HMCS ATHABASKAN

The Royal Canadian Navy has announced in the last month or so that HMCS ATHABASKAN will be paid off from service on March 10. Commissioned on September 30, 1972, this will give her just shy of 45 years of service. The four IROQUOIS class destroyers were a great leap forward when they were introduced in the early 1970's and received mid-life refits to provide Area Air Warfare (AAW) capability in the early 1990s. HURON was paid off in 2005 (and later sunk for target practice during an exercise) after being laid up for a few years, and ALGONQUIN was paid off in 2015 after making contact in 2013 with HMCS PROTECTEUR during a towing exercise which resulted in her port hangar getting shredded. IROQUOIS was also paid off in 2015 after worrying cracks and rust were discovered in critical locations. IROQUOIS and ALGONQUIN are both currently in Liverpool, NS, for breaking up.

ATHABASKAN is now the last of the four ships in service.

ATHABASKAN in her original configuration as an anti-submarine destroyer. Photo courtesy of Corvus Publishing Group / Canada's Navy.

After the previous RCN classes of anti-submarine destroyers (other navies classified similar ships as frigates), the IROQUOIS class introduced a number of new concepts to the RCN (indeed, some were new to the navies of the world) including all gas turbine propulsion (in a COGOG arrangement), air defence missiles, and a hangar for two large anti-submarine helicopters. They were proper destroyers. I will borrow some text from my summary on the Hazegray and Underway website:

"These four ships were the first warships in the world to depend entirely on gas turbine propulsion (COGOG). Economical cruising power was provided by two efficient cruise gas turbines, while high speeds of up to 29 knots or greater could be reached with two boost turbines. When commissioned, they were excellent ASW platforms, and were the first Canadian destroyers to carry two helicopters. Based upon the hull design of the cancelled 1960s era General Purpose frigates, they were instantly recognizable due to their infamous 'playboy bunny' funnels. Command facilities were included in the ships. This class of ship influenced the design of the USN's SPRUANCE class destroyers. 

As built, they were armed with a quick-firing OTO Melara 5"/54 forward, which provided them with good anti-surface and naval gunfire support capability, as well as close-ranged anti-aircraft defence. Point anti-aircraft defence was provided by NATO Sea Sparrow missiles, launched via a one-of-a-kind twin quad launcher situated just forward of the bridge. No other ships, in any navy, used this system. The missiles would be trained outboard of the launcher (in the deckhouse forward of the bridge) on launcher arms port and starboard, with four missiles to an arm. The arms would be brought back inboard for reloading. Anti-submarine capability was provided by two Mk.32 triple torpedo launchers, port and starboard, in addition to helicopter launched torpedoes. As well, a single Mk.NC 10 Limbo ASW mortar was provided in a well in the quarterdeck, aft of the helicopter deck.

At the time, much was made of the fact that these ships tied together, in a viable package, an Italian gun, American missiles and torpedoes, Canadian sonar, and a Dutch radar and fire control system.

During the Gulf War of 1990/91, ATHABASKAN was sent to the Persian Gulf along with two other ships. She was quickly upgraded with a new mine-avoidance sonar, along with a Phalanx 20mm CIWS (mounted over the Limbo mortar well) and shoulder launched Blowpipe and Javelin missiles. When USS PRINCETON was disabled after hitting a mine in the northern Gulf, ATHABASKAN escorted a tug to her rescue and escorted both ships back out through the minefield.

In the late 1980s / early 1990s, these ships were modified under the TRUMP program. This refit program saw the installation of new anti-aircraft missiles, main gun, radars, fire control system, and the addition of a CIWS gun system."

Looking out over ATHABASKAN's modernized foc'st'le, with the new 76mm gun and a 32-cell Mk.32 vertical launch system taking the place of the original 127mm gun.

The TRUMP refit changed the appearance of these ships, but if you look at them the right way their impressive lines are still apparent.

ATHABASKAN was on display, and open for tours, during the RCN's centennial in 2010.

Although too late to photograph any of these ships in their original configuration, I have captured a large number of images of ATHABASKAN since the mid-1990s. I will show some of my favourites here.

