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#REDIRECT [[Halifax Shipyard]]
{{Short description|Canadian shipbuilding company in Nova Scotia, Canada}}
{{Infobox company
| name = The Halifax Shipyard
| image = Halifax Shipyard June 2015 closeup.JPG
| image_size = 200px
| image_caption = The modernized shipyard in 2015
| location = Nova Scotia
| hq_location_city = Halifax
| hq_location_country = [[Canada]]
| former_name = Halifax Graving Dock Company
Halifax Shipyards Limited
Halifax Industries Limited
Halifax-Dartmouth Industries Limited
| industry = Shipbulding & Repair
| founded = 1889
| founder = Samual Manners Brookfield
| owner = Irving Limited
| parent = Irving Shipbuilding
| subsid = Halifax Shipyard Limited
}}

The '''Halifax Shipyard''' is a Canadian shipbuilding [[Wharf|wharf]] and [[Dry dock|graving dock]] located in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YX7zDQAAQBAJ&q=%22Halifax+Shipyard%22&pg=PA25|title=Nova Scotia|last=Orkin|first=David|date=2017-03-05|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=9781784770402|language=en}}</ref>

Not to be confused with the [[CFB Halifax|Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax]], the Halifax ship yard was constructed September 21, 1889 as the Halifax Shipyard Graving Dock. it has changed ownership several times throughout the following centuries. As of 1994, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of [[Irving Shipbuilding|Irving Shipbuilding Inc.]] and is the company's largest ship construction and repair facility.<ref>https://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/01/22312/settle_victor_l_masters_1994.PDF?sequence=1</ref>

The Halifax Shipyard is originally established on the west side of Halifax Harbour, containing 25 acres of land and 20 acres of water property extending along the harbour front 3300 feet with deep water frontage.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Canadian Annual Financial Review. . |publisher=Houston's |year=1922 |pages=187}}</ref>

The graving dock is 567 feet long at the top and shortens to 549 feet at the floor, as the landward end is stepped. The gate is 89 feet wide, with the dock itself being 102 feet wide at the top and tapering to 70 feet at the floor. The maximum draught of ship that can be accommodated is 27 feet, limited by the depth of water over the keel blocks at high tide. The original gate of the drydock was 100 feet in length and weighed in excess of ten tons, was built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1888

The Assembly and Ultra Hall is 48 meters high at its highest point and 407 meters long. Within are two 130-tonne and two 200-tonne bridge cranes that span the width of the building; two fully-enclosed paint booths; moveable elevated production floors; a 12-metre-wide panel line and sub-assemblies area; along with employee offices and training rooms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://businesseventshalifax.com/subsectors/aerospace-and-defense-shipbuilding|title=Aerospace and Defense - Shipbuilding &#124; Discover Halifax - BSL|website=businesseventshalifax.com}}</ref>

==History==

===Halifax Graving Dock Company 1889–1918===
the '''Halifax Graving Dock Company''' was formed in 1885 by a group of London based investors lead by Samuel Brookfield<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography – BROOKFIELD, SAMUEL MANNERS – Volume XV (1921-1930) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/brookfield_samuel_manners_15E.html |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.biographi.ca}}</ref> who constructed the [[graving dock]] under agreements made with the Corporation of the City of Halifax, the [[Constitution Act, 1867|Dominion Government of Canada]] and the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Lords of the Admiralty]]. With each subsidizing the company to the extent of $10,000 yearly, for a period of twenty years dating from the completion of the dock; on the condition of prioritizing its use for ships of the Royal Navy. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://readyayeready.com/timeline/pre-1910/index.php | title=Pre-1910: Setting the Stage - the Canadian Navy }}</ref><ref>https://ia600708.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/22/items/crossref-pre-1909-scholarly-works/10.1680%252Fimotp.1892.20323.zip&file=10.1680%252Fimotp.1893.20062.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HalifaxYesterday: The Brookfields - A Forgotten Nova Scotia Dynasty (4 photos) |url=https://halifax.citynews.ca/2022/04/25/halifaxyesterday-the-brookfields-a-forgotten-nova-scotia-dynasty-4-photos-5296070/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=halifax.citynews.ca}}</ref>

[[File:Mr Samuel Manners Brookfield (HS85-10-41552).jpg|thumb|Mr Samuel Manners Brookfield (HS85-10-41552)|left]]Opening on September 21, 1889 on the western shore of [[Halifax Harbour]], It was first used for repair by [[HMS Canada (1881)|HMS ''CANADA'']], a composite steel, iron and wooden warship of 2,770 tons.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Tulloch |first=Tom |year=2019 |title=The Halifax Graving Dock and the 1917 Explosion |url=https://hmhps.ca/pdf/The-Halifax-Graving-Dock-Article-by-Tom-Tulloch-CNRS-Argonauta-Winter-2019.pdf |journal=The Argonauta |page=14}}</ref>

