With Project Resolve now fully underway, and an official agreement reached between Davie Shipbuilding and the Government of Canada, the conversion of the Asterix boxship into an Navy AOR is taking place. The Asterix will be ready by summer 2017, and will serve as the Royal Canadian Navy's main AOR until the Queenston-Class AORs (based on the Berlin-Class) arrive sometime between 2020-2021.
Yesterday, Davie made an offer to the Navy to convert a second boxship for the Navy - a sister ship to the Asterix could be converted, and be ready for service by 2018 according to Davie.
The Royal Canadian Navy is not interested. Instead they will lease a Chilean AOR and a Spanish AOR for training purposes throughout 2016.
This almost immediate refusal of the offer comes with the question why not? The lease agreements with Davie could save the RCN money, and when the conversions only cost $400 million - less than half the cost of building an AOR (estimated to be around $1 Billion) Why would the Navy not agree to the solution? Even once the Asterix is ready, the Navy will only have one AOR; therefore one coast will be without the AOR services, unless a foreign AOR is also leased - so why not lease domestically?
Maybe a new government on October 20th will convince the Navy that this is a good deal, and should take the offer. Give jobs to Canadians.
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