Royal Canadian Navy Destroyers (St. Laurent, Restigouche, Mackenzie, and Annapolis Class), 1950–1989
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) 1950–1989,
Destroyers
(RCN Photo)
Restigouche-class destroyer HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258), Replenishment oiler HMCS Provider (AOR 508), Restigouche-class destroyer HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236), Cape-class maintenance ship HMCS Cape Scott, St. Laurent-class destroyer HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229), Majestic-class aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure, St. Laurent-class destroyer HMCS Margaree (DDH 230), Annapolis-class destroyer HMCS Nipigon (DDH 266) and St. Laurent-class destroyers HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205), St. Laurent-class HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) and HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206).
St. Laurent-class helicopter destroyers (initially built as destroyer escorts, later refit and redesignated)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II); HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II); HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II); HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229) (III); HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205) (II); HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II); HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206) (II)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II), was the first ship delivered postwar to the RCN by Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, Quebec, and was commissioned there on 16 Aug 1956. In January 1959, after two years' service on the east coast, she was transferred west, and in Jul 1959, had the honour of carrying Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip from Vancouver to Nanaimo. In Jun 1962 she began her conversion to a helicopter carrying destroyer (DDH), the first of her class to under the procedure, which was largely carried out by the Victoria Machinery Depot. Re-commissioned on 28 Jun 1963, she returned to Halifax. In Jan 1975, Assiniboine took off the crew of the freighter Barma, which was shipping water 185 miles off Boston. Between Apr and Nov 1979, she completed her Destroyer Life Extension (DELEX) program at Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal. On 30 Jun 1981, HMCS Assiniboine grounded on Point Pleasant Shoal at the entrance of Halifax Harbour. In Jan 1984, while en route to Florida for Exercise Northern Wedding, a crack was found in Assiniboine's main deck. She was forced to return to Halifax after a port visit at Fort Lauderdale while the rest of the squadron continued on the exercise. En route to Halifax she had to remain within sight of land. Later that year, while acting as escort for the Tall Ships race from Bermuda to Halifax, HMCS Assiniboine took a lead role in the search for survivors of the lost British sailing vessel Marques, but sadly only one was found. On 17 Jul 1984, HMCS Assiniboine went into refit at Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, Quebec. After thirty-two years' service, and with more than 700,000 nautical miles under her keel, she was paid off on 14 Dec 1988, afterward serving as a floating classroom for fleet technicians at Halifax until Jan 1995, when she was turned over to Crown Assets for disposal. She was sold for scrap in 1995.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II),
(Comox Air Force Museum Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II), with a Piasecki HUP-3 helicopter, RCN (Serial No. 51-16622) landing on the rear deck, Aug 1963.
(Comox Air Force Museum Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II), with a Piasecki HUP-3 helicopter, RCN (Serial No. 51-16622) on the rear deck, Aug 1963.
(Comox Air Force Museum Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II), with a Piasecki HUP-3 helicopter, RCN (Serial No. 51-16622) landing on the rear deck, Aug 1963.
(Michael Forshaw Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) (II).
(PH1 Mussi, USN Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) underway in the Norwegian Sea. The ship's Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King helicopter hovers over the water off the ship's port quarter.
(Author Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234), with the Argentine sail training ship ARA Libertad, Halifax, Nova Scotia, c1974.
(USN, Official U.S. Naval Archives Photo)
HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II)
(USN Photo)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II), shown here underway in 1983. Laid down by Burrard Dry Dock Co., Ltd, Vancouver and completed by Yarrows Ltd., Esquimalt, HMCS Fraser was commissioned on 28 Jun 1957, and served on the west coast. On 16 Jan 1958, HMCS Fraser, along with HMCS Cayuga 218, HMCS Crescent 226, HMCS Margaree 230, and HMCS Skeena 207 departed Esquimalt, BC, for a Far Eastern Training cruise. On 7 Apr 1964, the ashes of Vice Admiral Howard Emmerson Reid, who Crossed the Bar 3 May 1962, were consigned to the sea from HMCS Fraser. On 12 Jan 1965 HMCS Fraser departed Esquimalt for blast tests of Kahoolawe, Hawaii. The blast test was conducted on 6 Feb 1965 and during the trip back to Esquimalt, on 23 Mar 1965 the ashes of Rear Admiral Ernest Patrick (Pat) Tisdall were consigned to the sea. HMCS Fraser arrived back in Esquimalt on 16 Apr 1965. HMCS Fraser then transferred coasts and proceeded to Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, where on 2 Jul 1965 she began her conversion to DDH configuration. She was re-commissioned on 22 Oct 1966, and was thereafter based at Halifax. On 15 Jun 1967, HMCS Fraser conducted the first landings of a Sea King helicopter. She demonstrated the Canadian-designed Beartrap helicopter haul-down system at Washington, DC, in Oct 1967. On 14 May 1969 HMCS Fraser attended the Spithead Review off Portsmouth as Canada's representative. During her 1970 Great Lakes deployment HMCS Fraser visited Thunder Bay as part of the celebrations of the amalgamation of Port Arthur and Port Williams into the city of Thunder Bay. On 12 Apr 1973, HMCS Fraser was paid off into Category "C" Reserve and was re-commissioned on 11 Mar 1974. On 17 Jul 1976, HMCS Protecteur, along with HMCS Skeena and HMCS Fraser arrived at Montreal in support of the 1976 Olympics. She underwent her DELEX refit at Canadian Vickers Ltd., between 19 Oct 1981 and 28 May 1982, and was thereafter utilized for testing. She was the first RCN ship to be fitted (1986) with an experimental towed array sonar system (ETASS), and was made the test bed for the NIXIE torpedo decoy system and later a tactical aircraft beacon (TACAN). In 1988 she was equipped to operate the HELTAS helicopter, equipped for a passive acoustic role. HMCS Fraser was among the ships enforcing UN sanctions against Haiti between Oct 1993 and Mar 1994. She returned from her first tour in time for Christmas 1993, and sailed for her 2nd tour on 1 Jan 1994. On 10 Jan 1994, HMCS Fraser experienced a minor boiler room fire in which 4 crew members suffered minor injuries. HMCS Fraser arrived in the Haiti Op Area on 13 Jan 1994 and departed on 25 Mar 1994 having completed two tours during which she conducted 73 boardings and 450 hailings; spending 134 days on station. She arrived back in Halifax on 31 Mar 1994. By this time, she was the sole survivor of her class, and in October 1994, she replaced HMCS Assiniboine in her classroom role until 18 Dec 1997, when she arrived at Bridgewater to become a floating museum. The conversion to a museum never transpired and she was later sold and broken up at Port Maitland, Ontario, 2010-2011. Her 3"50 was removed and shipped to the Reserve Unit HMCS Prevost where it was mounted.