The following year on August 22, 1890 the Halifax Graving Dock Company purchased the [[Dartmouth Marine Slips|Chebucto Marine Railway Company Limited]] (to be later renamed the Dartmouth Marine Railway). Which had been Operating since 1859 and was located at the mouth of the former [[Shubenacadie Canal]] in [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia|Dartmouth]], Nova Scotia. Ships were docked by drawing them out of the water in a cradle along an inclined railway, hence the name. A larger marine railway was added in 1876 with a capacity of 2500 tonnes. The joint facilities on the east and west sides of Halifax Harbour made the Halifax Graving Dock Company one of the largest and most modern repair facilities on North America's east coast.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Settle |first=Victor L. |url=https://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/01/22312/settle_victor_l_masters_1994.PDF?sequence=1 |title=Halifax Shipyards. 1918-1978: An Historical Perspective |date=August 1994 |publisher=Masters Atlantic Canada Studies Saint Mary’s University |pages=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Tulloch |first=Tom |url=https://hmhps.ca/pdf/The-Halifax-Graving-Dock-Article-by-Tom-Tulloch-CNRS-Argonauta-Winter-2019.pdf |title=ARGONAUTA The Newsletter of The Canadian Nautical Research Society |year=2019 |pages=9}}</ref>

With the creation of the Royal Canadian Navy in 1910, the [[Government of Canada|Canadian Government]] took on responsibility for maintaining the [[Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax|Royal Navy facilities]]. Which included the special agreement with the Halifax Graving Dock Company for its ongoing availability to the Royal Navy. During the First World War the Graving Dock and the Chebucto Marine Railway were a key part of the maintenance and repair infrastructure for the trans-Atlantic convoys – a role they would repeat in the Second World War. <ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Tulloch |first=Tom |date=2019 |title=The Halifax Graving Dock and the 1917 Explosion |url=https://hmhps.ca/pdf/The-Halifax-Graving-Dock-Article-by-Tom-Tulloch-CNRS-Argonauta-Winter-2019.pdf |website=ARGONAUTA The Newsletter of The Canadian Nautical Research Society |page=13}}</ref>
[[File:View looking south, showing the damage caused by the Halifax Explosion - Vue vers le sud, montrant les dommages causés par l'explosion d'Halifax (8148340175).jpg|thumb|Halifax graving dock looking south, showing the damage caused by the Halifax explosion 1918 |463x463px]]
Following the December 1917 [[Halifax Explosion]], The Halifax Graving Dock Company's facilities on the Halifax side of the harbor were extensively damaged. Killing over 40 yard workers and sinking the docks tugboat [[Erg (tug)|''Sambro'']].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cawlocal.ca/CAWMWF/history.asp |title=History of the Halifax Shipyard and Canadian Auto Workers Union Local 1 |access-date=2011-10-25 |archive-date=2012-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601172917/http://www.cawlocal.ca/CAWMWF/history.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The explosion occurred only 300m (980ft) north of the graving dock. Rear Admiral Bertram Chambers, the Royal Naval Principal Convoy Officer, and Senior Naval Officer in Halifax at the time, described the scene:

''“The dry dock was in the heart of the worst area, and the large sugar refinery close by was merely a pile of bricks, amongst which fragments of bodies could be discerned, the dock labourers, having used the building as a vantage ground to view the unusual spectacle of a ship on fire.”<ref name=":0" />''

In January 1918, shortly after the explosion, Joseph Norcross, Vice President and General Manager of the Canadian Steamships Limited of Montreal, made an offer to purchase the Graving Dock, but Brookfield declined the offer.

The initial survey after the explosion suggested that both the drydock and its repair facilities had been both heavily damaged, enticing Samuel Brookfield, Chairman and Managing Director of the company, to offer a sale of the dock in its damaged condition to the Canadian Government for $1.25 million. In which the Government initially turned down. It was later revealed however that the damage was not as extensive as originally thought, and thus the Graving Dock was therefore in operation again just two months after the explosion with its tugboat ''Sambro'' being raised and renamed {{ship||Erg|tug|2}}.

Again, following an inspection of the Graving Dock property in April 1918 by a team including Joseph Norcross and Roy Wolvin; a second offer was made, this offer was also refused.

[[File:HMS Fantome in drydock LAC 3332914.jpg|thumb|HMS ''Fantome'' in Halifax dry dock, 1903|left]]Shortly thereafter, the Halifax Graving Dock Company received notice of expropriation from the Canadian Government.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" />

On the twenty-fourth of June 1918, the Dominion Government took possession of the Halifax Graving Dock property and immediately leased it to Halifax Shipyards Limited, on the condition the shipyard company undertakes four contracts for steel hulled Government ships as well as agreeing to pay for all taxes and upgrades to the property. The lease also contained an option to purchase the dock for $1.25 million.

