and Canadian authorities were prepared to shoot it down. Thankfully, it landed at Whitehorse, safe and sound, and it was all cleared up.

 

[TheMann]

2002 (Part 1)
Opening up with a war in Afghanistan, a shaky economy due to the problems of 9/11 and a new territory to integrate into Canada, 2002 opened on a rougher note than most had hoped. But that didn't stop it from being a good year.

The world spent much of 2002 focused on New York City, both the ongoing cleanup at the former World Trade Center but also the trials of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and eight other senior Al-Queda officials. There was virtually no doubt of their guilt, and even Arab countries closely watching the trial pronounced that it had been a fair one. The FBI had done a very good job laying out the evidence in the case, and the accuseds' attempts to mock the court didn't help things. Incendiary rhetoric from some of the Republicans and parts of the American media wasn't helpful. This became a Canadian issue, when American commentator Ann Coulter, while speaking at York University, called for the United States to "invade their countries, kill their leaders and force all of the savages to convert to Christianity and see God." Coulter went back to the US before the response came, but Canadian authorities asked her not to come back if she was going to say such rhetoric - under Canadian law, Coulter may well have been guilty of hate speech. As it was, Coulter never did come to Canada again.

Early 2002 also saw the ugliest incident in the Quebec biker war between the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine, when on April 19, a bomb in a jeep exploded, but did so in front of an elementary school in Blaineville, Quebec, killing three school students as well as three people in the jeep. Furious, the RCMP and SQ came down on the bikers like a ton of bricks. A gun battle between Hells Angels members and RCMP which killed three officers in Trois-Rivieres a month later just made things worse. The RCMP set up a special unit designed to beat biker gangs and organized criminal units in May 2002, and this unit would be trained in heavy-hitter tactics by the CF, namely the Canadian SAS.

Afghanistan through 2002 saw a steady escalation. The Taliban had mostly fled over the border into Pakistan, and Pakistan's already badly-burdened governmental structure could not keep track of the lawless tribal areas that bordered Afghanistan. Trying to move people and goods through this area was a challenge already, trying to do both was too much for Pakistan. Realizing this problem, President Gore made a massive political gamble and called the Iranians, asking if the US could overfly their territory to deliver needed supplies and equipment to Afghanistan. To the surprise of the Americans, the Iranians had no objections - indeed, in early 2003 Khatami offered to allow troops to land in Iran and move overland into Afghanistan, an offer the Americans would take up.

All of Canada's 21 A400Ms - named the CC-176 Airmaster in CF service - had been delivered by August 2002, but demands on Canada's airlift ability saw ten of Canada's C-130H Hercules aircraft, which had been slated for retirement, kept on to provide additional airlift capacity. In addition to that, the CC-150 Polaris aircraft were also incredibly busy, moving people and goods. This began to raise the idea of additional airlifter orders.

Warrior, having arrived home from Afghanistan after a very long deployment on February 11 and needing upkeep on its systems, spent much of the early part of 2002 in a dry-dock in Halifax. Warrior had sailed nearly 200,000 nautical miles in its five years of Canadian service, and the idea soon percolated through the Canadian government of a second, smaller carrier to allow some reserve, as Warrior was being worked hard and as a result was starting to require more substantial maintenance. The problems also were quite real for the support fleet, particularly the destroyers - the newest of which had been built in 1980. With that in mind, the Navy began its plan for its new destroyers, and the plan was to build 8-10 units to replace the ones already in service.

That procurement project quickly grabbed bidders. Britain had been paying an arm and a leg to develop and build its new air warfare destroyers, known as the Type 45, and was keen on the Canadians buying them - and their case was helped by the fact that the Two Canadian Type 42s, which had served the Maritime Command since 1985, had done so quite successfully, with few problems and no serious breakdowns. Three bidders - the Americans, Japanese and Spaniards - proposed a vessel for Canada using the American AEGIS Combat System, which had been astoundingly effective in service. And in a very surprising move, the Russians bid, offering up a heavily modified version of their Udaloy II class to the Forces. Two indigineous Canadian designs were also proposed, one using AEGIS and the other using a modified variant of the SAMPSON system used by the Type 45.

The Russian bid was far out and was the first to be eliminated - it had too small of a helicopter deck and too many new systems, and it could not use many of the weapons in the Canadian arsenal. The size of Canada's ASW helicopters was a problem for everybody, because even with the beartrap system employed by the CF the helicopter decks in several cases are too small, and several of the designs lack anti-ship missiles or ASW weapons. One of the Canadian designs was the largest, coming in at an astounding 9,650 tons, but it had all of the features and used the SAMPSON system.