(USN Photo)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II).
(F.R. Volpe, USN Photo)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II).
(Author Photo)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II), view from the MacDonald bridge, Halifax, ca 1973.
(Cathy Robinson Photo)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II).
(Daryl Payne Photo)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II).
(USN Naval History and Heritage History Photos)
HMCS Fraser (DDH 233) (II)
HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II)
(USN Photo)
HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II). A product of Halifax Shipyards Ltd., HMCS Margaree was commissioned on 5 Oct 1957 for services on the west coast. She was named after the Margaree River, Cape Breton Island, NS. On 16 Jan 1958 Margaree, in company with HMCS Cayuga 218, Crescent 226, HMCS Fraser 233, and HMCS Skeena 207 departed Esquimalt, BC, for a Far Eastern Training cruise, returning on 2 Apr 1958. She began her conversion to a DDH at Victoria Machinery Depot on 25 Sep 1964. Re-commissioned on 15 Oct 1965, she returned to Halifax. On 1 Apr 1979, some 200 nautical miles south of Halifax, using gunfire she sank the bow section of the tanker Kurdistan, which had been towed there for that purpose after breaking in half on 15 Mar 1979 south of Cabot Strait. On 12 Mar 1980, HMCS Margaree and HMCS Huron rescued the crew of the stricken MV Maurice Desgagnes. HMCS Margaree commenced her DELEX refit at Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, on 5 May 1980, being towed to HMC Dockyard, Halifax, when it appeared she might become ice-bound before its completion the following year. In later years she was several times Canada's representative in Standing Naval Force Atlantic (SNFL). In Aug 1991 HMCS Margaree took part in a re-enactment of the signing of the Atlantic Charter at Argentia, Newfoundland. Paid off on 2 May 1992, she was sold to Global Shipping Co., Tampa, Florida, for $193,393.00. She departed Halifax under tow of the Russian Tug Afanasiy for India, to be broken up on 14 Mar 1994.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951255)
HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II), 10 Feb 1958.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951237)
HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II), Esquimalt, BC, ca 1958.
(Calvin Locke Photo)
HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II), aerial view.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II), aerial view.
(PH1 Michael D.P. Flynn, USN Photo)
HMCS Margaree (DDH 230) (II), nderway during exercise Fleet Ex 1-90.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3923520)
HMCS Margaree (DDH-230) with a Grumman CS2F-2 Tracker aircraft in flight.
(Marko Babic Photo)
HMCS Margaree (DDH-230), in the Pacific, 1961.
(USN Naval History and Heritage Photos)
HMCS Margaree (230).
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951238)
HMCS Margaree Destroyer Escort (DDH 230) arriving in Esquimalt, British Columbia, c1960s. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951238)
HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229) (III)
(Brian Dobing Photo), as a DDE.
HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229) (III). Built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, HMCS Ottawa was commissioned there on 10 Nov 1956. In 1957 she was fitted with an experimental deck over her stern to test the feasibility of operating a helicopter from a ship of her type. On 2 Mar 1961, HMCS Ottawa in company with HMCS Saguenay 206, and HMCS St. Laurent 205 departed Esquimalt for Operations with US Carrier Division 17 off Hawaii; returning to Esquimalt on 4 Apr 1961. She began her DDH conversion at Victoria on 24 May 1963 . Re-commissioned on 28 Oct 1964 and destined to be based at Halifax, she left Esquimalt on 2 Feb 1965. In 1968 HMCS Ottawa became Canada's first designated francophone naval unit. She returned to her builder for DELEX refit, 19 Apr to 26 Nov 1982.
From 4 Aug 1984 until 31 Dec 1984, HMCS Ottawa was part of the Standing Naval Force Atlantic, having relieved HMCS Fraser at a turnover in Lubeck Germany. Port visits during this deployment were: Lubeck, Germany (4-7 Aug), Copenhagen, Denmark, (10-13 Aug), Aarhus, Denmark (17-21 Aug), Hamilton, Bermuda (7-10 Sep), Halifax, NS (20-26 Sep), Charleston, NC (1-22 Oct), Savannah, GA (27-30 Oct), Mayport, FL (30 Oct - 1 Nov), Island of Montserrat (10-14 Nov), New Orleans, LA (20-24 Nov), Mayport, FL (28 Nov -05 Dec). From 20 Jun 1988 to 29 Jul 1988, HMCS Ottawa carried out a St. Lawrence River and Great lakes cruise.
She was paid off on 31 Jul 1992, and on 4 Apr 1994, after being sold to Global Shipping Co., Tampa, Florida, for $243,000.00, she departed Halifax under tow of the Russian Tug (Ukrainian flagged) Sapfir, destined for India to be broken up.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229) (III).
(Andrew Hurst Photo)
HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229) (III), visiting Malta.
(Bruce Walter Photo)
HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229) (III), arriving at Ponta Delgada, Azores.
HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206) (II)
(KimJongUnchained Photo)
HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206) (II). Built by Halifax Shipyards Ltd., HMCS Saguenay was commissioned on 15 Dec 1956. On 11 Jun 1957, HMCS Saguenay was presented with the "Kingdom of Saguenay" flag by Chicoutimi, Quebec. She transferred to the west coast in 1959. On 28 Mar 1960, HMCS Saguenay, in company with HMCS Ottawa 229, and HMCS St Laurent 205 departed Hong Kong after a port visit during an operational cruise in the Pacific. They returned to Esquimalt on 29 Apr 1960. On 2 Mar 1961, HMCS Saguenay, in company with HMCS Ottawa 229, and HMCS St. Laurent 205 departed Esquimalt for Operations with US Carrier Division 17 off Hawaii; returning to Esquimalt on 4 Apr 1961. Burrard Dry Dock Ltd started her conversion to a DDH on 22 Aug 1963. Re-commissioned on 14 May 1965, she returned that July to Halifax. On 15 Jul 1970, HMCS Saguenay was grounded off Port Hood, NS. She was re-floated the next day, and was not damaged by the grounding. In October 1977, she took part in Exercise Ocean Safari and in Jan/Feb 1978 she was on Fish Pat. She began her DELEX refit at Versatile Vickers, Montreal, on 29 Oct 1979, returning to service on 23 May 1980. On 3 Apr 1986, HMCS Saguenay has a misfire of her 3"50 gun off Osborne Head, NS. The guns crew and one civilian received non life-threatening injuries. On 16 Aug 1986, while on SNFL exercise in the Baltic, she collided with the German submarine U-17. Returning home for repairs, she was again in service in Mar 1987. HMCS Saguenay was paid off on 26 Jun 1990 and, on 25 Jun 1994 at 1100 hrs, she was scuttled as a recreational divers' wreck between Cross Island and Sculpin Shoal, outside Lunenburg, NS.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206) (II).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206) (II).
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4821229)
HMCS Saguenay (DDH 206) (II) and HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229), Key West, Florida, 1957.
HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II)
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II). Built at Burrard Dry Dock, Vancouver, HMCS Skeena was commissioned on 30 Mar 1957. On 16 Jan 1958, HMCS Skeena, in company with HMCS Cayuga 218, HMCS Crescent 226, Fraser 233, and HMCS Margaree 230, departed Esquimalt, BC, for a Far Eastern Training cruise; returning to Esquimalt on 2 Apr 1958. On 26 May 1964, HMCS Skeena 207 DDE, departed Esquimalt for the east coast for her conversion to DDH which began on 1 Jul 1964 at Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec. On 14 Aug 1965, after a year's work, she was re-commissioned in DDH format and allocated for service out of Halifax. On 27 Jul 1970, along with HMCS Annapolis and HMCS Protecteur, she departed Halifax to celebrate Manitoba's Centennial with visits to Fort Churchill, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet and Wakeham Bay. In 1972 she was designated a French Language Unit. On 17 Jul 1976, HMCS Protecteur, along with HMCS Skeena and HMCS Fraser arrived at Montreal in support of the 1976 Olympics. HMCS Skeena underwent her DELEX refit at Montreal between 12 Apr and 20 Nov 1981. On 22 May 1985 HMCS Skeena 207 and USS Richard F. Byrd departed Leixoes, Portugal to intercept and observe the Kiev Task Group that entered the Atlantic from the Mediterranean. In the summer of 1991 she took part in the NATO exercise Ocean Safari '91, soon afterward visiting St. Lawrence and Great Lake ports to encourage recruiting and public awareness. She was paid off on 1 Nov 1993, and on 3 Jul 1996 left Halifax in tow for India to be broken up.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951241)
HMCS Fraser and HMCS Skeena, ca 1960s.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951155)
HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II), testing anti-radioactive fallout wetting spray in Bedwell Harbour, BC, 1957.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4821372)
HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II), commissioning, 1957.
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II). RASing from HMCS Ontario, 1958.
(US Naval History and Heritage Photo)
HMCS Skeena (DDH 207) (II).
HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205) (II)
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205) (II), 1966. Name ship of her trend-setting class of "Cadillacs," HMCS St. Laurent was built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, and commissioned on 29 Oct 1955. In February 1956 she proceeded to the US Trials Centre at Key West, Florida, for three months' evaluation, after which she visited Washington, arriving on the Potomac River on 15 Apr 1956. Afterwards she departed for the UK and in the course of the latter excursion escorted HMY Britannia on a state visit to Sweden. On 2 Feb 1960, HMCS St. Laurent, then stationed on the west coast, departed Esquimalt with two of her sisters, HMCS Ottawa 229 and HMCS Saguenay 206, on a 2 1/2-month Pacific cruise, visiting Long Beach, Pearl Harbour, Yokosuka, Okinawa and Hong Kong. On 28 Mar 1960 they departed Hong Kong after a port visit and returned to Esquimalt on 29 Apr 1960. On 2 Mar 1961, HMCS St. Laurent, in company with HMCS Ottawa 229, and HMCS Saguenay 206, departed Esquimalt for Operations with US Carrier Division 17 off Hawaii; returning to Esquimalt on 4 Apr 1961. HMCS Saguenay was test-fitted with VDS prior to being converted to a DDH at Burrard Dry Dock, Vancouver. Re-commissioned on 4 Oct 1963, she departed Esquimalt on 7 Jan 1964 for a world cruise and then transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. HMCS St. Laurent was paid off for the final time on 14 Jun 1974. She remained in Halifax as a source for spare parts for her sister ships. On 1 Jan 1980, she left under tow of the tug Odin Salvator for Brownsville, Texas, to be broken up, but on 12 Jan 1980, the towline broke in a gale and she foundered off Cape Hatteras.
(Daniel Miller Photo)
HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205) (II), London, England, 1956.