The Graving Dock Company took the matter to the federal courts in protest and was eventually awarded $1,394,080.17 plus interest at 5 per cent from the time of expropriation. The final settlement was approximately $1.5 million. This was to be paid by the Canadian government on behalf of Halifax Shipyards Limited with the new proprietary repaying the debt in annual installments.<ref name=":1" />

===Halifax Shipyards Limited 1918–1978===

<u>1918-1921</u>

In 1918 the Halifax Graving Dock Company's assets were expropriated and in turn leased by a Montreal-based group of investors led by Roy Wolvin and Joseph Norcross, who organized them into the '''Halifax Shipyards Limited'''. The company's first contract was with the Canadian government for four steel hulled Government ships.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roy Mitchell Wolvin - Marinelink |url=https://www.marinelink.com/history/roy-mitchell-wolvin |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.marinelink.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pritchard |first=James S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yV-KdtmXmB4C&dq=halifax+shipyards+limited+roy+wolvin+joseph+norcross&pg=PA48 |title=A Bridge of Ships: Canadian Shipbuilding During the Second World War |year=2011 |pages=48–49|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP |isbn=978-0-7735-3824-5 }}</ref>

The first ship launched in September 1920: the S.S. ''Canadian Mariner''. was delayed three months as a result of a general strike in the halifax shipbuilding industry. The vessel was a 400-foot-long, 5,400-ton general cargo ship that was built for Canadian Government Merchant Marine Ltd. Her sister ship Canadian Explorer along with the 7,200-ton Canadian Cruiser and Canadian Constructor were launched the following year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canadian Government Merchant Marine CGMM, Montreal 1918-1928 |url=https://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/cgmm.shtml |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.theshipslist.com}}</ref>

<u>Halifax Shipyards strike of 1920</u>

Widespread social and civil unrest culminating in bitter strikes and militancy by workers lead to the largest general strike in Halifax history'''.''' On 1 May 1919, the Halifax Trades and Labour Council (HTLC) went on strike. With all construction in Halifax ground to a halt the strike lasted 52 days eventually being settled on 12 June 1919.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |last=CPC(M-L) |title=A Militant Tradition of Workers' Struggles in the Atlantic Provinces |url=https://cpcml.ca/WF2019/Articles/WO06175.HTM |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=cpcml.ca}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

The success of the General strike provided the momentum and central issue - that of collective bargaining - for the Halifax Shipyards strike of 1920.

Halifax Shipyards at the time employed several prominent men in the labour movement of Halifax, such as E.J. Rudge; Ward Six Alderman in Halifax, having been active in the Labour party for twenty five years; Ron MacDonald born in Cape Breton in 1890. He was President of Halifax Shipyards Machinists Union; and George Boland, President of the Marine Trades and Labour Federation (MTLF). It was under the veil of these experienced labour leaders that close to 2,500 men, 1,700 workers on payroll at the Halifax Shipyards joined by 800 workers from smaller marine engineering shops in Halifax and Dartmouth, organized under the Marine Trades and Labour Federation (MTLF). <ref name="auto1"/><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Morton |first=Suzanne |title=Halifax Shipyards Strike of 1920 |publisher=Labour. Le Travail |edition=Vol. 22 |pages=88}}</ref>

Primarily seeking out an increase in pay of 30 cents an hour, a 44 hour work week and significant control over management decisions. The Marine Trades and Labour Federation also requested payment on company time, double pay for work at noon, aswell as after five and on seven holidays throughout the year. Triple pay was sought for Labour Day and sundays. The MTLF also demanded control of the handling of lay-offs and re-hiring, the abolition of physical examinations, a grievance procedure through union business agents & control over the number of apprentices and what they were allowed to do. Sanitary lavatories were to be placed in every department, and five minutes clean up time allotted each day.

To these demands the Halifax Shipyards manager J. Ernest McLurg offered a five cent an hour increase.

This offer was rejected by the employees on 31 May 1920 and as result The MTLF permitted only six pumpmen to work at the Shipyards. McLurg announced he would no longer recognize the authority of the MTLF to negotiate on the men's behalf and would only deal with the trades separately. In response to this reversal, the MTLF withdrew the pumpmen and the Shipyards Strike began. <ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

The strike extended to the government dockyard on 21 June and by 28 June, fearing an outbreak of violence, McLurg requested that city police be detailed near the yard and convinced most of the City Council to support his request. By early July the Shipyards filed an injunction with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia which originally listed the names of fifteen strikers who had supposedly been involved in a confrontation between strikers and strikebreakers. A temporary injunction was issued on 5 July which restrained fourteen of the men from participating in the strikes. The MTLF then responded on 8 July with a demonstration of 300 pickets in which the injunction was extended to include the entirety of the MTLF.

