Fifteen Canadian ships could support both coasts

Canada's River-class design is expected to be a useful fighting ship and a welcome contribution to allied operations. Receiving all 15 planned ships would also give Canada the benefits of a large common class. The rough estimate is that about eight could usually be available for operations, divided four to each coast. That is an approximate availability calculation with acknowledged flexibility, rather than a guaranteed deployment total. The point of the larger order is the ability to sustain useful numbers as individual ships move through their operating cycles.