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HMCS ROBERT HAMPTON GRAY 435
Harry DeWolf Class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel
The Royal Canadian Navy announced that the sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship under the National Shipbuilding Strategy will be named in honour of Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, VC, a Second World War Canadian naval hero. "By naming the sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship after Lt Gray, we honour his as a Canadian naval hero, and celebrate his outstanding leadership and heroism"
The future HMCS ROBERT HAMPTON GRAY was accepted by the RCN from the builders on 21 Aug 2025.
Commanding Officers
Cdr Brian Henwood, RCN - 24 Jul 2025 - Present
Photos and Documents
The future HMCS ROBERT HAMPTON GRAY after being rolled out of the assembly hall at Halifax Shipyard - 16 Aug 2024 Courtesy of Barry Gerrard
RHG004 RHG005 (RHG004) The future HMCS ROBERT HAMPTON GRAY on a barge in Bedford Basin ready to be floated up (RHG005) The future HMCS ROBERT HAMPTON GRAY after being floated up in Bedford Basin 09 Dec 2024 Source: Royal Canadian Navy Yesterday and today Facebook page
(RHG006) The ship's badge for HMCS ROBERT HAMPTON GRAY Blazon: On a plate an eagle stooping Azure beaked and membered Or holding in its claws a trident bendwise sinister Gules, all within the Badge Frame for Ships and Naval Reserve Divisions.
Significance: The eagle descending on its prey is taken from the badge of 1841 Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy, with which Lt Robert Hampton Gray, a pilot of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, served. The trident is taken from the badge of HMS Formidable, the ship from which the squadron operated. Its deep red colour refers to the ribbon of the Victoria Cross awarded posthumously to Lt Gray for his valour in leading an air attack on a Japanese destroyer in August 1945. The white background refers to the Arctic environment in which HMCS Robert Hampton Gray will operate.
Motto: Fortitudo, Sollertia Constantiaque - These Latin words mean "Courage, skill and determination." They were qualities of Robert Hampton Gray cited in the "Mentioned in Despatches" honouring him for his role in the attack on the defences around the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway in August 1944.
HALIFAX, NS, August 9, 2025 – Today marked the official Naming Ceremony of the future HMCS Robert Hampton Gray, the sixth and final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) for the Royal Canadian Navy. Dating back centuries, the naming of a ship is steeped in tradition and believed to bring good luck and safe travel to the vessel and crew. The ship’s sponsor, Jane Underwood, a niece of Lt Robert Hampton Gray, officially named the ship during a ceremony attended by Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee (Royal Canadian Navy); Lieutenant-General Jaime Speiser-Blanchet (Royal Canadian Air Force); The Honourable David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence; The Honourable Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement; H.E. Kanji Yamanouchi, Japanese Ambassador to Canada; as well as descendants of Robert Hampton Gray, the ship’s company, and Halifax Shipyard shipbuilders. In naval tradition, Underwood broke a bottle of L’Acadie Vineyards’ Prestige Brut sparkling wine against the bow of the ship, declaring, “I name you Robert Hampton Gray. Bless this ship and all who sail in it.” (Source: Irving Shipbuilding Inc.) Note: The original article on the Irving Shipyards website lists Jane Underwood as a descendant of Lt Gray, however, she is in fact his niece and the entry has been changed here on For Posterity's Sake.
On 21 Aug 2025, the future HMCS ROBERT HAMPTON GRAY was accepted by the RCN after completion of builder's trials. The navy will now conduct acceptance trials before the ship's commissioning in Esquimalt in 2026.
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