McLurg believed that "''the officers and labor agitators were wholly responsible for the present strike''" and that the company was acting in the best interests of the men by refusing to recognize the MTLF, which had by his opinion, misrepresented the situation of the employees. McLurg claimed that "''men brought up in Nova Scotia and [who] were familiar with local conditions''" would not have behaved in such a fashion and "''had such men been at the head of the Marine Trades and Labor Federation, the present strike would never have been advised.''" <ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />

McLurg was mistaken in this assertion as the only identifiable leader of the MTLF born outside of Canada was George Borland having been UK born, the remaining leadership of the MTLF all were all native Nova Scotians; C.A. Greig acting secretary of the MTLF, was a HTLC trustee, J.E. Moreash who served on the MTLF executive board and as HTLC Sergeant-at-Arms; was a local blacksmith and finally Graham Galloway, MTLF business agent, was the HTLC treasurer. Other influential leaders such as MacDonald & Rudge been active in local politics for many years. <ref name=":2" />

4 weeks into the strike a provincial election was called, the financial strain of the strike left little money within the unions funds to campaign for the Halifax labour party (HLP). Within the city of Halifax, HLP candidates Healey, Wallace, and MacDonald beat out the local conservative candidates and finished sixth, seventh, and eighth behind the top five Liberals with a margin of 843 votes between the lowest of the victorious liberals and the highest labour candidate. The loss of the election and the collapse of the strike came during the same week. By early August, individual craft unions agreed to the five cent an hour increase that they were offered prior to their May 31 strike.

The loss of the Halifax Shipyards strike crushed the MTLF’s attempt to gain the right of "collective bargaining" for its members, and crippled the labour movement in Halifax.

As result, the Shipyards instituted a blacklist and refused to rehire the strike leaders. Borland and Samuel Alexander, president of the Boilermakers, unable to find work eventually left the city , while others, such as MacDonald, were forced to take temporary employment not related to their skills. The strike resulted in Rudge resigning as alderman and Graham Galloway, MTLF business agent, vacating the HTLC treasury. <ref>{{Cite book |last=Heron |first=Craig |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BaaLTHoCWdsC&dq=e.j.+rudge+halifax+shipyard+strike+1920&pg=PA56 |title=The Workers' Revolt in Canada, 1917-1925 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=Jan 1, 1998 |pages=56|isbn=978-0-8020-8082-0 }}</ref>

<u>1921-1957</u>

In 1921, Halifax Shipyards Limited became part of a merger with a number of coal mines and steel mills such as Dominion Steel, Nova Scotia Steel and Coal, Dominion Coal, and Dominion Iron and Steel to create the massive conglomerate [[British Empire Steel Corporation]] (BESCO). However, the mergers that resulted in the formation of BESCO also amalgamated an inordinate amount of debt. Throughout the 1920s as North America's industrial and consumer practices changed, BESCO was in a constant financial crisis and by 1925 required an annual operating profit of $8 million ($100 million when adjusted for inflation in 2010) to meet these financial commitments.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frank |first=David |title=The Cape Breton Goal Industry and the Rise and Fall of the British Empire Steel Corporation |publisher=Acadiensis |date=Autumn 1977 |pages=3–34}}</ref>
[[File:Hardware_merchandising_September-December_1922_(1922)_(14761945271).jpg|thumb|Poster showing the vertical integration of BESCO 1922]]

By 1928 Wolvin resigned as president and sold his holdings after his reorganization plan was rejected by other shareholders. He was succeeded by C.B. McNaught who in 1928, along with various other BESCO investors, formed a new holding company called Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (DOSCO). In May 1930 BESCO was dissolved and the new company DOSCO took over its industrial properties including the Halifax Shipyards. <ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/djreprints/access/405595111.html?dids=405595111:405595111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Feb+24%2C+1921&author=&pub=Wall+Street+Journal&desc=CANADIAN+STEEL+MERGER+TERMS+ARE+APPROVED&pqatl=google Wall Street Journal, February 21, 1921.]{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The federal government Department of Marine contracted the yard to build the Ice breaker CGS ''[[CCGS N.B. McLean|N.B. MacLean]]'', ordered to service the Hudson Strait. CGS ''N.B. MacLean,'' when launched on 17 February 1930, was the second largest icebreaker In the world. The only other Icebreaker larger than the ''N.B. McLean'' was the ''MIkula Seleaninovltch'', which was built during the First World War by the Canadian Vickers Company.

During [[World War II]], the company's facilities served as a critical repair facility throughout the war effort and was vital in repairing more than 7,200 ships damaged in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]. In 1941 Angus L, Macdonald convinced the War Committee to build two [[Tribal-class destroyer (1936)|tribal class destroyers]] in Halifax. "[[HMCS Micmac|H.M.C.S. ''Micmac'']]" and "[[HMCS Nootka (R96)|H.M.C.S. ''Nootka'']]". Ship construction was secondary in importance to ship repair & The ''Micmac'' and ''Nootka'' were not launched until the end of the war. Halifax Shipyards was then contracted to construct two more [[Tribal-class destroyer (1936)|Tribal-class destroyers]]: [[HMCS Cayuga (R04)|''HMCS Cayuga'']] & [[HMCS Athabaskan (R79)]] being the first all-Canadian built destroyers.<ref name="auto"/><ref>[http://www.halifaxshipyard.com/irving-shipbuilding-about-our-history.aspx Irving Shipbuilding – Our History]</ref>