(Daniel Miller Photo)
HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205) (II), 1956.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951270)
HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205) (II), Halifax, Nova Scotia, ca. 1957-1963.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4718898)
Restigouche-class destroyer escorts
HMCS Chaudière (DDE 235) (II); HMCS Columbia (DDE 260) (II); HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II); HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II); HMCS Restigouche (DDE 257) (II); HMCS St. Croix (DDE 256) (II); HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259)
HMCS Chaudière (DDE 235) (II)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Chaudière (DDE 235) (II). Built at Halifax Shipyards and the last of her class, HMCS Chaudiere was commissioned on 14 Nov 1959. On 2 Oct 1967, she left Halifax to serve on the west coast. Her intended conversion to an IRE was abandoned for reasons of economy, and in 1970 her complement was reduced to training level. On 23 May 1974, she was paid off and thereafter used as a source of spare parts for others of her class. Her bow was removed in 1989 to replaced that of HMCS Kootenay, which had been damaged in a collision. HMCS Chaudiere was sunk as a sport divers' wreck in Sechelt Inlet, BC, on 5 Dec 1992. Lt (N) Dale Ray Skaarup served on this ship.
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Chaudière (DDE 235) (II).
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Chaudière (DDE 235) (II).
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Chaudière (DDE 235) (II).
HMCS Columbia (DDE 260) (II)
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Columbia (DDE 260) (II). Built by Burrard Dry Dock Ltd., Vancouver, HMCS Columbia was commissioned on 07 Nov 1959, and soon afterward was transferred the east coast. In 1960 she represented Canada at Nigerian Independence observances, returning home on 25 Oct 1960. On 29 Apr 1961, HMCS Columbia and HMCS Restigouche made a port visit at Washington, DC. In Mar 1967 she was transferred to Esquimalt. Paid off on 18 Feb 1974, HMCS Columbia was fitted to "no-thrust wheels" so that her engines might be run at dockside. Sold to the Artificial Reef Society of BC, on 15 Jun 1996, she was sunk as an artificial reef off Maude Island, Campbell River on 14 Jun 1997.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Columbia (DDE 260) (II).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Columbia (DDE 260) (II).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Columbia (DDE 260) (II).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Columbia (DDE 260) (II).
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II)
(DND Photo via Brian Dobling)
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II). Laid down at Davie Shipbuilding Ltd, Lauzon, Quebec, HMCS Gatineau was the first post-war product of Davie Shipbuilding. Launched two years later, she was towed to Halifax for completion to avoid freeze-up and commissioned at HMC Dockyard, Halifax, on 17 Feb 1959. For the next ten years she served at part of the 5th Canadian Escort Squadron (the Barber Pole Squadron) . In March 1965, HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Gatineau participated in the search for a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair CP-107 Argus that had disappeared 60 miles (97 km) north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Mar 1968 she was the first Canadian warship to become a member of NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT). HMCS Gatineau was transferred west, departing Halifax on 16 Jul 1969; arriving at Esquimalt on 14 Aug 1969 with port visits to Bermuda, Panama, Acapulco and San Diego. On 9 Sep 1969 she began her IRE conversion at Ship Repair Unit (Pacific). The two year conversion introduced the VDS and ASROC to the class and one her re-commissioning on 14 Apr 1971 she was classified as an IRE. She then became part of the Second Canadian Escort Squadron. Her DELEX refit was also carried out at SRU(P) between Sep 1981 and 12 Nov 1982. In Apr 1987 she resumed her duties in Halifax. In Jul 1993, she played host to three visiting Soviet warships and afterward escorted them to sea while carrying out exercises along the way. In the fall of 1993, HMCS Gatineau, along with HMCS Fraser and HMCS Preserver, assisted in the enforcement of UN sanctions off Haiti. Early in 1995 she took part in the NATO exercise Strong Resolve off the coast of Norway, acting as flagship for the four other Canadian ships involved. Apr 1995 found her operating in support of Fisheries and Coast Guard ships off Newfoundland during the "Turbot Dispute" with Spain. She was finally paid off on 1 July 1998. On 18 Sep 2009, DND called for bids for "the removal, dismantling and disposal" of HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Gatineau. On 4 Nov 2009, DND announced that Aecon Fabco had won the bid and would tow both vessels to their Pictou Shipyard in Pictou, Nova Scotia. HMCS Gatineau departed Halifax Harbour on 17 Nov 2009, under tow by the tugboat Atlantic Elm and arrived in Pictou on 19 Nov 2009, for breaking up.
(Raymond Cumby Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II).
(Terry Gunn Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II), Dublin, Ireland, 1966.
(Author Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II), Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4951312)
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) (II), view of Chicago, 1959.
HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 482151)
HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II), in the first lock of the Welland Canal, Ontario, 1959. First of her class to be launched, HMCS Kootenay was built at Burrard Dry Dock, Vancouver, and commissioned there on 7 Mar 1959. After working up, she was transferred to the east coast. In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, HMCS Algonquin, HMCS Micmac, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS St. Croix, HMCS Terra Nova, HMCS Kootenay, HMCS Swansea, HMCS La Hulloise, HMCS Buckingham, HMCS Cape Scott, CNAV Bluethroat and CNAV St. Charles, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics. On 23 Oct 1969, while in European waters, she suffered a gearbox explosion that killed 9 crewmen and injured 53 others. She was towed to Plymouth - part of the way by HMCS Saguenay and then to Halifax by a salvage tug. It was the RCN's worst-ever peacetime accident. While she was under repairs, it was decided to convert her to an IRE. She was re-commissioned on 7 Jan 1972. Transferred to the west coast, she departed Halifax on 23 Jan 1973 and arrived in Esquimalt on 12 Feb 1973. HMCS Kootenay had left Esquimalt on 14 May 1973 on Westploy 2/73. HMCS Kootenay’s routine was similar to that of HMCS Terra Nova, exercising with American and Australian naval vessels, and assisting broken-down fishermen. When the Canadian continent left Saigon on 31 July 1973, she was just fifty miles off the coast, the closest either ship was allowed to approach Vietnam. HMCS Kootenay then proceeded home to Esquimalt. On 8 May 1986, HMCS Provider, HMCS Restigouche, HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Kootenay, departed Esquimalt for Exercise RIMPAC 86 and returned on 21 Jun 1986. On 1 Jun 1989, HMCS Kootenay collided in fog off Cape Flattery with the MV Nord Pol, sustaining a sizeable gash in her bow, which was replaced with a matching section from HMCS Chaudiere. From 3 to 7 Jun 1990, HMCS Kootenay visited Vladivostok as part of a Canadian Task Group, the first to do so since the end of the Second World War. On 16 May 1994, HMCS Kootenay 258 departed Esquimalt, BC, for Exercise RIMPAC. She departed Hawaiian waters and the exercise on 21 Jun 1994, for Operation Forward Action, Haiti, arriving in the Op Area on 13 Jul 1994. She returned to Esquimalt on 10 Oct 1994. In 1995, HMCS Kootenay participated in EX UNITAS off the coast of Chile. Returning home, she made a final port visit at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; departing there on 16 Nov 1995. HMCS Kootenay's boilers were shut down for the final time on 5 Dec 1995 after she returned from de-ammunitioning at Rocky Point. On 18 Dec 1995, she was paid off and, on 6 Nov 2000, towed out of Esquimalt with HMCS Restigouche to be sunk as an artificial reef off Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The HMCS Restigouche was sunk off Acapulco, but HMCS Kootenay was not. She was later towed to Manzanillo, Mexico where she was last photographed in 2003. HMCS Kootenay ended up under arrest as the purchasers didn't pay some kind of import fee and it ended up in a dispute between the Mexican federal government and the harbour authorities and the owners. She was being scrapped at the dock at Manzillo.
