
A very unusual dry docking at Fleet Maintenance Facility
Lt(N) Peter Summers and Ashley EvansFMF CB––As those on-site at Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton (FMF CB) have likely noticed, there are currently three vessels – the 250 Barge and two Camel Fender Barges – docked in the dry dock, a big difference from the usual sight of one, or none. Although unusual, this is not the first time three vessels have been docked there. Records show this was fairly routine through the 1960s to 1980s, and was normally a combination of the small minesweepers (Bay class), gate vessels (Porte class), and various auxiliary vessels and barges.The last three-vessel docking appears to have been Oct. 31, 1985, when HMCS Fundy, HMCS Miramichi, and YDG 3 were docked together. There was one instance of a four-vessel docking, on Jan. 13, 1971, with HMCS Beaver (ex YSF 216), YMG 189, YMG 190, and YC 428 all docked together. The last time YOM 252 (250 Barge) was docked at FMF CB was May 17,1993, but since then it has always gone to contractor yards for routine docking. What are these barges used for? YOM 252 is an environmental barge. It contains a number of tanks that receive liquids from ships that pump out their tanks or bilges to the barge. The barge then takes the liquid away to be properly discharged at a processing or storage facility. This is very useful as it enables ships to offload liquids as part of their work periods without having to go over to the Colwood side of the base. Camel Fender Barges are used for berthing U.S. Navy submarines. The barges have underwater structures that hang down about six metres (20 feet) below the waterline. One side has horizontal rubber fenders that press against the columns of a pier or jetty, while the other side has...