<u>Halifax Shipyards strike of 1944</u>

The largest strike in Halifax Shipyard’s history took place on 26 July 1944, when Local No. 1 of the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL) led 3,000 men and women employed at the Halifax Shipyards out on strike. The issue was not one of wages but the rights to have union dues automatically deducted from their pay cheques, a procedure known as "check-off". [[File:Halifax shipyard cranes.png|thumb|left|Halifax Shipyard cranes and gantries, 1942]]With governments' hands-off policy and Halifax Shipyards’ refusal to negotiate "check-off", the strike dragged on into August bringing considerable hardship to the HSL employees.Those that remained on the picket line were informed the union was in a financial crisis. In part from the theft of dues by union leaders. With minimal financial assistance from the labour unions, the membership of Local No.1, accepted a provincially-brokered settlement that called for employees of HSL to return to work and submit their grievances to the "Regional War Labour Relations Board". The strike ended on the 27 August 1944, one month from the day it began. The board, unable to make a decision, sent the matter before the Supreme Court with the judgement delivered in February of 1945, with the union winning a partial victory.<ref>{{Cite book |last=White |first=Jay |title=Pulling Teeth: Striking for the Check-Off in the Halifax Shipyards}}</ref>
<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=yV-KdtmXmB4C&dq=halifax+shipyards+limited+roy+wolvin+joseph+norcross&pg=PA48 A Bridge of Ships: Canadian Shipbuilding During the Second World War]</ref>

Local No.1 continues to represent shipyard trades in Halifax to this day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uniformwf1.com/about-us|title=Unifor M.W.F. Local 1|first=Unifor M. W. F.|last=Local 1|website=Unifor M.W.F. Local 1}}</ref>

<u>1957-1962</u>

In 1957 [[Avro Canada|A. V. Roe Corporation Canada Limited]], a subsidiary of the British based [[Hawker Siddeley]] investment group, purchased the DOSCO holdings in Nova Scotia which included the Halifax Shipyards. in a bid to diversify its operations beyond the aircraft manufacturing and defence industries.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Halifax Shipyards, 1918-1978 : An historical perspective|date=1994 |url=https://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/22312 |last1=Settle |first1=Victor Lorne }}</ref>

A. V. Roe expanded their facilities at the Halifax Shipyards. The completion of a new pier in December. 1958 provided for much needed docking space which allowed additional work to be undertaken. The new dock covered 250 feet and filled in the existing space between number six and number seven docks. A new mobile crane added to the efficiency of the dock. Prior to December 1958, there was only a stationary crane at one end of pier number seven and another at pier six. With the completion of the new pier the last of the mine sweepers, the "H.M.C.S. Chaudiere", was moved to that location, allowing for an upgrading of pier number six.

Constructed a [[Restigouche-class destroyer|Restigouche-class]] and several [[St. Laurent-class destroyer]] for the Canadian navy and CGS Sir William Alexander in 1959 "H.M.C.S. Chaudiere", in 1959

<u>1962-1978</u>

In 1962, A.V. Roe Canada was dissolved and the remaining assets were transferred to [[Hawker Siddeley Canada]]. Hawker Siddeley Canada forced its new subsidiary DOSCO to close money-losing coal mines and steel mills resulting in DOSCO being dissolved in 1968 after its remaining coal mining and steel mill assets in Cape Breton were expropriated and nationalized by the federal and provincial governments (see [[Sydney Steel Corporation|Sydney Steel Corporation;]] (SYSCO) &[[Cape Breton Development Corporation]]; (DEVCO)).

Under Hawker Siddeley Canada, Halifax Shipyards Limited began to shift the focus of its contracts and in the 1960s and 1970s, started constructing trawlers ferries and other government contracts, as well as oil drilling rigs and drill ships for Atlantic Canada's offshore oil and gas industry.
[[File:Annapolis_DN-SC-87-01114.jpg|thumb|HMCS Annapolis 1982]]
Three vessels, the ferry "Confederation" and two Department of Transport vessels, the "Maxwell" and "Cape Freels" were completed in 1962. They were followed in 1964 by the launching of the "H.M.C.S. Annapolis.” This destroyer was the first in the Canadian Navy to have a helicopter flight deck and anti-submarine gear built into its design. That same year HSL launched the "Cape Anne", the first of 28 trawlers to be built at the Halifax Shipyards between 1964 and

1972. Not only was the Cape Anne the first steel fishing trawler built in Halifax, it was the first ever built in Nova Scotia.