(Brian Dobing Photo)
HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II).
(DND Photo via Richard Larchevesque)
HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II).
(Author photo)
HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II), view from the MacDonald bridge, Halifax, ca 1973.
(USN Photo via John Hawley)
HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II), visiting Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1986.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Kootenay (DDE 258) (II).
HMCS Restigouche (DDE 257)
(Bill Starr Photo)
HMCS Restigouche (DDE 257). Built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., HMCS Restigouche suffered portside damage in a collision with the freights Manchester Port in Nov 1957 while still in the hands of her builder. She was finally commissioned at Montreal on 7 Jun 1958. She was present at the formal opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, and at a mini-UN naval review in Toronto the following month, immediately afterward carrying the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland on a tour of that province's northeast outports. On 29 Apr 1961, HMCS Restigouche and HMCS Columbia 260 made a port visit to Washington, D.C. She underwent her IRE modernization in 1970-72 at Halifax Shipyards.
In Jun 1972, HMCS Restigouche was damaged as a result of a barge fire alongside her. In 1973 she was transferred to the west coast, arriving at Esquimalt on 2 Aug 1973. Between 3 Dec 1984 and 29 Nov 1985 she completed her DELEX refit at SRU(P). On 8 May 1986, HMCS Provider 508, HMCS Restigouche 257, HMCS Terra Nova 259 and HMCS Kootenay 258, departed Esquimalt for Exercise RIMPAC 86 and returned on 21 Jun 1986. Upgraded (as per HMCS Terra Nova) for possible service in the Persian Gulf, in Mar 1991 she instead joined SNFL, the first west coast based unit to do so. On 24 Feb 1992, HMCS Restigouche was dispatched to the Red Sea to assist a multinational force convened to ensure that Iraq did not resume hostilities. She returned to Esquimalt on 18 Aug 1992. She was paid off on 31 Aug 1994. HMCS Restigouche was sold in December 1998 to American Dick Crawford for $113,055.50. On 6 Nov 2000, she and her sister, HMCS Kootenay, departed Esquimalt in tow for Mexico, where HMCS Restigouche was sunk off Acapulco on 11 Jun 2001.
(USN Photo)
HMCS Restigouche in 1992, with Phalanx CIWS and Harpoon missile launchers aft.
HMCS St. Croix (DDE 256)
(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)
HMCS St. Croix (DDE 256), 16 March 1960. Built by Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, HMCS St. Croix was commissioned on 4 Oct 1958. In 1959, as a member of the 5th Canadian Destroyer Squadron, she served as escort to HMY Britannia on a Royal visit to Canada and in Aug 1960, with HMCS Terra Nova, helped mark the 500th Anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator off Lisbon. In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, HMCS Algonquin, HMCS Micmac, Cayuga, HMCS St. Croix, HMCS Terra Nova, HMCS Kootenay, HMCS Swansea, HMCS La Hulloise, HMCS Buckingham, HMCS Cape Scott, CNAV Bluethroat and CNAV St. Charles, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics. HMCS St. Croix was transferred to the west coast in Aug 1964. On 3 and 4 May 1966, HMCS St. Croix took part in blast tests off the coast of Long Beach, California. These tests were conducted in order to study the effects of near-misses and help make design changes to prevent damage from such explosions. After the blast on 3 May, HMCS St. Croix recovered fighting capability in 30 minutes. The blast on 4 May rendered her non-operational and she could not become fully operational without Dockyard assistance. During these tests the ship was fully manned. The impact from the 2nd explosion lifted men 12 inches off the deck; equipment fell from bulkheads and bulkheads were distorted. The only casualty resulted from a clock coming off the bulkhead and hitting a sailor on the hand, injuring his thumb. On 2-5 June 1967, HMCS St. Croix had a port visit in Powell River, BC. From 5-7 June 1967 she visited Port Mellon, BC. She returned to Halifax in 1974, where she was paid off on 15 Nov 1974, into Category "C" Reserve. Her guns and propellers were removed and her machinery spaces made into classrooms for Fleet School trainees. She served in this capacity from 1984 to Sept 1990. In 1991 HMCS St. Croix was sold to Jacobson Metal of Chesapeake, Virginia, and early in Apr 1992 left Halifax under tow to be broken up.
