HMCS Miramichi (MCB 150)

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History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgCanada
NameMiramichi
Namesake Miramichi Bay
Builder Saint John Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Ltd., Saint John
Laid down13 June 1952
Launched4 May 1954
Commissioned30 July 1954
Decommissioned1 October 1954
Identification pennant number: MCB 150
MottoLoyal à la mort [1]
FateSold to France, 1954
NotesColours: Red and gold [1]
BadgeOn a field of birch bark proper, a pile barry wavy of ten argent and azure and overall an equilateral triangle, apex to the chief gules, charged with a porcupine or. [1]
Civil and Naval Ensign of France.svgFrance
NameLa Lorientaise
Acquired9 October 1954
Commissioned13 November 1954
Decommissioned1984 [note 1] [2]
Stricken1986
IdentificationP 652
Fatebroken up Papeete, Tahiti
General characteristics
Class and type Bay-class minesweeper
Displacement
  • 390 long tons (400 t)
  • 412 long tons (419 t) (deep load)
Length152 ft (46 m)
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 GM 12-cylinder diesels, 2,400  bhp (1,800 kW)
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement38
Armament1 × Bofors 40 mm gun

HMCS Miramichi (hull number MCB 150) was a Bay-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and the French Navy. She was named Miramichi Bay, located at the mouth of the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. Entering service in 1954, the vessel served in the Royal Canadian Navy for only a few months before transferring to the French Navy. Renamed La Lorientaise, the ship was used as a minesweeper before converting to a patrol vessel in 1973. The ship was discarded in 1986.

Contents

Design and description

The Bay class were designed and ordered as replacements for the Second World War-era minesweepers that the Royal Canadian Navy operated at the time. Similar to the Ton-class minesweeper, they were constructed of wood planking and aluminum framing. [3] [4]

Displacing 390 long tons (400 t) standard at 412 long tons (419 t) at deep load, the minesweepers were 152 ft (46 m) long with a beam of 28 ft (8.5 m) and a draught of 8 ft (2.4 m). [3] [4] They had a complement of 38 officers and ratings. [3] [note 2]

The Bay-class minesweepers were powered by two GM 12-cylinder diesel engines driving two shafts creating 2,400 brake horsepower (1,800 kW). This gave the ships a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) and a range of 3,290 nautical miles (6,090 km; 3,790 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). [4] [5] The ships were armed with one 40 mm Bofors gun and were equipped with minesweeping gear. [3] [4]

Service history

Miramichi was laid down on 13 June 1952 by Saint John Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co. at Saint John, New Brunswick and was launched on 4 May 1954. The vessel was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 30 July 1954 at Saint John. [6]

After commissioning, Miramichi spent the next two months in service before being paid off on 1 October 1954. She was transferred to France under the NATO Mutual Aid Agreement on 9 October 1954. [6] [7] The ship commissioned into the French Navy on 13 November 1954. [8] The vessel was eventually replaced in the Royal Canadian Navy by Miramichi (MCB 163) of the same class. [6] Renamed La Lorientaise the ship served as a minesweeper until 1973 when she had air conditioning installed for use as an overseas territories patrol vessel in the Pacific. [8] She served until 1984. [3] [note 3] The vessel was stricken in 1986 and broken up at Papeete, Tahiti. [2]

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HMCS <i>Cowichan</i> (MCB 162) Royal Canadian Navy Minesweeper

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HMCS Fundy was a Bay-class minesweeper that was constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. Entering service in 1956, the vessel was used as a training ship on the West Coast of Canada for the majority of her career. Fundy was decommissioned in 1996 and the fate of the vessel is unknown.

HMCS Gaspé was a Bay-class minesweeper that was constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. The vessel entered service in 1953 and remained with the Royal Canadian Navy until 1958. That year, the ship was transferred to the Turkish Navy and renamed Trabzon. The vessel remained in service until 1991.

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HMCS <i>Miramichi</i> (MCB 163)

HMCS Miramichi was a Bay-class minesweeper that was constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. Entering service in 1957, the vessel was used as a training ship on the West Coast of Canada for the majority of her career. Miramichi was decommissioned in 1998 and the vessel's fate is unknown.

HMCS Resolute was a Bay-class minesweeper that was constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. Entering service in 1954, the ship served on the East Coast of Canada until 1964 when Resolute was decommissioned. The vessel was discarded in 1965.

HMCS Trinity was a Bay-class minesweeper that was constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. Entering service in 1954, the minesweeper was paid off in 1958 and transferred to the Turkish Navy. Renamed Terme, the ship remained in service until 1991.

HMCS Ungava was a Bay-class minesweeper that was constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. Entering service in 1954, the minesweeper was paid off in 1958 and transferred to the Turkish Navy. Renamed Tekirdağ, the ship remained in service until 1991 and was broken up in 2002.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Colledge states that the ship was decommissioned 25 October 1986
  2. ↑ Gardiner and Chumbley claim the complement was 40.
  3. ↑ Colledge states that the ship was decommissioned on 25 October 1986.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Arbuckle, p. 68
  2. 1 2 Colledge, p. 414
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Macpherson & Barrie, p. 271
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gardiner & Chumbley, p. 49
  5. ↑ Moore, p. 82
  6. 1 2 3 Macpherson & Barrie, p. 275
  7. ↑ Milner, p. 220
  8. 1 2 Moore, p. 171

Sources

  • Arbuckle, J. Graeme (1987). Badges of the Canadian Navy. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN   0-920852-49-1.
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN   978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   1-55750-132-7.
  • Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002 (Third ed.). St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN   1-55125-072-1.
  • Milner, Marc (2010). Canada's Navy: The First Century (Second ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN   978-0-8020-9604-3.
  • Moore, John, ed. (1981). Jane's Fighting Ships 1981–82. New York: Jane's Publishing Incorporated. ISBN   0-531-03977-3.
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