From ship to shore – RCN prepares for new Joint Support Ships

April 29, 2022 - Royal Canadian Navy

By Peter Mallett

An important milestone in for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) new Joint Support Ships (JSS) has been completed. The first of four modular, self-propelled barges designed to serve the needs of these future supply ships has been delivered to Esquimalt, B.C.

Called Sea-to-Shore Connectors, these barges can move large quantities of supplies or personnel to and from shore quickly, and can be stored or transported like standard shipping containers. The Sea-to-Shore Connector has multiple uses and configurations, is Canadian made, and engineered to be assembled from the platform of the upcoming Protecteur-class Joint Support Ships (JSS).

“The Sea-to-Shore Connector is the only vessel of its kind in the RCN and is truly unique because of its flexibility to be put together in multiple configurations to become what you need for any specific operation,” said Lieutenant Commander Mark McShane, Deputy Project Director for the Joint Support Ships.

“It is going to be able to provide so much capability in terms of logistics and is transported in a standard way like any other shipping container.”

While the Sea-to-Shore Connector’s primary use is a self-propelled barge, it can also transform into a bridge, a floating dock, or even a diving platform for salvage. It’s also useful for ship-side maintenance and inspections. They can be deployed as standalone units, for example to support Operation Lentus in dealing with floods throughout Canada.

The barge’s engines, ramps and safety equipment will be stored in two separate 20-foot containers aboard the new Protecteur-class ships, once built. The 12 pontoons can be stored like sea containers. 

When required, the pieces of the interlocking pontoon system and two Thrustmaster engines will be lowered into the waters of protected harbours and inlets by the JSS’s crane. The connecting pieces will be pushed together by rigid-hulled inflatable boats and then locked into place.

Lieutenant Commander Mark McShane, Deputy Project Director for the Joint Support Ship, briefs Rear Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific.
Caption

Lieutenant Commander Mark McShane, Deputy Project Director for the Joint Support Ship, briefs Rear Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific. 

While the Sea-to-Shore Connector’s primary use is a self-propelled barge, it can also transform into a bridge, a floating dock, or even a diving platform for salvage..
Caption

While the Sea-to-Shore Connector’s primary use is a self-propelled barge, it can also transform into a bridge, a floating dock, or even a diving platform for salvage.

The self-propelled barge has a reinforced steel hull and can hold up to 81 tonnes of supplies, vehicles, equipment, or personnel in the 3 x 4 configuration.

Its amphibious capability means it can be driven right up to a beach with its roll on/off ramp extended if no dock or jetty exists.  

The next step for the Sea-to-Shore Connector is developing training modules for personnel to be deployed in the JSS.

“This is a new piece of kit for a new vessel that we have never had before,” said LCdr Rowan Wilson, staff officer for new capability and training at Naval Personnel Training Group.

“We have learned a lot from the initial cadre training phase with our Marine Technician and Boatswain training staff getting a chance to put their hands on it and assemble it, while also looking closely at the technical requirements to do the job successfully.”

Three more barges are expected over the next 12 months, two more on the West Coast and one on the East Coast. Eventually each JSS will receive one Sea to Shore Connector, with each coast having one in reserve.

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