(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)
HMCS St. Croix (DDE 256)
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259). Seventh and last of her class, HMCS Terra Nova was built by the Victoria Machinery Depot and commissioned on 6 Jun 1959, and shortly thereafter sailed east, to be on hand of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and a review of NATO warships at Toronto in August. On 3 Jul 1961 she embarked the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland on a 12 day series of visits to its southwest outports. In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, HMCS Algonquin, HMCS Micmac, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS St. Croix, HMCS Terra Nova, HMCS Kootenay, HMCS Swansea, HMCS La Hulloise, HMCS Buckingham, HMCS Cape Scott, CNAV Bluethroat and CNAV St. Charles, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics. In Mar 1965, HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Gatineau participated in the search for a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair CP-107 Argus that had disappeared 60 miles (97 km) north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In May 1965 she entered Halifax Shipyards to begin her conversion to an IRE class destroyer escort. She was fitted with the new AN/SQS-505 sonar, which she tested for seven months before completing the IRE conversion, which she was the first of her class to undergo. She returned for duties in Esquimalt on 4 May 1971 . Between 21 Nov 1983 and 9 Nov 1984, HMCS Terra Nova received her DELEX refit at Esquimalt. On 8 May 1986, HMCS Provider 508, HMCS Restigouche 257, HMCS Terra Nova 259 and HMCS Kootenay 258, departed Esquimalt for Exercise RIMPAC 86 and returned on 21 Jun 1986. Transferred to the east coast, she returned to Halifax on 12 Dec 1989. Designated for service in the Persian Gulf, she was temporarily armed with two quadruple Harpoon missile-launchers, mounted just abaft the after deckhouse; a Phalanx gun atop the Limbo well; two single Bofors on the boat deck amidships, and shoulder-fired Blowpipe and Javelin missiles. Along with HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Protecteur, she left Halifax on 24 Aug 1990, not to return until 7 Apr 1991. On 22 Feb 1994, HMCS Terra Nova stopped and boarded MV Pacifico while on a drug interdiction patrol and seized 5.9 tonnes of cocaine. On 5 Apr 1994, HMCS Terra Nova departed Halifax for Op Forward Action, Haiti; arriving in the Op Area on 28 Apr 1994. While so employed she rescued boatloads of refugees on two separate occasions and conducted 90 boardings. She left the Haitian Op Area on 13 Jul 1994 and arrived in Halifax on 18 Jul 1994. On 11 Jul 1997 she was placed in a "state of extended readiness" until finally paid off on 1 Jul 1998. After being paid off, HMCS Terra Nova appeared, cast as an American destroyer, in the movie K-19: The Widowmaker. On 4 Nov 2009, DND announced that Aecon Fabco had won the bid and would tow both vessels to their Pictou Shipyard in Pictou, Nova Scotia to be broken up. HMCS Terra Nova departed Halifax Harbour on 20 Nov 2009 under tow by the tugboat Atlantic Elm and arrived in Pictou on 22 Nov 2009, where she joined HMCS Gatineau which had arrived a few days earlier. By the summer of 2010 she was being cut up for scrap, mainly aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel. She later sank at her mooring and was raised by crane in April 2011 and the remainder of her hulk was dismantled.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259), Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(USN Photo)
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1986.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259), part of the 5th Destroyer Squadron, before her conversion to an IRE.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259).
Mackenzie-class destroyer escorts
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261); HMCS Qu’Appelle (DDE 264) (II); HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262) (II); HMCS Yukon (DDE 263)
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4997190)
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261), 21 Sep 1962. First of her class, HMCS Mackenzie, built by Canadian Vickers, Montreal, was commissioned there on 6 Oct 1962. As with the other destroyer-escorts of her class, she is named after a famous Canadian river - the Mackenzie River in the North West Territories. Initially based at Halifax, she sailed for the west coast on 2 Mar 1963. Arriving in Esquimalt on 6 May 1963, she spent the remainder of her service life in Pacific waters. In April 1964, HMCS Qu'appelle (call sign CYQD) transferred from the East to the West coast and became the 2nd Squadron Senior ship. To avoid confusion with similar call signs - HMCS Mackenzie's call sign was CGQD - HMCS Mackenzie, being the junior ship, had her call sign changed to CGYZ on 1 Aug 1964. On 2-5 June 1967, HMCS Mackenzie had a port visit in Powell River, BC. From 5-7 June 1967 she visited Sechelt, BC. On 4 May 1970, HMCS Provider 508, HMCS Mackenzie 261, HMCS Yukon 263 and HMCS Terra Nova 259 departed Esquimalt for a Far East cruise. On 30 Jun 1973, crew members of HMCS Mackenzie boarded and seized MV Marysville in a reported million dollar drug seizure. Between 26 May 1986, and 16 Jan 1987, she received her DELEX refit at SRU(P). After 30 years of service, in the course of which she visited 96 foreign ports and steamed 845,640 nautical miles either as a unit of the 4th Canadian Destroyer Squadron or of Training Group Pacific, HMCS Mackenzie was paid off on 3 Aug 1993. On 16 Sep 1995, like several of her sisters, she was sunk off Rum Island, near Sidney, BC, as a sport-divers' venue.
Mackenzie was commissioned in Montreal with a West coast crew and had a port visit in Halifax enroute to Esquimalt. This was her first trip through the Panama Canal and other than one exercise in the Caribbean after which she returned directly to Esquimalt she never returned to the Atlantic. She never had an East coast crew and other than her stop in Halifax after her commissioning in Montreal, she never returned to Halifax - the only one of the Cadillacs to do so.
(USN Photo, PH2 M. Correa)
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261).
(Brian Dobing Photo)
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261).
(Robert Berbeck Photo)
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261), flying her original call sign CGQD, July 1964. In April 1964, HMCS Qu'Appelle (call sign CYQD) was brought around from Halifax to Esquimalt and became 2nd Squadron Senior ship. To avoid confusion between the call signs, and with HMCS Mackenzie being the junior ship to HMCS Qu'Appelle, HMCS Mackenzie's call sign was changed on 1 Aug 1964 to CGYZ.
(PH2 M. Correa, USN Photo)
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261), passing along San Diego, California en route to exercise "RIMPAC '92".
(USN Photo, PH2 M. Correa)
HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261), 1992.