The Southern Commonwealth Drilling Company, in 1968, engaged the Halifax Shipyards to build their first rig for the North Atlantic offshore. This was to be the first oil rig constructed by the Halifax Shipyards; the "SEDCO-H", started in 1968, was delivered in 1970. this was followed by SEDCO-I, and SEDCO-V all three were of a triangular configuration mounted on cylindrical pontoons, with a 345 foot by 382 foot main deck and accommodations for a crew of 65.
[[File:SEDCO_704_Oil_Rig_near_to_Nigg_Ferry,_Highland,_Great_Britain.jpg|left|thumb|SEDCO 704 Oil Rig near to Nigg Ferry, Highland, Great Britain]]
The Halifax Shipyards went on to build four [[Semi-submersible platform|semi-submersible oil-rigs]] "SEDNETH-701", "SEDCO-704", "STADRILL-706". and "SEDCO-709". These rigs had a rectangular main deck 130 foot high mounted on twin 295 foot long hulls.

The final and most advanced rig built by the Halifax Shipyards was the drill ship "SEDCO-471", built for British Petroleum.

Hawker Siddeley persuaded the Province of Nova Scotia that a lift bridge across the East River would permit navigation to its [[TrentonWorks|Trenton Works]] facility and would allow components fabricated in Trenton to be barged to Halifax. The bridge, completed in 1974, allowed for a channel 16m wide. In order to facilitate use of the new capability, Halifax Shipyards purchased a barge in the United States. Built in 1949 by John J. Mathis + Co Inc in Camden, NJ. originally named the ''Barrett No.1'' the 1262 gt (US measure) vessel was a tank barge, with a ship-like bow, was built to carry coal tar (creosote) Dartmouth Marine Slips rebuilt the barge in 1974 by removing the superstructure and converting it to a deck cargo barge by strengthening the deck, and fitting it with special deck securement fittings allowing it to haul legs for oil rigs It emerged as ''Haltren No.1'' and could carry one quarter the total height of each leg in one trip from Trenton to Halifax. <ref>{{Cite web |title= Shipfax: Trenton Lift Bridge|date=23 October 2022 |url=http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2022/10/trenton-lift-bridge.html}}</ref>

At the start of the 1970s Hawker Siddeley announced it was focusing on the construction of oil drilling rigs at Halifax Shipyards and in the mid 1970s the yard was asked by the Canadian government to tender for two icebreakers; the Shipyards did not even submit a bid on the jobs.

The 1950-1970s is considered by many to be the golden age of shipbuilding in Halifax as by 1977 Hawker sideley Industries had no new work on Its order book, and by the 28 April,1978 offered to sell the yard to the Province of Nova Scotia. Finally, on 31 August 1978. A Canadian Dutch consortium known as "Halifax Industries Limited" became the new owners of Halifax Shipyards

===Halifax Industries Limited 1978–1985===
In 1978 the parent company Hawker Siddeley was placed in receivership and the shipyard's assets were held by the primary creditor, the [[Government of Nova Scotia]]. A consortium named '''Halifax Industries Limited''' was organized and reached an agreement with the provincial government to operate the shipyard. The name was changed on 5 December 1978 to Halifax Industries and Marine Limited. Comprised of C.N. Marine, Hall Corporations Shipping Limited of Montreal, and RSV Limited of the Netherlands each invested only $1 million of their own money in the shipyards. The province provided $14 million of initial financing with a promise of millions more in additional financing from the federal and provincial governments to upgrade the yard's floating drydock capacity and to modernize the Halifax Shipyards’ facilities. By December 1978, Nova Scotia had Invested $23 million in the operation.

The [[floating dry dock]] ''Prins Hendrik Dok No. 4'' (RDM-173), built in [[Rotterdam]] in 1933 (by and for [[Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij|NV De Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rdm-archief.nl/RDM-NB/RDM-173.html|title=RDM-173}}</ref>) was purchased and rebuilt by the shipyard in 1979. It was renamed ''Scotiadock'' and complemented the existing graving dock for ship repair and construction. In 1983 a new [[Panamax]] floating dry dock was purchased, having been built in 1982 by [[Marine Industries Limited]] in [[Sorel, Quebec]]. It was named ''Novadock'' and gave the shipyard the ability to repair the largest-sized ships on the eastern seaboard.

By the summer of 1983 the Halifax yard was operating with a skeleton crew of 50 and in 1984, Halifax Industrial and Marine Limited went into receivership

===Halifax-Dartmouth Industries Limited 1985–1994===
In 1985 the shipyard declared bankruptcy and was purchased by a group of Nova Scotia investors who organized it as '''Halifax-Dartmouth Industries Limited''' (HDIL). In 1992, Quebec-based engineering firm [[SNC-Lavalin]] was the successful bidder for the [[Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project]] which would build what is today known as the {{sclass|Kingston|coastal defence vessel|4}}. SNC-Lavalin sub-contracted HDIL for the ship design and construction of the twelve vessels.

