The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Shannon Bernays as the Ship's Sponsor for the third Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), the future Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Max Bernays, which was named after her grandfather. Chief Petty Officer Max Bernays was a Canadian naval hero who served as the Coxswain of HMCS Assiniboine during the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
Each of the six AOPS being delivered to the RCN has been named in honour of a prominent Navy hero who served their country with the highest distinction. The other five ships are named Harry DeWolf, Margaret Brooke, William Hall, Frédérick Rolette, and Robert Hampton Gray.
The appointment of Ship's Sponsor is a long and storied naval tradition. The Sponsor typically plays a key role in a ship's naming ceremony, breaking a bottle of champagne across the ship's bow. Many sponsors continue their relationship with their ship for many years.
The AOPS enable the RCN to conduct armed presence and surveillance operations throughout Canada's waters, including in the Arctic. They also are capable of offshore international missions providing humanitarian assistance, emergency response and disaster relief.
The future HMCS Max Bernays is being constructed at Irving Shipbuilding Inc. in Halifax. Recently, the ship was visited by the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, and is expected to be launched at a naming ceremony on May 29, 2022.