HMCS Qu’Appelle (DDE 264) (II)
(Brian Dobing Photo)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (DDE 264) (II), 1968. A product of the Davie Shipbuilding Co., Lauzon, HMCS Qu'Appelle was commissioned on 14 Sep 1963, becoming a unit of Pacific Command the following spring. She was unique of her class, being fitted with a 3"50 calibre gun forward since the intended 3"70 calibre weapon was unavailable. On 28 Aug 1972, in company with HMCS Gatineau and HMCS Provider, she left Esquimalt on a four-month south Pacific cruise during which exercises were carried out with units of the Australian, New Zealand and US navies. HMCS Qu'Appelle's DELEX refit was carried out between 25 May 1983 and 13 Jan 1984 by Burrard Yarrow at CFB Esquimalt. In the summer of 1986, with HMCS Yukon and HMCS Saskatchewan, she returned to Australia to attend ceremonies marking the 75th birthday of that country's navy. She was paid off on 31 Jul 1992 and sold in 1994 to a Chinese firm for $165,000.00 for breaking up.
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (DDE 264) (II).
(Steve Hlasny Photo)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (DDE 264) (II), 1968.
(USN Photo)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (DDE 264) (II) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1990.
HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262) (II)
(Brian Dobing Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262) (II). Built by Victoria Machinery Depot and completed by Yarrows at Esquimalt, HMCS Saskatchewan was commissioned on 16 Feb 1963, following which, from Jun to Oct 1963, she was based at Halifax. In Oct 1963, HMCS Bonaventure, HMCS Algonquin, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS Micmac and HMCS Saskatchewan took part in a NATO exercise in which all participating ships were battered by a severe North Atlantic storm. She then returned to the west coast. In 1968 she grounded while transiting Active Pass in fog. In Feb 1970, she returned to Halifax with the crew of HMCS Kootenay, relieving HMCS Nipigon as the flagship of SNFL that summer, but returned to the Pacific in 1973. She was given her DELEX refit at Burrard Yarrow Inc., Esquimalt, between 27 May 1985 and 17 Jun 1986. HMCS Saskatchewan took part in SOPLOY '86 from 25 Aug 1986 till 25 Nov 1986. During that deployment HMCS Saskatchewan was part of a Canadian squadron that visited Australia for the RAN's 75th Anniversary celebrations. Port visits during SOPLOY '86 were: Pearl Harbor 3-6 Sep / 14-17 Nov; Pago Pago, American Samoa 14 Sep & 5 Nov; Suva, Fiji 18-20 Sep; Brisbane, Australia 25-27 Nov; Sydney, Australia 29 Sep-07 Oct; Melbourne, Australia 8-13 Oct; Wellington, New Zealand 22-23 Oct; Gisborne, New Zealand 24-27 Oct and Auckland, New Zealand 28-31 Oct 1986. During the South American Cruise in 1989, HMCS Saskatchewan Crossed the Equator on 16 May 1989 and visited the following ports: Acapulco 5 - 9 May, Guayaquil 17 - 22 May, Caldera 27 May - 1 Jun, Puerto Vallarta 7 - 11 Jun, San Diego 16-19 Jun and San Francisco 23-26 Jun 1989. In her final years, HMCS Saskatchewan was a member of Training Group Pacific, instructing officer cadets in ship handling, navigation and marine engineering. On 17 Mar 1994, barely six weeks before she was paid off, HMCS Saskatchewan lost two crew members, Slt N.P. Schiele and AB S.J. Schreurs, in a diving accident in Shoal Channel, Howe Sound. HMCS Saskatchewan was paid off on 1 Apr 1994, purchased by the Artificial Reef Society of BC, and sunk on 14 Jun 1997, near Nanaimo.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262) (II).
(Steve Hlasny Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262) (II).
HMCS Yukon (DDE 263)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Yukon (DDE 263). Built by Burrard's, Vancouver, HMCS Yukon was commissioned on 25 May 1963 and, manned by east-coast personnel, sailed for Halifax on 27 July 1963. On 5 Jan 1965, she departed for Esquimalt. On 4 May 1970, HMCS Provider 508, HMCS Mackenzie 261, HMCS Yukon 263 and HMCS Terra Nova 259 departed Esquimalt for a Far East cruise - she carried out exercises with units of the Australian, New Zealand, Japanese and US navies, incidentally making visits to Kobe, Osaka and Sasebo. HMCS Yukon was the flagship for the NATO squadron in 1974 that was alongside Lisbon when the Portuguese Rebellion started. Crew members were on the upper deck when the machine gun fire commenced and were told to "hit the deck". On completion of her mid-life refit in 1975, HMCS Yukon became a member of Training Group Pacific. Her DELEX refit was carried out by Burrard Yarrow at Esquimalt, between 28 May 1984 and 16 Jan 1985. During her career, HMCS Yukon steamed more than 792,000 nautical miles and visited some 30 foreign ports. She was paid off on 3 Dec 1993 and eventually sold to the San Diego Oceans Foundation. On 25 Apr 1999 she left Vancouver in tow for San Diego, where she was to be ceremoniously sunk on 15 Jul 1999 as a sport-divers' wreck, but she flooded in rough weather at the intended site and sank the day before.
(Brian Dobing Photo)
HMCS Yukon (DDE 263)
(Author Photo)
HMCS Yukon (DDE 263), Halifax harbour, ca 1973.
Annapolis-class helicopter destroyers
HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265) (II); HMCS Nipigon (DDH 266) (II)
HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265) (II)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265). Built at Halifax Shipyards Ltd., HMCS Annapolis was commissioned on 19 Dec 1964. She was the twentieth and last of the Cadillacs. HMCS Annapolis served most of her career with the RCN on the east coast. On 27 Jul 1970, along with HMCS Skeena and HMCS Protecteur, she departed Halifax to celebrate Manitoba's Centennial with visits to Fort Churchill, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet and Wakeham Bay. In June 1974, while flagship of SNFL, HMCS Annapolis went to the aid of a Sea King helicopter which had lost an engine and ditched. After rescuing its crew, HMCS Annapolis recovered the helicopter and loaded it onto a barge and towed it to Den Helder, there bringing it onboard for return to Halifax. On 14 Aug 1989, HMCS Annapolis left Halifax for Esquimalt where she served primarily as a training ship. From 3 Jun to 7 Jun 1990, HMCS Kootenay, HMCS Annapolis, HMCS Huron had a port visit at Vladivostok, Russia. On 10 Mar 1994, HMCS Annapolis departed Esquimalt to participate in Operation Forward Action, Haiti. Arriving on station on 25 Mar 1994; she departed the Op Area on 23 Apr 1994. HMCS Annapolis was decommissioned from the RCN on 15 Nov 1996 and placed in reserve. She was paid off in 1998 and stripped of all weapons and sensors before being laid up at CFB Esquimalt. HMCS Annapolis was sold to the Artificial Reef Society of BC in 2008 and was sunk as an artificial reef near Gambier Island, BC, on 4 Apr 2015.