===Halifax Shipyard Limited 1994 – Present===
[[File:HSL2013launchshlip.JPG|left|thumb|A Hero-class patrol vessel is readied for launch at Halifax Shipyard, 2013]]
In 1994, midway through the MCDV project, the shipyard's owners sold HDIL to [[Irving Shipbuilding|Irving Shipbuilding Inc.]] of [[Saint John, New Brunswick]] who renamed the yard '''Halifax Shipyard Limited'''.

In 1998, the shipyard purchased a replacement [[floating dry dock]] for the ''Scotiadock''. The floating dry dock ''General Georges P Vanier'' was built by [[Canadian Vickers|Canadian Vickers Ltd.]] in 1964. Upon purchase by Irving Shipbuilding, the dry dock was renamed ''Scotia Dock II''. The original dry dock was later scrapped.
Like all Canadian shipyards, Halifax Shipyard Limited underwent a dramatic slowdown in new construction and refit business during the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s due to changes in [[Government of Canada]] tax and tariff policies for ship owners, as well as a reduction in federal government construction for warships, icebreakers, ferries and scientific vessels.

On June 27, 2003 Irving Shipbuilding announced it had an agreement with the federal government to permanently close the country's largest shipyard, [[Saint John Shipbuilding]] in Saint John.

that same month, the owners of the Dartmouth Marine Slips announced their plans to sell the Slips to Innovative Properties, a real estate development firm. Forty-four workers still employed at the shipyard were relocated to other Irving sites in the HRM region. The official closing date of the Dartmouth Marine Slips was June 20, 2003. Planing for development of the property into residential and commercial properties, called Kings Wharf, began In 2007 with construction beginning in 2009 and projected to be finished sometime in 2030.

The competing [[Davie Yards Incorporated]] in [[Lauzon, Quebec]] experienced similar financial difficulty and spent much of the decade in mothball status. This left Halifax Shipyard Limited as the largest full-service shipyard left on Canada's Atlantic coast and the flagship facility for Irving Shipbuilding Inc.

In September 2009 Irving Shipbuilding was awarded a contract to build the {{sclass2|Hero|patrol vessel}} project for the Canadian Coast Guard. The nine vessels were scheduled to be delivered by 2014–2015.

''Scotia Dock II'' sunk in May 2010 while preparing to allow a tugboat to enter. Although it was subsequently raised, it was determined to be damaged beyond repair, so it was sold for scrap in 2012. The shipyard planned a replacement as part of its preparations for implementing the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/sunken-halifax-dry-dock-to-be-raised-1.940407 CBC News – Sunken Halifax dry dock to be raised]</ref><ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/sunken-irving-dry-dock-to-be-replaced-1.1154377 CBC News – Sunken Irving dry dock to be replaced]</ref>

In October 2011 Irving Shipbuilding was deemed the successful proponent for constructing 23 warships for the Royal Canadian Navy under the $35 billion [[National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy]]. rving Shipbuilding was thus made responsible for building 23 combatant vessels over a period of 30 years. Six will be [[Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessel|Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships]] The remaining 15 will be [[Canadian Surface Combatant|Canadian Surface Combatants]] which will replace the Royal Canadian Navy's [[Iroquois-class destroyer|Iroquois-class destroyers]] and [[Halifax-class frigate|Halifax-class frigates]].[[File:HSL2013.JPG|thumb|Halifax Shipyard viewed from the [[Macdonald Bridge]] in 2013, before expansion]]In 2012 Irving Shipbuilding received a $300-million loan from the provincial government for modernization of the Halifax Shipyard to accommodate the building of vessels for the federal government.

A handful of new-build contracts for oil rig supply vessels, a cruise ship, as well as repair and maintenance contracts for Royal Canadian Navy warships and [[Canadian Coast Guard]] icebreakers and scientific vessels, public and privately owned ferries, commercial ships, and oil rigs has kept Halifax Shipyard Limited moderately busy in recent years.



== Partial list of notable ships built ==
<u>Cargo steamships</u>

* [[SS Canadian Mariner]], launched in 1920
* SS ''Canadian Explorer'', launched in 1921
* SS ''Canadian Cruiser'', [[Reefer ship|refrigerated ship]], launched in 1921
* [[SS Canadian Constructor|SS ''Canadian Constructor'']], [[Reefer ship|refrigerated ship]], launched in 1922

[[Icebreaker|<u>Icebreakers</u>]]