BAE Systems, realizing that the Canadians wanted to use their well-known SM-2 Standard missiles on their new destroyers, began looking at installing it on the Type 45, which would require additional software fixes. But by then, the Canadians were aiming for a proven systems.

In November 2002, Canada announced its preferred design, a home-grown design using the AEGIS Combat System, which was a large design displacing roughly 9,000 tons, which had two Mk-41 64-cell Vertical Launch Systems, 8 anti-ship missiles, a large helicopter deck and a towering forward superstructure with the AEGIS radar panels on it. The vessel was powered by four gas turbines in a COGOG system, similar to the Iroquois class destroyers.

As this was coming to an end, the search for a second carrier came to a surprise. France offered its aged, but still useful, Clemenceau to Canada for peanuts, and offered to send over museum ship Colbert right with it. The decision was a surprise. Clemenceau was an old ship - 40 years old by this point - and could not handle the big F-14s that were part of the Maritime Command, but it could be operated cheaply - she required only 1340 men in French trim, and the Canucks guessed that adding the systems used on Warrior could drop this down to about 900. It was also noted that the excess manpower realized from the older destroyers being replaced would provide 700 men, so the Navy would only be needing 200 additional manpower, for a second aircraft carrier. Supporters also pointed out that the Warrior had entered US service as Forrestal the year Clemenceau was ordered. The detractors pointed out that the Forces already had big manpower requirements and big procurement needs. Expecting an knowing this, Defense Minister MacKay said that if the Clemenceau was acquired, the manpower-intensive sub tender would be cancelled. MacKay also defended the decision by pointing out that Warrior was being worked very hard, and that the hard toll would almost certainly reduce its lifespan. The debate over the new ship raged through the late stages of 2002.

 

[TheMann]

So will we be seeing that record sniper shot any time soon?

In Part 2. I haven't explained much about the CF in Afghanistan yet.

Oh, and I got a surprise......Warrior, circa 2002, and the new supply ships.

 

[TheMann]

2002 (Part 2)
In terms of military significance, few points beat out the Open Skies treaty, which went into effect in 2002. The idea was that countries would be allowed flights over each others' terrain as a means of ensuring that attacks were not being prepared. Satellites had made the idea of hiding anything problematic, but the Open Skies treaty was made to address this for good. This also provided a reprieve for two of Canada's aging CC-137s, which were converted into reconnaissance planes, including cameras, synthetic aperture radars, infrared line scanner and video scanners, which ultimately made them very similar to the American OC-135B aircraft. These aircraft, which began their modifications in June 2001, would be used for Open Skies work, but they would also see extensive work in Afghanistan, and both would enter service in November 2002, seeing four missions to Afghanistan before the end of the year.

Operation Anaconda was the first direct action of the Canadian Forces (aside from Special Forces units and Air Command/Maritime Command aircraft), beginning of March 1, 2002, with the direct goal of destroying what little was left of the Taliban insurgents. The mission was a tactical victory, with the Taliban being routed and taking serious casualties at the hands of the 2000 Coalition troops involved. A newsmaker here was the longest sniper kill in history, which belonged to Master Corporal Rob Furlong, a sniper from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, who recorded a kill at an astounding 2,430 metres, more than a mile and a half in imperial terms, which earned Corporal Furlong a promotion and a commendation, not to mention enduring respect. Canadian CH-146s became lifesavers on March 3-4, as an American Force ran headlong into a Taliban ambush at Takur Ghar, and realizing the mess, Australian UH-1s and Canadian CH-146s both, in both cases armed with Dillon Miniguns, came to bail them out. Seven US soldiers were killed in the battle, but the minigun-equipped choppers ultimately made the difference, though one Canadian pilot, the co-pilot on his CH-146, was hit by small-arms fire and ultimately died of his injuries. The commanders of the Australian and Canadian units involved in the battle were awarded Bronze Stars by the US Army, and in both cases the honors were given to the individual soldiers involved. A lesser note happened on the night of April 18, 2002, when four soldiers from the PPCLI were killed in a friendly fire incident when a USAF F-16s mistakenly dropped a 500-lb bomb on them.

Growing numbers of Canadian Forces personnel were arriving in Afghanistan. By the summer of 2002, 3,200 Canadian troops were in Afghanistan, and their gear was also arriving. The Taliban's tendency to attack anywhere and everywhere led to problems, especially with the G-Wagen, MILCOTS Silverado and Iltis vehicles. Most of the time, the troops were going out with armored personnel carriers, though by the time they reached towns and villages, they frequently disembarked. The goal of the Canadians had been the same as it was in South Africa, Rwanda and Bosnia - try to make the local population into allies. The tactic, while it caused five Canadians to be killed by the Taliban in 2002, did have positive effects.

