Mil Systems Engineering Inc.

[Grey Havoc]

I'm doing some research on the above's company 1993 unsolicited bid to the Canadian government to build two 'strategic multi-role aid and replenishment transport ships'. Does anyone have any material to hand on that particular project? Here's what I've gotten at the moment; apparently they were intended to be approx. 18,800 tonnes (unloaded?), and were intended to supplement and then eventually help replace the three Provider/Protecteur Class multi-product replenishment ships then in service. Core crew of 81, together with a transport capacity of around 600 troops along with associated transport vehicles. A large sickbay/hospital ward was included in the design. The design incorporated a helicopter deck and a hanger that could hold a detachment of up to four (Medium-Lift) helicopters. Of course, it could also function in the auxiliary oiler replenishment role. Planned cost was in the region of $300 million (Canadian Dollars). Planned in-service date of 1996.


Thanks.

Edit: Apparently another (currently very topical) element of the design was that it could used in the 'containment and collection of oil spills'.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Does anyone have anything new on this project?

 

[Stargazer]

That company is not very well documented, but here's what I was able to find.

MIL Systems, based in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) was (still is?) a division of Davie Industries Inc. of Lévis, Quebec (itself a a subsidiary of Dominion Bridge of Montreal). For years they were one of two contractors (the other being Fleetway Inc.) responsible for the custody of all master or reproducible copy, drawings, publications, data lists and other technical data that constitute the intimate design details and information on warships in Canada.

In February 1993, Davie Inc. submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Department of National Defence for the design and construction of two of their independently designed Strategic Multi-Role Aid and Replenishment Transport ships (SMART ships). The design was co-developed by the shipyard in Lévis and MIL Systems Engineering Inc., its associated engineering firm in Ottawa. The proposal responded to the requirement known within DND as the Multi-Role Support Vessel. Roles included the transport by sea of Canadian peacekeepers along with their vehicles, support of the navy at sea, disaster assistance, rapid response to environmental accidents, transport of humanitarian aid and surveillance of Canada's coastal waters. Source: Wednesday Report, 1994-03-30

These vessels were to augment the auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels and, essentially, were also to provide the same types of support as the current project. Their displacement was to be approximately 18,800 tonnes, they were to have a permanent crew of 81 sailors, with the capacity to transport 600 troops with their vehicles, plus operate a large hospital ward and house a four-helicopter detachment. One of the most forward-thinking design innovations of these ships was their integral capability to contain and collect oil spills. Most importantly, the price tag per ship was only about $300 million and the two ships would have been fully operational by 1996. In rejecting the offer, DND claimed that MIL Systems's ships were "too big" for the navy's needs and, besides, DND was not in the environmental protection business.

In 1995, MIL Systems worked on the design of a "Catamaran sounding vessel" for operation in the St. Lawrence (source).

In 2001, MIL Systems and Marine Interface Corporation, Deer Park, N.Y., formed a working alliance to provide semi-submersible oil rig ballast control systems.

The company was still active in 2006. Their address is still in directories so presumably they are still active. One last thing: MIL Systems should not be mistaken for the Australian MIL-Systems (note the hyphen), a subcontractor for both civilian and military industry.

 

[Stargazer]

Also:

In Canada 21: Canada and Common Security in the Twenty-First Century, for instance, the Canada 21 Council recommended that the existing AORs be replaced by “… three multi-role and replenishment ships for peacekeeping support.” On the shipbuilding front, MIL Systems was fast off the mark with its proposed Multi-Role Aid and Support Ship (MASS), quickly followed by the larger and more versatile Strategic Multi-Role Aid and Replenishment Transport
(SMART) ship. The firm’s initial attention appeared to focus on a design that could replace Provider and supplement the newer Protecteur and Preserver.
Armed with the 1994 white paper’s pledge to consider replacements for the existing AORs, the navy moved forward with the conceptual development of an Afloat Logistics and Sealift Capability (ALSC).

Source:
http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo11/no1/doc/13-shadwick-eng.pdf
http://www.journal.dnd.ca/vo11/no1/13-shadwick-eng.asp

And finally, a picture of the SMART concept, taken from this very informative publication:
http://centreforforeignpolicystudies.dal.ca/cdq/Irvine%20Summer%201997.PDF

 

[Grey Havoc]

Thanks very much Stargazer! I had thought I was stuck, since what little I had dug up indicated that MIL Systems Engineering Inc. had gone out of business around 2001.

EDIT: Actually it might be more acurate to say that the company was wound up in good order, probably so that it's operations could be consolidated with it's sister company, MIL Systems (I hadn't realised that MIL Systems Engineering had a sister firm before you told me).