BREAKING: Royal Canadian Navy to start divesting the Kingston-class this fall.

Starting this fall the Royal Canadian Navy will begin divesting of the Kingston-class vessels. Eight of the Kingston will be divested while four, Moncton, Yellowknife, Edmonton, and Nanaimo will remain in service for the time being.

Formal ceremonies will take place in Halifax for Shawinigan, Summerside, Goose Bay, Glace Bay and Kingston. Ceremonies in Esquimalt, B.C. will be held for Saskatoon, Whitehorse and Brandon.

The remaining four will be divested over the next three years:

• Yellowknife in 2026

• Edmonton in 2027

• Moncton and Nanaimo in 2028.

The duties of the Kingston will be transferred to other vessels in the fleet. The AOPS have already taken over the OP CARRIBE and Patrol roles the last few years, while training duties will be moved fully to the Orca.

The new Remote Minehunting and Disposal Systems, being containerized can theoretically be deployed on any available vessel, and will be another role taken by the AOPS ad the Kingston divest. They've already been doing MCM testing so that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

The remaining four Kingston will likely continue to participate on things like OP REASSURANCE, which Yellowknife and Edmonton are currently deployed on until October as part of SNMCMG1.

In basic terms the AOPS will be taking over a majority of the Kingstons tasks, which they have been slowly adding to their belt already. To say there hasnt been a slow transition would be ignorant of me.

Nor is this surprising. We knew this was coming. Its been an open discussion for a while. I expected we would hear something this year about the divestment plan, however I didnt expect eight to be paid off right away.

That comes as a surprise to me, also dropping it out of the blue. I wasnt expecting this to come at this time, so this is a rare moment of genuine shock for me. Of course the Kingston fleet isnt in the greatest of shape.

Several haven't sailed in years (I believe Whitehorse is on almost five?) and the decision to not do another refit was basically the death blow to the class as a whole.

Things get harder before they get better. It is better to divest now and have people available for the platforms that are working and in greater need than it is to try and stretch the Kingstons for a few extra years, nor was it deemed worth the ever-increasing cost to keep them in service.

The Kingston will be replaced by the future Continental Defence Corvette. I expect as the fall comes that we will be hearing more publicly about the project. I was a bit surprised they didnt bring it up in the Press Release given its not exactly a secret, although it was teased a bit.

The CDC though won't be delivering until the mid-2030s under the current plans so there will be no immediate replacement of these lost numbers for at least several years. That was always the expectation though.

As for the vessels themselves? The future is open ended. There have been some talks about potential allied who might be interested. Ive heard a few mentioned like Phillipines, Vietnam, and potentially someone in South America.

So they may not be out of life just yet, and if they can find a new, good home with our allies than I think many of us can be happy. Its also a great way to help bolster relations at a time when we're looking to diversify our relationships.

Countries like the Phillipines are actively looking for quick, easy ways to bolster their navies. This has led to several transfers over the last few years including from the United States, Korea and most recently Japan whom are considering transferring the six vessels of the old Abukuma-class

Joining in that effort could be a great way to show our commitment to Pacific partners, while also making sure that this divestment ends on a good note that still helps bolster our collective security.

That's just one idea, of course, and I'm sure many ideas are being discussed. I would love one or two to stay as proper museums. That would also be a very deserving end for the MCDV.

It's the end of an era. The little vessels that could will finally be gone after thirty years of service.

From their humber origins as Coastal Patrol Vessels and Minesweeper, the Kingstons pushed far beyond their capabilities and did more than I think anyone could have ever asked of them.

From OP CARRIBE to OP PROJECTION, SNMCMG1 to Shawinigan & Moncton trip to the Arctic in 2016. We're they perfect? No, not at all. That didnt stop them though.

I will be sad to see them go. They've always been around to me, a bit telling of my age perhaps! I should really do a history on them, but I wont take up a news post with my ramblings to much. There are times and places for such discussions, where they can be given proper time.

My concerns about putting all this on the AOPS remains. That I stand by, and will continue to do. However there must be sacrifices at time, and acceptance that there is nothing more you can do. I feel we will continue to see these tough choices made in the next few years to come.