Outside of Afghanistan, things began to get better. A Norwegian-negotiated ceasefire brought peace to Sri Lanka for the first time in 15 years on February 22, 2002, to the relief of 500-strong Canadian contingent that was part of UN peacekeeping operations there. That was added to three months later on May 20, when East Timor formally gains its independence. To the stunned surprise of France and much of the world, on July 14, 2002, during Bastille Day celebrations in France, French President Jacques Chirac is saved from an assassination attempt by a Canadian tourist. The assassin was a lone gunman with a rifle in a guitar case, but it was still enough to cause more than a little embrassment to the French security forces and yet another reason for headlines in Canada.

As if that was not enough, a shocker came in February. Australia's oldest airline, Ansett Australia, which had suffered serious financial problems in 2001, had an unsoliticed buyout offer sent to them from a Canadian coalition, including Bombardier, North American Aviation and Air Canada. Qantas didn't think it serious, and caused a massive political mess when they advocated to Canberra to not accept it, and the financial uncertainty around the new buyers of Ansett meant its future was still very much in doubt. Ansett's employees howled in anger, demanding to know why Australia would not allow another nation - and a Commonwealth one which was fighting alongside them in Afghanistan, no less - to buy the firm, expecting that Bombardier would keep it running.

On March 4, 2002, Canberra agreed to the deal. Ansett officially passed into Canadian hands on March 20, 2002, and on April 1, 2002, the company's A320 fleet began operating. As expected, new airliners began being ordered for Ansett, and not surprisingly many of these came to Bombardier, though the company established a plant in Australia for assembly and repair purposes, and also began fixing the Boeing fleet Ansett owned. The two 747-400s owned by Ansett were originally to be transferred to Air Canada, but instead wound up flying what became known as "The Commonwealth Route", flying from Toronto and Vancouver to Sydney, and Ansett fliers able to go via codeshare immediately to Air Canada flights to Europe or other places in North America. Ansett stayed in business, and the takeover, which had been substantially underwritten by Ottawa and Quebec City saw a new wave of tourism between Australia and Canada.

The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II resulted in what became as the Party in the Palace, and part of this was an air show, put on enthusiastically by the Royal Air Force. The Canucks, keen to show off themselves, painted up four F-14s in old-school RCAF white and red paint and sent them for the show, along with one of the CC-180 VIP aircraft, which showed off during the flypast, all four of them doing the wing sweep while they passed overhead. That same CC-180 would see service when Queen Elizabeth II traveled across Canada in October, ferrying the Queen of Canada, as well as in many cases the Governor General and high-ranking political leaders, along their tour routes. On the Request of the Queen, the CC-180 would also ferry Queen Elizabeth II on the next leg of her worldwide tour, flying her from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia, staying for five days for an Air Show in Melbourne, before getting another honor by flying Australian PM John Howard and his entourage to Canada.

In a stark contrast to her hard running during 1997-2001, Warrior after returning home from Afghanistan spent 2002 usually cruising the Atlantic Ocean, exercising and twice making the trip from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos. Part of this is the need for repairs for a number of the CF vessels which usually escort Warrior - all four of the Ontario-class destroyers have new engines installed in 2002-2003 and get the DELEX life extension upgrades - and part of is the need to show the flag in a part of the world that will almost certainly end up involving Canada deeply in the years to come.

Ground is broken in October 2002 for two new CF bases. The first is at Iqaluit, Nunavut, which includes a major airport and naval base. CFB Iqaluit would end up the community's biggest employer, but the base also provides a strong element of security to the Canadian North. Iqaluit is the home base for the Nunavut Defense Regiment, which has existed since 2000, and is already starting to get a repute as the CF's cold-weather experts.

The other is the massive base at East Caicos, set to become CFB Turks and Caicos, which will include a naval and air base, a training area for the Forces and one of two big deepwater ports, designed to be transhipment points for goods between Quebec and the Carribbean. One of the dreams of many of those who supported the islands entering Canada was that the islands would see Canada become one of the major players in the Carribbean, simply by allowing Carribbean goods and services using the islands as a trans-shipment point between there and Canada or Europe. Also broken ground in May 2002 was a major expansion of the JAGS McCartney International Airport on Grand Turk, which will gain a new runway and an extension and repaving of the original. Some are lamenting what some figure is an inevitable loss of the islands' more natural character, but most of the residents are enthusiastic about the possibility of hundreds of thousands of tourists making the islands much wealthier. Canada Steamship Lines, which had been contracted to develop and improve the Canadian merchant marine, is also very enthusiastic about the idea, seeing the possibility of a major improvement of its business.

