Annapolis-class destroyer

Last updated
HMCS Nipagon - Ocean Safari 85 - DN-ST-86-02520.JPEG
HMCS Nipigon underway during NATO Exercise Ocean Safari '85.
Class overview
NameAnnapolis class
Builders
Operators
Preceded by Mackenzie class
Succeeded by Iroquois class
Built1960–1964
In commission1964–1998
Planned2
Completed2
Retired2
General characteristics
Type Destroyer escort
Displacement3,420 long tons (3,474.9 t) full load
Length366 ft (112 m)
Beam42 ft (13 m)
Draught23.5 ft (7.2 m)
Propulsion
Speed28 kn (51.9 km/h; 32.2 mph)
Complement228
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Original:
    • 1 × SPS-12 air search radar
    • 1 × SPS-10B surface search radar
    • 1 × Sperry Mk.2 navigation radar
    • 1 × URN 20 TACAN radar
    • 1 × SQS-501 high frequency bottom profiler sonar
    • 1 × SQS-502 high frequency mortar control sonar
    • 1 × SQS-503 hull mounted active search sonar
    • 1 × SQS-504 VDS medium frequency active search sonar
    • 1 × UQC-1B "Gertrude" underwater telephone
    • 1 × Mk 60 GFCS fire control with SPG-48 tracker (GUNAR)
  • DELEX:
    • 1 × Marconi SPS-503 air search radar
    • 1 × Raytheon/Sylvania SPS-502 surface search radar
    • 1 × Sperry Mk.127E navigation radar
    • 1 × URN 25 TACAN radar
    • 1 × SQS-505(V) or SQS-510 hull mounted active search sonar
    • 1 × SQS-504 VDS medium frequency active search sonar
    • 1 × SQR-19(V) CANTASS towed array sonar
    • 1 × UQC-1B "Gertrude" underwater telephone
    • 1 × Mk 60 GFCS fire control with SPG-48 tracker (GUNAR)
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Original:
    • 1 × ULQ-6 jammer
    • 1 × WLR-1C radar analyzer
    • 1 × UPD-501 radar detector
    • 1 × SRD-501 HF/DF
  • DELEX:
    • 1 × SLQ-501 intercept (CANEWS)
    • 1 × ULQ-6 jammer
    • 1 × SRD-501 HF/DF
Armament
  • Original:
    • 1 × FMC 3-inch/50 Mk.33 twin gun
    • 1 × Mk. NC 10 Limbo ASW mortar
    • 1 × Mk.4 thrower with homing torpedoes
  • DELEX:
    • 1 × FMC 3-inch/50 Mk.33 twin gun
    • 2 × triple Mk.32 12.75-inch torpedo tubes firing Mk.44 or Mk.46 Mod 5 torpedoes
Aircraft carried1 CH-124 Sea King ASW helicopter
Aviation facilitiesMidships helicopter deck and hangar with Beartrap.

The Annapolis-class destroyer escort was a two-ship class of destroyer escorts that saw service with the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces from the 1960s to the 1990s. The final version of the St. Laurent-class design, [1] the class was used extensively for anti-submarine warfare purposes. Both ships were sunk as artificial reefs after being retired, one on each coast of Canada.

Contents

Design and description

Annapolis in 1982 before her DELEX refit Annapolis DN-SC-87-01114.jpg
Annapolis in 1982 before her DELEX refit

The Royal Canadian Navy had intended to place a six ship order under the Mackenzie class of destroyer escorts; however, during the design phase, the last two vessels ordered were altered to the St. Laurent DDH design and were classed under the new Annapolis designation. [2]

The ships measured 366 feet (112 m) in length, with a beam of 42 feet (13 m) and a draught of 13 feet 2 inches (4.01 m). [3] [note 1] Initially, the ships displaced 2,400 tonnes (2,400 long tons) [4] [note 2] and had a complement of 228. [1] [note 3]

The ships were powered by two Babcock & Wilcox boilers connected to the two-shaft English-Electric geared steam turbines providing 30,000 shaft horsepower (22,000 kW). [3] This gave the ships a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). [4]