A scan from film, this is one of my earliest images of ATHABASKAN. She had not yet been fitted with the SATCOM domes either side of the funnel at this point. This was probably taken in the 1990s.

Another, later, scan from film, this time from the early 2000s.The starboard SATCOM dome is now present.

ATHABASKAN was the review ship for the Tall Ships Parade of Sail in 2004. She is shown here saluting Pride of Baltimore II.

Part of the TRUMP refit was the addition of modern Command and Control facilities, and the IROQUOIS class were prized for their ability to lead a task group. Although this ability has been retrofitted to the HALIFAX class frigates during their FELEX mid-life refits, the latter's reduced accommodation space makes the ships rather cramped when fulfilling this role compared to the older destroyers. For ATHABASKAN, this led to leading roles in disaster relief missions to the US after Hurricane Katrina (Operation Unison) and Haiti after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake (Operation Hestia). 

ATHABASKAN was one of four ships sent south to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery in 2006 (Operation Unison). 

A Sea King escorts ATHABASKAN out of the harbour for Op Unison.

ATHABASKAN leading out the Operation Unison task group.

ATHABASKAN leading out a separate task group in 2009.

A Sea King hovers over the deck of ATHABASKAN.

After ATHABASKAN's last refit in St. Catharines, ON, she was towed to Halifax and broke her tow, sustaining some hull punctures during her recovery. Possibly due to the additional repairs required, her reduced remaining lifespan, or a combination of the two, ATHABASKAN was not fully reassembled after this refit. When she returned to service in 2013 for sea trials, she was missing her long range air search radar and fire control directors (and with them her ability to fire her long range air defence missiles) and torpedo tubes, in my opinion removing most of the capability that made her a destroyer. The variable depth sonar (VDS) had been removed prior to the last refit. She still retained her command and control facilities, however, and was still useful to lead task groups including the RCN contingent during the 2016 Cutlass Fury exercise.

Departing for Cutlass Fury.

At sunrise.

Rising sun reflecting on the hull and superstructure.

Against the rising sun.

The missing VDS is apparent in this photo.

Although all four ships had their cruise engines replaced in the 1990s, ATHABASKAN has tended in recent years to produce lots of smoke while the engines are fired up (although I have seen a photo from the 1970s recently where she was doing the same thing - so maybe she just has bad habits).

For the last photo, we will pretend this is an appropriate sunset (it's actually a misty sunrise).

ATHABASKAN is the only one of her sisters that gets to pay off on a high note (knock on wood) and go straight to being paid off from active service - her sisterships all paid off after an inactive period alongside. ATHABASKAN is still at sea as I write this, mere weeks before her retirement.

The impressive appearance of these ships will be missed by this photographer.

HMCS IROQUOIS: Paying Off Ceremony, May 1, 2015

All right, so I lied - IROQUOIS gets one more post out of me for the time being. I had to leave work early to pick up the car at the shop today, so I decided to make a detour and take in IROQUOIS' paying off ceremony, albeit from the Casino so I didn't exactly have a prime location. 

HMCS IROQUOIS at about 1300.

I arrived just before 1300, as guests were still arriving on this somewhat grey, overcast afternoon. Sea King #419 was circling over the Narrows, occasionally making it as far south as FMF Cape Scott or so before turning and heading back north. The crew was manning the starboard rail from the foc'st'le to the quarterdeck, and many more attended on the Jetty. I couldn't see the Jetty behind the ship, only the people gathered forward of the bow, as well as some gathered on the bridge of the MCDV and on CHARLOTTETOWN. 

The crew manning the starboard rail, with Sea King #419 circling over the Narrows.

Not too long after 1300, speeches started, of which I could only make out parts (sometimes and variously drowned out by the wind, CCG and RCAF helicopters, as well as the "Yaaahoos" (appropriate in more than one way) of the passengers of the 2-3 Harbour Hoppers that entered the water as we stood and watched the ceremony). 

The first four crew members on the foc'st'le pass the paying off pennant aft.