 

[TheMann]

The Warrior looks really different from your first crack. Can you make a version of the Warrior from the start of her career circa. 1997?

I don't have to. Warrior spent most of early 2000 in a Vancouver dry-dock, late 2000 and early 2001 in Saint John (which is where most of the changes were done) and an additional period in Halifax in mid-2002.

 

[TheMann]

Though it looks a lot of hull openings were created.

Actually, the only new holes are for reloads for the Sea Sparrow launchers. Most of the others are cooling or HVAC vents, radiators and

I'm guessing a VC for that CH-146 co-pilot and anything up to a VC for MCpl Furlong (or maybe a double promo to Sgt?)

That co-pilot gets a Silver Star from the US and a posthumous promotion from the CF, as well as the entire crew getting a Cross of Valour. MCpl Furlong gets a promotion and a commendation.

Anyways, nice timeline!

Thanks.

So, since we could be receiving a Clemenceau and a Post WWII Cruiser, this could get interesting. Of course, the enviro issues on both are horrendous.

Yes, the environmental issues on both Colbert and Clemenceau are extensive. Most of the electrics use PCBs as dialectics, a use for which they are highly effective but the substance is still extremely toxic. There is also a lot of use of asbestos in insulation, lead in pipes and fixings and mercury in many of the instruments.

Manpower on the cruiser would be a bitch, too. The cruiser actually requires more men than the Carrier, believe it or not. If the cruiser gets bought and commissioned (and I haven't decided if it will be, or if it will be bought and refitted or simply become a museum ship), it will have most of the current armament tossed. Both vessels would need extensive refits before they could enter service. The cruiser is only being considered because of the idea of it serving as a gunfire support vessel - something the Marine Corps would be VERY happy to have. I imagine the Americans, with the Iowas retired, would probably want it to be around too. The only reason I'm considering it is an idea, an alliance between the CF and USMC where the ship is rebuilt in Canada and operated by the CF, but much of the costs of the refit (probably in C$600 million ballpark) are paid by the USMC, under the condition that if the USMC calls for it to be used in an amphibious assault, the ship WILL answer the call. Consider the two countries are already very close allies and USAF assets routinely fly out of Canadian bases, I think that just might work.

So, with the Clemanceau have a standard complement of 40 (under French trim), I guess the standard airwing would be similar to this:

16x CF-188C Hornets
12x CF-187 Corsair II
4x CF-186 Tornadoes (note: if not then add additional Hornets)
3x CP-121T
2x CE-2C Hawkeye
3x CH-148 Cyclone

Note: Clemenceau would be likely used for local operations and training.

Yes, the ex-Clemenceau (I haven't decided what I'm gonna call it yet) would only be sent out to a job if Warrior is preoccupied for whatever reason. And your air wing is about right, through the Tornado is too big to fit on the Clemenceau, and the Turbo Trackers will be retiring ~2010, (I'm not sure if I'm gonna buy S-3s to replace them yet - the sub threat had substantially fallen since the end of the Cold War), so add five Hornets and two CH-149 SAR helicopters if I don't replace the Turbo Trackers.

PS: Looking back, wow...Warrior was refitted in 2 months, now that something worth an award. :-D

It's more than that:

R1: February 8 - May 28, 2000 - Allied Shipbuilders, Vancouver, BC (new radar, defensinve armament and part of the hull changes)

R2: September 19, 2000 - March 27, 2001 - Saint John Shipbuilding, Saint John, NB (flight deck changes, personnel movement additions, hull blisters for extra space)

R3: February 15, 2002 - May 25, 2002 - Halifax Shipbuilders, Halifax, NS (routine maintenance work, hangar layout changes, electrical component replacement, cleanup work)

The first refit is almost four months, the second is six months and third is three months. I shoulda been more clear on that, but I'll remember that for next time.

 

[TheMann]

And let us not forget to mention the new Wendall Clark Arena for summer hockey camps in East Caicos.

I hadn't thought about that, but ya know......

 

[TheMann]

Sorry, been busy, gents.

