An update on CDC, New CDC wikibox and a spreadsheet about Ice Classes
Happy Saturday everyone. As many of you know, sometimes I put in the effort to do something extra when it comes to documenting projects. One of those things that I have been doing is keeping a handy Wikibox for the Continental Defence Corvette.
CRCN Topshee did an interview in the latest version of CDR where he gave a bit of a brief rundown on the current state of CDC. While most of what he said was already firmly established in our last discussion on the platform, there were a few little tidbits that changed what we previously had.
The major point was that Topshee mentioned that the CDC would likely be a Polar Class 6 vessel. This was higher than I had previously expected, with my initial guess being 1A at max. I didn’t actually expect much of them in the ice-strengthening department so this came as a surprise.
(For the nerds this would be the Finnish-Swedish classification 1A)
Getting the CDC up to Polar Class 6 would enable them to undertake Arctic operations in areas of first-year ice (with the potential for some incursions into areas of thicker, multi-year ice) during the summer and fall, as well as allow them to operate on the ice edge and lower thickness areas during the harsher months.
I tend to not get too deep into Polar Classes and their definitions. That’s mainly because it’s a complex system, as are all the various ice classes. I will say to take these definitions as generalist in nature. Other factors like hull form, engine power, and weather/ice conditions are all things that are not considered but are still important to the discussion.
Sometimes you end up like the DeWolf-class and surpass the requirements set out, even if by, say, the USCG standards the DeWolfs are not Medium Icebreakers like Healy, a vessel that the navy will often remind you is just as capable as Healy when talking about breaking ice, even if it ain’t that simple.
I also decided to update some minor info brought to me, including increasing the tonnage and increasing the expected top speed in light of some expectations and talking around. The tonnage is natural given the higher PC6 rating. The higher the class the more weight will be added to the final design.
Other than that Topshee once again endorses the high-end for CDC. Anyone who listens to his interview knows that Topshee has long been a supporter of a higher-end solution for CDC. To quote Topshee during his interview with CDR (which you can read here):
“It's basically the same capability set that's currently in the Halifax class, shrunk down to a smaller package.”
It’s about as clear a message as you could send. Of course I still don’t consider this official endorsement of the higher-end being the final product, including such things as VLS. As far as I know those are still ongoing debates, and some are still against the inclusion of VLS on CDC.
However I do think that the picture is fairly clear as to what the end product will look like. Our previous CDC breakdown from a few weeks ago seems to remain the most accurate public reporting of the project, and while it now looks like a high-end corvette is the goal of the CRCN, I still await broader confirmation before saying that for certain.
Hopefully, now that the project is in the Options Analysis phase we will hear in the coming months where a few of these key decisions land. In the meantime I did reach out to the DND to ask for their official word and, as always, received a timely response:
“The project is in its early planning and concept development phase, so details such as ship numbers, timelines, and cost estimates are not yet finalized. Force Development and Naval Strategy teams are currently defining requirements and analyzing capabilities. As the initiative progresses, clearer projections will be developed and communicated through formal defence planning channels.
“The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is prioritizing investment in platforms that enhance operational capability rather than simply replacing existing assets. With potential features like a sixteen-cell vertical launch system, these corvettes would add depth and flexibility to the fleet.
Designed to operate independently, these platforms would provide Halifax-equivalent capabilities for missions not requiring high-end combat systems — including patrol, interdiction, anti-piracy, and humanitarian assistance. They would also support continental defence, maritime security, and personnel generation, while leveraging automation to reduce crew size and cognitive load.
The Continental Defence Corvette project aims to deliver a modular, autonomous, and globally deployable platform capable of fulfilling a wide range of roles, including mine countermeasures, disaster response, SAR, and coastal patrol. Modularity enables rapid reconfiguration for mission-specific needs, while autonomy allows integration of unmanned systems (UAS, USV, UUV), enhancing operational reach and reducing risk to personnel.
This approach supports long-term adaptability, interoperability, and strategic readiness across both domestic and international operations.”
So fairly accurate to what we had previously guessed and expected. This is the first time I’ve heard the sixteen cells mentioned publicly, even if we have been working off this expectation for a year now that sixteen cells was on the table.
However I know people like official words, and this provides some broader confirmation to our concept. We know that things like unmanned mothershipping, modularity, and autonomy were important goals of the project. Never forget when the project was the Canadian Modular-Mission Corvette.
Immediately one has to once again give it to Vard for pumping out these designs that seem to match the demands in real time. Never say they ain’t quick or prepared. The more time goes on, the more the Vigilance 100 looks like the potential option.
However Vard isn’t the only one gunning for this. Davie has a design in the works, Seaspan has expressed interest, and Kongsberg has also thrown out a concept funny enough, although Topshee and everyone else I’ve spoken with has been insistent on “Canadian-designed, Canadian-built, Canadian-equipped” for CDC, so I’ve been tending to ignore foreign designs, especially with how unique our requirements are developing.
So expect that once requirements are refined we see a bunch of other designs and concepts come out of the shadows to make this a lot more interesting. However Vigilance 100 does give a fairly good look at the general idea that planners are thinking.
Of course I have worries about a high-end CDC. I have been vocal on that. I have concerns that a higher-end CDC will compete with the River-class, something it was never designed to match or fulfill the same roles. I worry about how the media will use its existence to push against what many might see as an “expensive, American-equipped” platform.
Some might call that paranoid, but I do see it as a risk, and despite my usual positivity I don’t put it past our media or political apparatus to use the existence of a second group of combatants to push against the Rivers despite the different roles and separate needs both vessels play in complement to each other.
That is something I’ve been vocal about, but we won’t focus on that negativity today. We want to try and be positive. We want to celebrate the victories and have some fun. Topshee has a vision, a very good one in my books, and I believe he has earned my benefit here in trusting him on this file.
Quick last note: I’ve also been asked recently about if there was a proper list of incoming vessels and their ice classes for reference. Sadly there is not, so I put together a little spreadsheet for those of you who would like that resource available to them!
This includes Polar Class vessels as well as Judy LaMarsh and Mid-Shore Multi-Mission Vessels, both of whom are using Finnish-Swedish standards.
are the MSMM ships replacing the Hero class?
This is great news! Thanks!