COVID-19 has thrown yet another wrench in the long overdue construction of new ships for the navy and coast guard, say top military and procurement officials, adding the full scope of the damage won’t be known until after the pandemic.The federal government has invested billions of dollars over the past decade into replacing Canada’s aging navy and coast guard fleets with dozens of new ships, including icebreakers, warships and support vessels.Yet the effort has been plagued with numerous cost overruns and delays, which federal procurement department deputy minister Bill Matthews on Tuesday blamed on overly optimistic planning at the outset of the multibillion-dollar project.“The initial schedules way back when were indeed not realistic,”.