2003 (Part 1)
2003 began with Canadian Forces winding down operations in East Timor - the nation's independence had been set up in 2002, and while problems persisted in Indonesia, the need for Canadian Forces troops there is winding down. Just as in Rwanda and South Africa, peace had come, and now the people of East Timor were on their way to making their own destinies for the first time ever.

The Forces in Afghanistan were facing problems too, namely those centered aorund the Taliban's ability to operate from Pakistan. Since their almost total destruction in Operation Anaconda in 2002, the Taliban had fought a guerilla war, run form bases in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions. These were proving to be a massive problem for the entirety of International Forces in Afghanistan. On February 15, 2003, it backfired in the faces of the Taliban, however. Some 60 Taliban fighters ran into a patrol of CF Airborne Regiment and US Marine Corps troops, resulting in a massive battle that is said to have crossed the Pakistan-Afghan border repeatedly. Three Canucks and two Americans were killed in the fight, but Pakistani authorities came and broke up the fight, with the Taliban retreating back over the border into Pakistan, as the Pakistani paramilitaries opened fire on the American and Canadian troops, forcing them back into Afghanistan, killing at least one Canadian.

General Rick Hillier, who was now commanding the Afghan mission, was openly furious with Pakistan, and demanded an explanation. Ottawa didn't push all that hard, causing more fury on Hillier's part. Charest wound up having to explain to Hillier personally that Canada's concern was the stability of the Pakistani government. This didn't reduce any of Hillier's fury, or for that matter much of the Canadian Forces. Things were made worse when Pakistan's president demanded a halt to the patrols along the border, saying that "our first concern is our country's territorial integrity. We will not apologize for attacking those who violate Pakistan's boundaries." The comment was aimed primarily at India, but it caused a diplomatic row between Canada and Pakistan. Hillier and his boss, CF Chief of Staff General Romeo Dallaire, demanded that Pakistani shut down the Taliban inside Pakistan. Islamabad attempted to do so, but their offensives had at best mixed results.

Faced with the unpleasant reality that Taliban fighters had effectively garnered themselves a safe haven, Hillier decided to add to the troop presence strategy and turn up the heat along border areas. In April, another group of Taliban came over the border and ran into a Canadian patrol, but this time the patrol called on one of Canada's Rooikat 105 fire support vehicles and a pair of American AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, which helped the patrol send the Taliban running. Another firefight in an isolated village a month later had much the same results, but with civilians in the area, open fire risked friendly fire and civilian casualties. But the presence of two Canadian CH-136 Kiowa Warrior observation choppers allowed CF troops to accurately target fire and avoid casualties. Taliban fire, however, killed a Afghan boy and wounded four others - these other four were rescued, under fire, by the crew of one of the Canadian Kiowas, earning the two rescuers the Order of Valour. By mid-2003, the Taliban had promised a summer offensive - but regular patrols by American helicopters and observation aircraft, as well as UAVs, were quickly locating Taliban fighters. Several squads in 2003 also wound up wounding Afghan civilians, which started to turn Afghan public opinion against the Taliban. Assisting in this was a growing number of Muslim soldiers within the CF - recruiting efforts had been partly aimed at Canadian Muslims, and the CF had made the fluent speaking of local languages a skill which earned such troops extra pay. Between this and substantial aid that began flowing to the area in 2003, the tide began to turn against the Taliban for good.

February 1, 2003, saw the first tragedy of the year for the CF, and this time it was aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. The eight crew of the shuttle, including Canadian Forces Colonel Ryan Hamilton, was lost when the shuttle broke up on re-entry over Texas. It was the first eight-crew flight of the Shuttle, and also among those lost was veteran Israeli pilot Ilan Ramon. Colonel Hamilton, being the first Canadian astronaut lost in an accident, was posthumously awarded the Canadian Victoria Cross, for both his shuttle ride and his 18 years flying for the CF.

The 2003 Canadian Military Budget included the provisions to upgrade the Hornet, Corsair and Tomcat fleets, and continue the improvements of the Forces' naval capabilities, including a massive provision for buying new submarines to finally replace the Oberons, which were in reduced status at this point. The plan was to buy four to six conventionally-fueled submarines to allow the three nuclear vessels to focus on escorting the ocean-going forces of the Canadian Forces.

Just after the budget was released, a report by the Maritime Command found that Warrior's life was being reduced by the hard work life the vessel was experiencing, and recommended the purchase of a new carrier, even if it was a much smaller one, if Canada wished to keep a regular aircraft carrier capability. Admiral Lynn Mason, the CF Maritime Command Commander, highly touted the report, which was approved by the Forces and the Conservatives, but the other parties felt the costs would be too high to build a new carrier. As the argument went on, France reiterated the ability of Canada to pick up the ex-Clemenceau, and France offered it and cruiser Colbert to Canada for the cost of having them towed from Brest, France, to wherever Canada needed them to be. The government wasn't terribly enamored with this option - both vessels were in rough shape, and both would extensive refitting work before they could be used.