*[[CCGS N.B. McLean|CCGS ''N.B. McLean'']] launched in 1930

[[St. Laurent-class destroyer|<u>St. Laurent-class destroyer</u>]]
* [[HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206)|HMCS ''Saguenay'']] launched <nowiki/>1953
* [[HMCS Margaree (DDH 230)|HMCS Margaree]] launched 1956
[[Restigouche-class destroyer|<u>Restigouche-class destroyer</u>]]
* [[HMCS Chaudière (DDE 235)|HMCS Chaudière]] launched 1957
[[File:HMCS Annapolis DDH-265.jpg|thumb|right|{{HMCS|Annapolis|DDH 265|6}} off [[Pearl Harbor]], 199]][[Annapolis-class destroyer|<u>Annapolis-class destroyer</u>]]
* [[HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265)|HMCS Annapolis]]<nowiki/>launched 1<nowiki/>963
[[Tribal-class destroyer (1936)|<u>Tribal-class destroyer</u>]]
* [[HMCS Micmac]] launched 1943
* [[HMCS Nootka (R96)|HMCS Nootka]] launched 1944
* [[HMCS Cayuga]] launched 1945
* [[HMCS Athabaskan (R79)|HMCS Athabaskan]] launched 1945
[[Kingston-class coastal defence vessel|<u>Kingston-class coastal defence vessel</u>]]
* {{HMCS|Kingston|MM 700}}, launched in 1996
* {{HMCS|Glace Bay|MM 701}}, launched in 1996
* {{HMCS|Nanaimo|MM 702}}, launched in 1997
* {{HMCS|Edmonton|MM 703}}, launched in 1997
* {{HMCS|Shawinigan|MM 704}}, launched in 1997
* {{HMCS|Whitehorse|MM 705}}, launched in 1998
* {{HMCS|Yellowknife|MM 706}}, launched in 1998
* {{HMCS|Goose Bay|MM 707}}, launched in 1998
* {{HMCS|Moncton|MM 708}}, launched in 1998
* {{HMCS|Saskatoon|MM 709}}, launched in 1998
* {{HMCS|Brandon|MM 710}}, launched in 1999
* {{HMCS|Summerside|MM 711}}, launched in 1999[[File:Nanaimo Canada Day 09.jpg|thumb|right|{{HMCS|Nanaimo|MM 702|6}} in [[Victoria, British Columbia]] for [[Canada Day]] celebrations, July 2009.]]
<u>[[Cruise ship]]s:</u>

* ''[[Pearl Mist]]'', launched in 2009

[[Hero-class patrol vessel|<u>Hero-class patrol vessel</u>]]

* [[CCGS Corporal Teather C.V.|CCGS ''Corporal Teather C.V.'']], launched in 2012
* {{ship|CCGS|Private Robertson V.C.}}, launched in 2012
* {{ship|CCGS|Caporal Kaeble V.C.}}, launched in 2012
* CCGS ''Constable Carrière'', launched in 2013
* [[CCGS Corporal Teather C.V.|CCGS ''Corporal Teather C.V.'']] launched in 2013
* [[CCGS G. Peddle S.C.|CCGS ''G. Peddle S.C.'']]<nowiki/>launched in 2013
* [[CCGS Corporal McLaren M.M.V.|CCGS ''Corporal McLaren M.M.V.'']]<nowiki/>launched in 2013
* [[CCGS A. LeBlanc|CCGS ''A. LeBlanc'']] launched in 2014
* [[CCGS M. Charles M.B.|CCGS ''M. Charles M.B.'']] launched in 2014
* [[CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M.|CCGS ''Captain Goddard M.S.M.'']] launched in 2014

[[File:Tug boat in Halifax Harbour on a foggy day.jpg|thumbnail| {{ship||Point Chebucto|Tug|2}} at work in [[Halifax Harbour]], ]]<u>[[Anchor handling tug supply vessel]]s:</u>
* ''Atlantic Eagle'', launched in 1999
* ''Atlantic Hawk'', launched in 2000
* ''Atlantic Kingfisher'', launched in 2002
* ''[[Atlantic Osprey]]'', launched in 2003
* ''Atlantic Condor'', launched in 2010<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/cnw/article.jsp?content=20090312_140503_4_cnw_cnw|title=Canadian Business.com}}</ref>
[[Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessel|<u>Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships</u>]]

* [[HMCS Harry DeWolf|HMCS ''Harry DeWolf'']], launched in 2018
* [[HMCS Margaret Brooke|''HMSC Margaret Brooke'']] launched in 2019
* [[HMCS Max Bernays|''HMCS Max Bernays'']] launched in 2021
* [[HMCS William Hall|''HMCS William Hall'']] launched in 2022
* [[HMCS Frédérick Rolette|''HMCS Frédérick Rolette'']] launched in 2023
* [[HMCS Robert Hampton Gray|''HMCS Robert Hampton Gray'']] construction began 2023

== Ships to be built ==
* [[Arctic Patrol Ship Project|Canadian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Ship Project]], 2 vessels (see [[National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy]])
* [[Single Class Surface Combatant Project|Surface Combatant Project]], 15 planned vessels (see [[National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy]])

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Halifax Shipyard}}
* [http://www.halifaxshipyard.com/ Irving Shipbuilding Inc. (Halifax Shipyard)]

{{Irving Group of Companies}}

{{draft categories|
[[Category:Irving Group of Companies]]
[[Category:Shipbuilding companies of Canada]]
[[Category:Companies based in Halifax, Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1889]]
[[Category:1889 establishments in Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Drydocks]]
}}

Latest revision as of 14:47, 26 September 2024

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