CCGS John G. Diefenbaker
CCGS John G. Diefenbaker is the name for a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker that had been expected to join the fleet by 2017 but has been significantly delayed. Her namesake, John G. Diefenbaker, was Canada's 13th prime minister. It was Diefenbaker's government that founded the Canadian Coast Guard in 1962.
Conceptual rendering of CCGS John G. Diefenbaker released by the Canadian Coast Guard. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Canada | |
| Name | John G. Diefenbaker |
| Namesake | John G. Diefenbaker + one other |
| Owner | Government of Canada |
| Operator | Canadian Coast Guard |
| Builder | |
| Cost | C$7.25 billion (2021 Parliamentary Budget Office estimate for two vessels) |
| Yard number | 198 (Seaspan) |
| In service | Planned by 2030 for the first vessel |
| General characteristics (as of 2023) | |
| Type | Icebreaker |
| Displacement | 26,000 t (26,000 long tons) |
| Length | 158.2 m (519 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 28 m (91 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) |
| Ice class | Polar Class 2 Icebreaker(+) |
| Installed power | Six diesel engines, about 48 MW (64,400 hp) (combined) |
| Propulsion | Diesel-electric; two azimuthing propulsion units and one shaft, 34 MW (45,600 hp) (combined) |
| Speed |
|
| Range | Over 26,200 nmi (48,500 km; 30,200 mi) in Sea State 3 |
| Endurance |
|
| Crew |
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| Aircraft carried | 2 × medium-lift helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | Helipad and hangar |
The ship was initially to have been constructed by Seaspan as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. However, by 2020, both the timing and location of this build had become uncertain. In February 2020, the federal government initiated a request to all interested Canadian shipyards to outline their capacity to potentially construct John G. Diefenbaker with the objective of securing service entry by December 2029.
In May 2021, the government announced that two ships of a single class would now be constructed, one at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyard in British Columbia and the other at the Davie yard in Quebec, "pending the successful completion of the ongoing selection process as the third strategic partner for large ships construction under the National Shipbuilding Strategy". That umbrella agreement was significantly delayed being only signed in April 2023.
The revised service entry date for the first vessel had been projected as 2030, but given the delays in reaching the umbrella agreement with Davie it was unclear whether that date could be met. The budget for this expanded program was unknown. In late 2021, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated the cost for two ships at $7.25 billion.