But the NDP supported this option. The NDP, which had become major supporters of Canada's industries and military-industrial complex, supported the position of the CF and advocated the purchase of the Clemenceau and Colbert, and having them both refitted to serve the Forces. A proposal to have Clemenceau and Colbert's environmental work done in Sorel, Quebec (a PQ stronghold) brought the PQ on board, which was enough to easily overrule Liberal objections, and practically force the Conservatives to back up the proposal. Clemenceau on July 10, 2003, became HMCS Atlantica (CV 25) and was sent to MIL Davie in Sorel, Quebec, for removal of toxic elements. That done, the vessel was towed to Halifax Shipbuilders in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a major refit in October 2003.

Colbert was a harder sell. The WWII-era French cruiser would need a massive refit to work for the CF, and the Forces already had plenty of anti-aircraft capability - and the Province-class destroyers would make that capability higher-still. But one of the proposals brought up was the idea of Colbert being rebuild into a fire support cruiser, removing the Masurca missile launcher and the front 100mm guns, and outfitting it with two twin 8"/55-caliber gun mounts, using the Mark 71 guns designed for the Des Moines class cruisers. But the costs of this would be very high, and even the lowest crew for the Colbert would be at least 500. The most likely option it seemed, would be Colbert assuming museum ship duties - indeed, the government began looking at where the Colbert could be most useful as a museum ship.

But the United States Marine Corps stepped into the picture. The Marine Corps, which had been without a major fire support vessel since the decommissioning of USS Missouri in 1995, was enthusiastic about the idea of such a vessel being built. The Marine Corps, on July 16, 2003, offered to pay for 75% of the costs of Colbert's rebuild, on the condition that the vessel would be commissioned in the Canadian Forces, and would answer the call for fire support for the USMC if the situation arose.

This idea enraged the Republicans, which demanded that the Navy get the Marines real support with a new vessel, and if not put the Iowa class battleships back into action. The Navy responded that the Marines' idea was cost effective - the expected $1 Billion cost of rebuilding the Canadian cruiser was considerably less than the cost of recommissioning the Iowa class battleships. The Marine Corps' idea was a good one, and the Canadian Marine Corps enthusiastically signed on to the idea. A study of the costs of running such a vessel found that the cost of Colbert being operated on its own would be roughly $30 million a year, well within CF range, particularly if it would ensure support for the Marines.

On August 21, 2003, the CF agreed to the idea, and signed on to operate the Colbert, which was named HMCS Nova Scotia was assigned pennant number CH 65. The vessel was towed to Ontario Marine in Whitby, Ontario, for stripping. Environmental work, including the removal of Asbestos, PCBs, lead and mercury was done at MIL Davie from November 2003 to February 2004, before she was towed back to Ontario Marine. The NDP had insisted the vessel be refitted in Canada, and Ontario Marine was one of the few docks which could do the job.

Both vessels would spend all of 2004 and 2005 in dry dock. The modifications to both were extensive. Both were outfitted with General Electric LM2500+ gas turbine engines (two for Nova Scotia, four for Atlantica) and fully electronic engine controls, along with improved electronics. The Colbert lost all of its 100mm and 57mm guns, replaced by two 8" gun turrets and four 76mm Otobreda secondary guns. Her single funnel was ditched for dual funnels on the sides of the vessel, venting exhaust off the vessels. The rear sensor tower was removed, and a helicopter deck and hangar big enough for the Forces' CH-148 helicopters was installed. The fully automatic 76mm guns, extra electronic components and many other improvements brought the manpower needed to operate the cruiser down to 466 officers and men. Two Sea Sparrow SAM launchers, a 32-cell Mk-41 Vertical Launch system and four Harpoon launchers were installed, and on top of the hangar two Goalkeeper CIWS systems were installed. The much-reduced manpower and much-improved HVAC systems made Nova Scotia as a very spacious vessel. Knowing that the USMC was paying much of the bill, the CF went all out with the cruiser to ensure it worked and worked well.