The ships were initially armed with two 3-inch (76 mm)/50 calibre [note 4] dual-purpose guns mounted in a single turret forward. The extra topweight of the helicopter required the return of the American Mk 33 3-inch gun over the heavier 3-inch/70 calibre guns used on the preceding class. [1] The 3-inch/50s weighed 1,760 pounds (800 kg) and fired a projectile that weighed 13 pounds (5.9 kg). The guns had a muzzle velocity of 2,700 feet per second (820 m/s) and a range of 14,600 yards (13,400 m) at a 45° angle. The guns could fire 45 – 50 rounds per minute with a lifespan of 2,050 rounds. [5] The guns were placed in a Mk 33 mount. The mounting allowed the guns to elevate from −15° to 85°. The elevation rate was 30° per second and train rate was 24° per second. The mounts could train 360°. [5]

For anti-submarine warfare, the ships were armed with a Mk 10 Limbo mortar. [1] The Limbo was a British-designed three-barrel mortar capable of launching a projectile shell between 400–1,000 yards (370–910 m). Placed on stabilized mountings, the projectiles always entered the water at the same angle. The total weight of the shell was 390 pounds (180 kg). [6] They also had a Mk.4 thrower with homing torpedoes. [4]

Initially the ships were outfitted with one SPS-12 air search radar, one SPS-10B surface search radar, and one Sperry Mk.2 navigation radar. [1] For sensing below the surface, the class was given one SQS-501 high frequency bottom profiler sonar, one SQS-502 high frequency mortar control sonar, one SQS-503 hull mounted active search sonar and one SQS-504 VDS medium frequency active search sonar. [1] For fire control purposes they were given one Mk 60 GFCS fire control with SPG-48 tracker (GUNAR). [7]

The two Annapolis-class destroyers were built late enough to incorporate the helicopter hangar retrofitted to the St. Laurent class and the "Beartrap" haul-down device. [4] This allowed the destroyer escorts to deploy with one CH-124 Sea King helicopter. [4]

DELEX refit

Annapolis in 1995 at Pearl Harbor. Note the large lattice mast HMCS Annapolis DDH-265.jpg
Annapolis in 1995 at Pearl Harbor. Note the large lattice mast

The DEstroyer Life EXtension (DELEX) refit was born out of the need to extend the life of the steam-powered destroyer escorts of the Canadian Navy in the 1980s until the next generation of surface ship was built. Encompassing all the classes based on the initial St. Laurent (the remaining St. Laurent, Restigouche, Mackenzie, and Annapolis-class vessels), the DELEX upgrades were meant to improve their ability to combat modern Soviet submarines, [8] and to allow them to continue to operate as part of NATO task forces. [9]

Nipigon underwent a DELEX refit in 1982 and Annapolis followed in 1984. The Annapolis class received the same sensor and communications upgrades that others in the St Laurent family of ships received, including the installation of a new tactical data system (ADLIPS), updated radars and sonars, fire control and satellite navigation. They also received the new Canadian Tactical Towed Array Sensor or CANTASS which was a long-range towed sonar array that was affixed to the stern, [10] which replaced the older VDS. [4] The class also received a new lattice mast. [10] The AN/SPS-503 radar was installed, the AN/SPS-10D replaced the older, AN/SPS-10 model. The AN/SQS-502, AN/SQS-503 and SQS-10/11 sonars were removed and replaced by AN/SQS-505(V) in a fixed dome below the waterline. The installation of the two ADLIPS units allowed the vessels to better integrate into NATO units. [11]

They were given 12.75-inch (324 mm) torpedo tubes to allow them to fire Mark 46 torpedoes. However, the Limbo mortar was removed in order to install the CANTASS. This visibly altered the overall appearance of the ships. [4] The AN/SQR-504 was also replaced by the CANTASS. The Super RBOC chaff system was installed during the refit. [11]

Ships

 Number  Name  Builder  Laid down  Launched  Commissioned  DELEX refit  Paid off  Fate 
265 Annapolis Halifax Shipyards Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia 2 September 196127 April 196319 December 196415 September 198615 November 1996Scuttled off Gambier Island in 2015.
266 Nipigon Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, Quebec 5 August 196010 December 196130 May 196422 August 19847 July 1998Scuttled off Rimouski, Quebec in 2003.