After the speeches, the paying off pennant was unfurled at the head of the foc'st'le, and passed hand to hand down the side of the ship, up to the 76mm gun platform, up to the bridge, and so on aft to the quarterdeck. I'm assuming it went inside the hangar, but I couldn't see that bit. After dropping back down to main deck level after the bridge superstructure, it was handed off to the Jetty. By the time the last of the pennant was unfurled on the foc'st'le, it was visible on the helicopter deck, and it took some time to complete. I would have loved to be standing at the head of the foc'st'le to get the shot of the lead crew member unfurling the pennant, with the pennant stretching off into the distance and up to the bridge; unfortunately, I did not notice any photographer in that position to get that photo. Pity.

The pennant was passed from the foc'st'le up to the 76mm gun platform, and then up to the bridge wing.

Sea King #419 performing a flypast. The pennant hadn't yet made it to the helo deck.

During the passing of the pennant, Sea King #419 performed a flypast running south along HMC Dockyard, and later returned to hover for several minutes over one of the defence barrier mooring points, roughly 200m away from the stern of the ship. 

Sea King #419 slowing to a hover aft of IROQUOIS.

It could be considered somewhat ironic that the oldest warship in the Navy (some claim she was the oldest commissioned destroyer in the world), was paid off to a flypast from a helicopter eight or nine years older than the ship herself.

Sea King #419 hovering over one of the defence barrier mooring points.

Photoshop somewhat botched this panorama (the Sea King looks a bit squished), but you get the idea.

Once the passing along of the pennant was complete, the Naval Jack (bow) and Naval Ensign (stern) were simultaneously lowered, and HMCS IROQUOIS became ex-HMCS IROQUOIS, or just IROQUOIS, and no longer a ship of the Royal Canadian Navy. 

The Navy Jack, just prior to being lowered for the last time.

Lowering the Jack for the last time.

The crew then disembarked for the final time, and marked up the Jetty to applause, "Hip Hip Hooray", and band music. 

Crew descend from the gun platform prior to disembarking.

The jackstaff empty, the Stadacona Band marches up the jetty, as did the crew.

IROQUOIS will now be stripped of any and all equipment that the RCN decides will be retained (some of which is required to keep HMCS ATHABASKAN running), and will probably either be scrapped or sunk in the coming years. 

Farewell to IROQUOIS, after 43 years of faithful service to the Royal Canadian Navy, and Canada.

Capsize of ex-HMCS CORMORANT

Added to the woes of the derelict ex-HMCS CORMORANT (ASL 20) is her capsize at the former Bridgewater Government Wharf this past week.

Ex-HMCS CORMORANT capsized at the former Government Wharf in Bridgewater, NS.

Although she still appeared to me to be afloat, she has listed in the range of 45 degrees from the vertical (far enough to expose her port bilge keel), and CTV is reporting a CCG statement that she is on the bottom and not moving with the tidehttp://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/concerns-over-pollutants-after-ex-navy-ship-topples-in-n-s-harbour-1.2291416. Perhaps her starboard bilge keel is in contact with the bottom.

Ex-HMCS CORMORANT listing in the range of 45 degrees. Her port anchor is deployed.

Snow load is being blamed for heeling her far enough to take on water that caused her to sink.

A view of the snow buildup on CORMORANT.

The snow buildup, even in her listed condition, seems fairly even across her beam, so I am not sure how this is causing her list.

A Bridgewater Fire Department crew is working to remove the snow and ice buildup with a fire hose.

Snow and ice are being removed by the Bridgewater Fire Department with a fire hose so that no one has to board her in her current state.

CORMORANT has been laid up in Bridgewater since she arrived in 2002 under tow by the tug Swellmaster. Prior to that she was laid up in Shelburne, NS, and I'm not sure where she was prior to that, and after being paid off by the Navy.

Ex-HMCS CORMORANT arriving on the LaHave River in 2002. She sheered wildly behind her tug. © Sandy McClearn

CORMORANT still has one of her old submersibles on board in the hangar at her stern. Presumably it would have been well stowed, as it would have had to withstand CORMORANT rolling around at sea when she was in service.

Ex-CORMORANT in 2013.

Cape Rouge on the bottom.

Almost exactly a year ago, it was the laid up fishing boat Cape Rouge that sank at the same former Government Wharf and went to the bottom. She was refloated, and still sits alongside the wharf two berths back from CORMORANT.