Atlantica also lost its 100mm guns, but it also saw its flight deck expanded. The number of catapults was increased from two to four, and a second elevator was added. The Island on Atlantica was almost a clone of the Warrior, and was just as spacious. The carrier was fitted to carry 40 aircraft, much less than Warrior but still more than respectable. The armament was the same as Warrior - three Sea Sparrow Launchers and three MLG 27 autocannons, and two Goalkeeper CIWS close-in weapons systems.

Both vessels went on trials in the early part of 2006, and finding that everything worked just fine (as expected), both ships commissioned into the Canadian Forces at Halifax on July 2, 2006.

 

[TheMann]

Some issues with this. First the eligiblity criteria for awarding the CVC specifically state "in the presence of the enemy". It's a combat award and would not be made under the circumstances outlined. The Cross of Valour would be more fitting.

The CVC, SMV and MMV were created because the new Canadian honours system had no distinct military valour decorations. In this case Colonel Hamilton would be eligible for a non-combat valour award.

Second, giving a valour medal under these circumstances would require that the same or similar medal be given to all who were killed by an IED while riding in the back of a LAV. Remove the idea of space flight and the circumstances are the same.

OK, fair points. I had singled out Colonel Hamilton because he was Canada's first astronaut to die in an accident, but I'll fix that.

 

[TheMann]

To address the points:

CVC for Colonel Hamilton: Having looked it up, I had figured that the Victoria Cross didn't require an enemy nearby (the US Medal of Honor doesn't), but I am wrong (I didn't research that enough, I guess) and I'll fix that. That'll be a posthumous award of some sort, I'll figure that out in a minute.

Australia: HMAS Australia is a long-hull Essex (the former USS Lexington) transferred to the RAN in 1982, where it was rebuilt itself and entered service in 1986. The RAN has Spruance-class destroyers for escorts (with VLS, license-built in Australia). The rest of the fleet is similar to OTL, with the exception of three Durance-class support ships instead of one and two extra Collins-class submarines. Australia's air wing is based on the F/A-18 Hornet, though Australia also has E-2 Hawkeye, C-2 Greyhound, S-2 Tracker and SH-60 Seahawk aircraft with it. Australia is procuring a small number of F/A-18E Super Hornets to run with the older Hornets, and has F-15s to complement the Hornets in the RAAF.

Great Britain: Ark Royal's rebuild was done several years after Eagle's was. Ark Royal is still in service in 2003, but its on borrowed time. Britain's replacements are the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, which here are closer to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier than the Queen Elizabeths of OTL - angled-deck, no ski jump, three elevators and four catapults, and gas turbine engines. The RN was the second foreign customer for the F/A-18 (Canada the first, Australia the third), though the strike assets of Ark Royal are based around the naval variant of the Panavia Tornado ADV, which Canada also operates. The Eurofighter here has a naval variant, with wider landing gear, slightly enlarged wing surfaces and a tail hook. No guesses as to why that variant was built. Britain never bothered with the F-14, Ark Royal isn't big enough and the QE2 class will have other aircraft. Like the RAN, the RN has the Hawkeye, Greyhound and Sea King, as well as the S-3 Viking and Westland Super Lynx. The first of the QE2 class will enter service in 2004. Britain's multiple problems with European Defense Procurement led to them ditching the European frigate design program earlier. The first three Type 45 destroyers are either built or under construction. The RAF also has a small number of Hornets, though these are being replaced by the Eurofighter.

Spending: Canada's GDP is a bit higher than OTL (goodwill from the actions of the government and far more high-tech industry are the primary reasons) and Canada's Defense Spending runs about 3.1-3.3% of GDP - less than the USA and about even with Australia, Britain and France.

Reserves: Canada here has ten regiments plus special units, whereas in OTL they only have six. Reserve units do on occasion go on duty abroad, though all of the troops in Afghanistan are regular-duty units.

Tanks: Arrived in 1999, all delivered by 2001. Some Canadian Leopard 2s are deployed to Afghanistan, and they along with the Rooikat 105s are the big hitters of the CF's units. The Rooikats generally run with infantry units because they are far faster than the Leos.

PRT and OEF missions at the same time: Yes, they are done similtaneously, the idea is that you clean the area of Taliban, then when that's done you help fix the infrastructure and help make lives better for the local residents. The CF Air Command's helicopters, particularly the CH-136D Kiowa Warriors (which has synthetic aparture radar, low-light gear and heat-detection gear) are involved in all operations, locating the Taliban before anybody opens up, thus giving better info to the troops on the ground and prevent friendly fire incidents. The Canucks also have mini-UAVs for such info.