Service history

Nipigon was laid down by Marine Industries Ltd on 5 August 1960 and Annapolis by Halifax Shipyards on 2 September 1961. Both ships commissioned in 1964; Nipigon on 30 May and Annapolis on 19 December. [12]

Both ships spent the majority of their career split between Canada's Pacific and Atlantic coasts with the Annapolis being at Esquimalt and Nipigon at Halifax. They spent most of their careers participating in training exercises, such as Ocean Safari '87 [4] or representing Canada at ceremonial situations, such as commemorating the Battle of the Atlantic in May 1993 at Liverpool. [13]

Nipigon awaiting her fate in Rimouski harbour HMCS NIPIGON 266- summer 2003 Rimouski harbour.jpg
Nipigon awaiting her fate in Rimouski harbour

In 1994, Annapolis participated in Operation Forward Action off Haiti. [4] In 1995, after illegal fishing had taken place in Canada's exclusive economic zone, Nipigon was sent to support Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries vessels in apprehending the perpetrators, in what became called the Turbot War. [13]

Nipigon remained in the fleet until 1998 as a trials ship for the ETASS Mod 5 towed sonar system which was a precursor to the CANTASS that is currently fitted on the Halifax class of frigates. [14] Both Annapolis and Nipigon were paid off on 1 July 1998. [12] Nipigon was towed to Rimouski, Quebec and sunk as an artificial reef off the coast. [13] After years of court battles, Annapolis was sunk as an artificial reef off Gambier Island, British Columbia in 2015. [15]

Related Research Articles

HMCS <i>Terra Nova</i> Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Terra Nova was a Restigouche-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1959 until 1997. After her final refit, she was a guided missile destroyer.

HMCS <i>Yukon</i> (DDE 263) Mackenzie-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Yukon was a Mackenzie-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces. She was the first Canadian naval unit to carry the name. She was named for the Yukon River that runs from British Columbia through Yukon and into Alaska in the United States.

HMCS <i>Nipigon</i> (DDH 266) Annapolis-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Nipigon was an Annapolis-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. She was the second Canadian naval unit to carry this name. Entering service in 1964, she was named for the Nipigon River that flows through Ontario.

<i>St. Laurent</i>-class destroyer Destroyer escort class of the Royal Canadian Navy

The St. Laurent-class destroyer was a class of destroyer escorts that served the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s.

HMCS <i>Assiniboine</i> (DDH 234) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Assiniboine was a St. Laurent-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1956 to 1988. She was the second ship to bear the name. Entering service in 1956, the ship underwent conversion to a destroyer helicopter escort (DDH) in 1962, the conversion performed primarily by Victoria Machinery Depot. She was officially reclassed with pennant DDH 234 on 28 June 1963. After being paid off in 1988, the vessel was used as a harbour training ship until being discarded in 1995. The vessel sank under tow to the breakers that year.

HMCS <i>Annapolis</i> (DDH 265) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Annapolis was an Annapolis-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later, the Canadian Forces. She was the second Canadian naval unit to carry this name. Named for the Annapolis River that flows through Nova Scotia, the ship entered service in 1964, the last of the St. Laurent-class design. Serving through the Cold War, Annapolis was decommissioned in 1998 before going through a protracted legal battle for use as an artificial reef. She was finally scuttled as such in 2015 off the coast of British Columbia.

HMCS <i>Mackenzie</i> Mackenzie-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Mackenzie was a Mackenzie-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces. She was the lead ship of her class and is the first Canadian naval unit to carry this name. The ship was named for the Mackenzie River, the largest river system in Canada and runs primarily through the Northwest Territories.

HMCS <i>QuAppelle</i> (DDE 264) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Qu'Appelle was a Mackenzie-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. The ship's insignia and logo was the head of a fox facing forward centered in a diagonal line double white with a red center sqiggley line from the top left to bottom right. The moniker of the ship was "Follow the Fox".

HMCS <i>Restigouche</i> (DDE 257) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Restigouche was the lead ship of the Restigouche-class destroyers that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. Commissioned in 1958, Restigouche remained in service until 1994. She was sold for use as an artificial reef, however controversy arose over her acquisition and instead she was scuttled off the coast of Mexico in 2001. She was the second Canadian warship to carry the name HMCS Restigouche.

HMCS <i>Kootenay</i> (DDE 258) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Kootenay was a Restigouche-class destroyer escort that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces from 1959 until 1996. She was the fifth ship in her class and the second vessel to carry the designation HMCS Kootenay. The ship suffered two serious incidents in her career: a 1969 explosion and ensuing fire that killed nine, and a 1989 collision that required the complete replacement of her bow. Following her service, the ship was sunk as an artificial reef.

<i>Restigouche</i>-class destroyer

The Restigouche-class destroyer was a class of seven destroyer escorts that served the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from the late-1950s to the late-1990s. All seven vessels in the class were named after rivers in Canada.

HMCS <i>Skeena</i> (DDH 207) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Skeena was a St. Laurent-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1957–1993. Skeena was constructed as a destroyer escort and was converted in the 1960s to a helicopter-carrying destroyer. In 1972, the ship was designated a French Language Unit, the second in Canadian service. Discarded in 1994, the ship was broken up in India.