( Serge Joncas Photo)
HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265) with the Standing Naval Force Atlantic, Funchal, Madeira, 1977.
(USN Photo)
HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265)
(Bbaumgardner Photo)
HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265) (II).
HMCS Nipigon (DDH 266) (II)
(National Archives and Records Administration Photo, 6409100)
HMCS Nipigon (DDH 266) (II), underway during NATO Exercise "Ocean Safari '85".
HMCS Nipigon (DDH 266) (II). Built by Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, HMCS Nipigon was commissioned on 30 May 1964 with the wife of the then Governor-General Georges P Vanier DSO MC & Bar CD, Madame Pauline Vanier, as her sponsor. She arrived in Halifax for the first time on 7 Jun 1964 serving most of her career with the Atlantic Fleet. On 18 Oct 1965, a fire broke out aboard the ship, causing the death of three crew; no official cause for the explosion and subsequent fire has ever been given.
At approximately 2030 hours on 18th October 1965, while at sea, two explosions occurred in 12 Mess on HMCS. Nipigon. The force of these explosions blew the locked cover off a tank containing JP 5 helicopter fuel causing a flash fire in the Mess. The compartment directly above the Mess contained ammunition. At the time of the explosions there were eleven men in 12 Mess, one of which was Leading Seaman White. Although burned about the face and hands when escaping from the Mess, Leading Seaman White rushed to the Quartermaster's lobby to inform the lifebuoy sentry of the explosions in order that Command could be informed. He then returned to the area of the Mess to assist where needed but when advised that one man who appeared to be unconscious had not escaped from the Mess, immediately donned a set of breathing equipment and re-entered the Mess. The Mess at this time was filled with fumes from the JP 5 fuel and heavy black smoke. Freeing the unconscious man Leading Seaman White, with the assistance of Able Seaman Gray who had just entered, carried the man to the foot of the hatch and then searched all bunks to ensure no one else was trapped. Then, with the assistance of the Able Seaman and other crew members, brought the man up to the mortar well on the deck above. Leading Seaman White then assisted the damage control parties in flooding the JP 5 fuel tank with sea water and the removal of smouldering material. Although burned by the initial flash fire, Leading Seaman White alerted Command, re-entered the fume and smoke filled Mess to rescue a comrade, and did excellent work in a dangerous area which contained an open JP 5 fuel tank adjacent to stored ammunition before obtaining medical attention for himself. This fine display of courage in the face of serious injury or possible death, is a credit not only to Leading Seaman White, but also his ship and the Canadian Forces. LS White was awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry for his actions.
During her service she was primarily used as a training ship. On 7 Nov 1971, while operating off Bermuda, HMCS Nipigon's Sea King lost power on her engines and crashed into the sea at about 2200 hrs. There was a loss of three crew who were never recovered. Only the navigator was found by rescue crew. Seas were heavy with no moon and a strong wind.
On 10 September 1979 while underway at sea, a gasket from a steam line heated at 850o ruptured in the boiler room of the destroyer. PO Marsh ordered all personnel to evacuate the immediate area and remained at the boiler room console to carry out the emergency shut-down procedures. Outside, the main power had failed, semi-darkness made any action most difficult, while confusion and a sense of danger were evident. CWO McIntosh proceeded without hesitation through the escape hatch, although the heat was intolerable. He reached the console with difficulty and both he and PO Marsh with only ventilation fans keeping the steam from smothering them, calmly and correctly took appropriate action to minimize machinery damage and restore safety. CWO John McIntosh and PO Patrick Marsh voluntarily exposed themselves to grave danger to ensure the safety of the ship and prevent possible loss of life on board . Both CPO McIntosh and PO Marsh were awarded the Star of Courage for their actions.
On 27 Jun 1983, she was paid off for her DELEX refit at Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co., Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec. She was re-commissioned on 22 Aug 1984. On 28 Apr 1985 HMCS Nipigon provided SAR assistance to fishing vessel Lady Marjorie. The crew was rescued and the vessel was sunk by gunfire from HMCS Nipigon. The Crown was subsequently sued by vessel owners. An out of court settlement was reached. On 22 Feb 1987 HMCS Nipigon's helicopter assisted in the rescue of the crew from the burning tug Gulf Gale off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. On 19 May 1993 HMCS Nipigon departed Halifax with HMNZS Endeavour and HMNZS Canterbury for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic ceremonies off the coast of Wales and Liverpool. On 14 Jun 1995 HMCS Nipigon's crew members along with DFO enforcement officers boarded the Spanish trawler Patricia Nores and found 11 tonnes of turbot in excess of amounts recorded in the ship's log.
She was paid off on 2 Jul 1998 and sold for use as an artificial reef. She was sunk in the St. Lawrence River north-east of Rimouski, Quebec on 22 Jul 2003.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Nipigon (266).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Nipigon (266)
(US National Archives Photo)
HMCS Nipigon (266).
(DND Photo, HSC81-914-18)
Annapolis-class destroyer HMCS Nipigon (DDH 266), in the North Atlantic with a Sea King in the air, Feb 1981.
Iroquois-class area air defence destroyers are listed on a separate page on this web site.
HMCS Iroquois (DDH 280), HMCS Huron (DDH 281), HMCS Athabaskan (DDG 282), and HMCS Algonquin (DDG 283).