Afghanistan Operation: It was done under UN ISAF jurisdiction, though the US is there only under Enduring Freedom. As the US is not going to Iraq, they are not stretching themselves as in OTL. President Gore is working at easing into diplomatic relations with Iran, and its working. Relations between the US and some other Middle East nations, particularly Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria, are still very frosty. Troops from the United Arab Emirates are also in Afghanistan. Iran has offered to support the Afghan operation quietly, that is still being debated by the ISAF.

Afghan Involvement: On combat operations, Afghan forces and coalition ones work hand in hand. There are no formal international exchanges (yet), but the Canucks realized sooner than anybody else the advantage of being able to work intimiately with the local residents.

Infrastructure: Well underway. Microwave telephone systems, electric power, water wells and irrigation systems and roads are being built. The ISAF troops buy the entire Afghan opium crop to use in producing morphine, which has both stunted the drug lords and dramatically decreased the world's heroin supply. The building of the Dala Dam is underway, too.

Haiti: Handled by the Americans in 1994, but Canada will be there in 2004. Canada will in fact be leading MINUSTAH, because the Americans are keen to have somebody other than themselves leadng the mission - the Americans are not popular in Haiti or much of the Caribbean, whereas Canada has a much better reputation. With troops headed home from East Timor and only a smaller presence left in Bosnia, there are troops to space for it after Afghanistan gets its share.

 

[TheMann]

Major CVW nitpick: Essex-class carriers cannot, to the best of my knowledge, operate E-2 Hawkeyes and S-3 Vikings. F/A-18's are possible, but would most likely require a major refit.

The Clemenceau is considerably smaller than the Essex-class carriers, and it operates the Hawkeye just fine. I don't see an issue with Hawkeyes on Essex-class units. The Hawkeye also was tested on USS Lexington in the early 80s when it was a training carrier, because Reagan wanted to put a couple of the best-shape Essex-class boats back in service as part of his 600-ship Navy.

 

[TheMann]

I understood CVF to be approaching CVN-like dimensions in TTL. That would make them too expensive for either Canada or Australia.

Meanwhile, the cost of picking up and refurbishing old American/French CVs every ten or fifteen years is probably not going to be cost-effective compared to building one new unit built for a lengthy service life. It'd also be quite the political plum for the government to hand out.

Britain came to that conclusion, and both Canada and Australia considered the cost of building a new one and found it too pricey compared to buying a used one and giving it an extensive refit. (That might be different next time, mind you......) The refurbished units operated by Canada and Australia had relatively low starting costs, so even if they operate for 20 years (Australia is at 18 in 2003, Eagle ran 22 years in the CFMC and Warrior is designed for 25) the life-cycle cost of them isn't all that different from a new carrier that runs for 40 years or more.

 

[Glen]

Need to bump for Turtledove business.

 

[Ming777]

Lets continue it!

 

[TheMann]

You rock, Glen. I kinda took over RogueBeaver's thread, didn't I? (Sorry, BTW. )

 

[RogueBeaver]

TM: Your CF-wank is more than sufficient compensation for the survival of the PC Party.

 

[Russell]

By Jove, I thought that The Mann had given up oh is work of art! Seriously, glad to see that this TL is still going - I was starting to get worried. Since I'm here, I think I shall repost my drawing of HMCS Atlantica.

Some things to note:

I gave the ship the Pennant number CV 25 since Warrior is CV 24. If this is incorrect, then The Mann is more than free to change it.

I've extended the ships catapults out over the bow of the ship. When the French tested the F-18 Hornets on the Clemenceau they found that while feasible, the short catapults meant that takeoff speeds would be below recomended safety limits and so would have to be made longer.

The ship as dictated by The Mann has had it's deck enlarged but only in terms of width (I could not feasibly lenghthen it).

Ships air wing is as recomended by The Mann and Ming777 a few pages back.

Russell

BTW: Can I assume that all future posts will be located on this thread? If so I look forward to the next post.

 

[TheMann]

Nicely done, Russell, and you got the ship and its details almost exactly bang-on. And you are right, Atlantica is CV 25, the 25th aircraft carrier of Canada. Its not a big deal for the drawing, but the Clemenceau would almost certainly have its boilers and steam turbines removed, for a gas turbine/cruise diesel/electric motor system, like what is installed on Warrior.

 

[Wet Coast]

Sorry, been busy, gents.

On August 21, 2003, the CF agreed to the idea, and signed on to operate the Colbert, which was named HMCS Nova Scotia was assigned pennant number CH 65.

Really minor nit here but the I'm thinking the pennant number would more likely be 33. HMCS Quebec was 31 and HMCS Ontario was 32.