HMCS Ottawa was a St. Laurent-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1956 to 1992. Ottawa was the first bilingual ship to serve in the Canadian navy.

<i>Mackenzie</i>-class destroyer

The Mackenzie-class destroyer was a class of warship used by the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces from the 1960s–1990s. Six such ships were envisioned, of which four were completed to this specification. The last two hulls were completed to the post DDH conversion St. Laurent-class design ; they were designated as the Annapolis class instead. The four Mackenzie-class destroyers spent most of their service in the Pacific Ocean, used primarily in a training role. Their only significant update was the DELEX program, which was completed between 1982 and 1985 and updated their navigational radar and their sonar.

HMCS <i>Saskatchewan</i> (DDE 262) Mackenzie-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Saskatchewan was a Mackenzie-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces. She was the second Canadian naval unit to bear the name HMCS Saskatchewan. The ship was named for the Saskatchewan River which runs from Saskatchewan to Manitoba in Canada.

HMCS <i>Chaudière</i> (DDE 235) Restigouche-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Chaudière was a Restigouche-class destroyer and the second vessel of her class that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1959 to 1974. She was the second Canadian naval unit to bear this name. During the summer of 1974 she along with her sister ship HMCS Columbia served as the base of operations for the Esquimalt Sea Cadet Camp while being docked at the DND jetty in Colwood. This location was across the harbour from the main site of CFB Esquimalt. Following the vessel's decommissioning, the ship was used as a source for spare parts for the other surviving members of her class. In 1991, Chaudière was sold for use as an artificial reef and sunk off the coast of British Columbia.

HMCS <i>Gatineau</i> (DDE 236) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Gatineau was a Restigouche-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces during the Cold War from 1959 to 1996. She was the third ship in her class and the second vessel to carry the designation HMCS Gatineau. She was sold for scrapping in 2009.

HMCS <i>St. Croix</i> (DDE 256) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS St. Croix was a Restigouche-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1958 to 1974. The fourth ship commissioned in the class, she was the second ship to bear the name. Following her decommissioning, the ship was used as a training ship at Halifax, Nova Scotia until 1991, when St. Croix was sold for scrapping.

HMCS <i>Columbia</i> (DDE 260) Restigouche-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Columbia was a Restigouche-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1959 to 1974. Columbia was the seventh and final ship in her class and is the second Canadian naval unit to carry the name HMCS Columbia. Following her service, she was kept at Esquimalt in an altered condition, no longer capable of sailing. During the summer of 1974 she along with her sister ship HMCS Chaudiere served as the base of operations for the Esquimalt Sea Cadet Camp while being docked at the DND jetty in Colwood. This location was across the harbour from the main site of CFB Esquimalt. Columbia was sold for use as an artificial reef and sunk off the coast of British Columbia in 1996.

<i>Dealey</i>-class destroyer escort Class of American destroyer escorts

The Dealey-class destroyer escorts were the first post-World War II escort ships built for the United States Navy.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Macpherson and Barrie have the ships at 371 feet long, and a draught of 13 feet 8 inches.
  2. ↑ Macpherson and Barrie state that the displacement was 2,400 tons, while Conway's claims it was the same as the St. Laurent class, which was 2,000 tons.
  3. ↑ Macpherson and Barrie have the complement at 246. (12 officers and 234 enlisted)
  4. ↑ Calibre denotes the length of the barrel. In this case, 50 calibre means that the gun barrel is 50 times as long as it is in diameter

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 46
  2. ↑ Hadley, p. 141
  3. 1 2 Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 44
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 260
  5. 1 2 "United States of America 3"/50 (7.62 cm) 3"/50 (7.62 cm) Marks 27, 33 and 34". navweaps.com. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Britain ASW Weapons". navweaps.com. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Sharpe, Richard, ed. (1989). Jane's Fighting Ships 1989-90. Jane's Information Group. p. 77. ISBN   978-0710608864.
  8. ↑ Milner, pp. 277–278
  9. ↑ Gimblett, p. 179
  10. 1 2 Milner, p. 278
  11. 1 2 Barrie and Macpherson (1996), p. 17
  12. 1 2 Macpherson and Barrie (2002), pp. 260–261
  13. 1 2 3 Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 261
  14. ↑ "Royal Canadian Navy Destroyer Escorts (Annapolis Class)". Shearwater Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "HMCS Annapolis sunk to make artificial reef". CBC News. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.