HMCS Halifax (FFH 330)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 1985 |
| Laid down: | 19 March 1987 |
| Launched: | 30 April 1988 |
| Commissioned: | 29 June 1992 |
| Fate: | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 4,750 tonnes |
| Length: | 442 ft 10 in (134.2 m) overall |
| Beam: | 54 ft 6 in (16.5 m) |
| Draught: | 15 ft 4 in (4.9 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 x GE LM 2500 gas turbines 50,000 shp (37 MW) Pielstick Cruise Diesel 10,000 shp (7.5 MW) |
| Speed: | 30+ knots (54+ km/h) |
| Complement: | 234 officers and crew |
| Armament: | 24 x Honeywell Mk 46 Mod 5 torpedoes 16x Raytheon RIM-7 Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles 8 x Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles 57 mm Bofors Mk2 gun 20 mm Vulcan Phalanx Mk15 CIWS 6 x .50 calibre (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns |
| Aircraft: | 1x CH-124 Sea King |
| Motto: | Sior gaisgiel (ever brave) |
HMCS Halifax is the lead ship of Halifax-class line of frigates, the culmination of the Canadian Patrol Frigate project which began in 1977. Halifax was officially commissioned in June of 1992, 25 years after the government first began looking at bringing in a new line of frigates. Construction on Halifax herself began in 1985, with the contract awarded to Canadian company Saint John Shipbuilding Limited (SJSL), despite the fact that there were arguably more qualified overseas shipyards willing to do work on Halifax. This was attributed to the Canadian government's desire for Halifax-class to be an all-Canadian project, and there are many who believe that Halifax helped rejuvenate Canada's shipbuilding industry.
However, the job seemed to be too big for SJSL from the outset. Delays immediately set in, and it soon became clear that the original deadlines were not going to be met. In response to this, SJSL proposed to build more sections of the ship individually before sending them to drydock and making them part of Halifax. This modified design reduced costs, and led to a higher-quality vessel, however, the amount of delicate engineering required increased drastically, and this was used to justify moving the delivery dates of Halifax and her sister ship, HMCS Vancouver, further back.
The launch of Halifax in 1988 lent new energy to a Canadian Navy which was flagging badly in the face of recent budget cuts and antiquated equipment. The Navy's older vessels, some of which dated from the Second World War, were sometimes not even seaworthy, and only the Iroquois-class destroyers were up to any kind of modern standard. Despite some initial growing pains common to any new lead ship, Halifax was a potent modern vessel and established itself as one of the world's premier ships of its type. It is larger than most frigates, and, despite being initially conceived for anti-submarine warfare, immediately became the workhorse of the new Canadian naval philosophy. Just as importantly, the commission of the Halifax relieved pressure on the four aging Iroquois-class ships and allowed them to settle into a more specialized role where they were still of considerable value.
Halifax has spent much of its active career in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and in 2001 took part in NATO's immediate response force in the Atlantic and Canada's Operation Apollo integrated with the United States Navy forces in the area. Closer to home, Halifax took part in the recovery operation after the crash of Swissair Flight 111 and has represented the Canadian navy in various functions at home and abroad. HMCS Halifax underwent an extensive refit throughout the summer and fall of 2003. In the fall of 2005 she deployed as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) and took part in Operation Active Endevour in Novemeber 2005, which consisted of anti-terrorist operations, conducted primarily off the coast of Algeria.
HMCS Halifax (FFH 330) is the second Canadian ship to bear the name. The first was HMCS Halifax (K 237), a Flower-class corvette commissioned in November of 1941 and removed from service after the conclusion of World War II in 1945. Both ships named Halifax are named after the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is the home port of the later Halifax and the Canadian Atlantic fleet. All other Halifax Class frigates are named after the Canadian capital (Ottawa), provincial capitals, or major cities.
