HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331)
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| 'Career' |  |
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| Ordered: | 1985 |
| Laid down: | 19 May 1988 |
| Launched: | 8 July 1989 |
| Commissioned: | 23 August 1993 |
| 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 16 x Raytheon Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles 8 x Boeing 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: | Semper vigilans (ever on guard) |
| Battle Honours: | Aleutians 1942-43, Atlantic 1944-44 |
The third HMCS Vancouver is a Halifax-class frigate, launched in July 1989 as the second vessel of her class. Despite being the second Halifax-class vessel launched, she was commissioned almost a month after its sister ship HMCS Toronto, making it the third ship of the Halifax-class to be commissioned in the Canadian navy.
Like her sister ships, Vancouver was initially designed as a general service frigate with particular focus on anti-submarine capabilities. The end of the Cold War before she was commissioned meant that Vancouver's abilities against submarines were less valuable than when she was designed, however, she has served Canada in good stead since her launch, and recently has formed an important part of Canada's contribution to the 'war on terror'. Vancouver was the first Halifax-class frigate to be based out of CFB Esquimalt, British Columbia on Vancouver Island, and forms an integral part of Canada's Pacific fleet. Despite her Pacific base, Vancouver was built by Saint John Shipbuilding in New Brunswick.
In the last few years, Vancouver has been a primary part of Canada's anti-terrorism naval forces in the Middle East. For instance, Vancouver has been integrated part of an American carrier battle group, led by the USS John C. Stennis in 2002. Because of the similarities between the Canadian and American navies, especially in terms of rules of engagement and communications equipment, it is relatively easy for a Halifax-class frigate such as Vancouver to serve with her American counterparts. Unlike her sister ships such as HMCS Halifax, Vancouver seldom serves as part of a Canadian-led battle group.
During Operation Apollo, Vancouver had been used to intercept suspicious and unknown vessels at sea, and had on occasion boarded vessels to prevent the escape of fugitives onboard ships, and the transit of contraband. After a distinguished but unremarkable tour of service in the Arabian Sea, her role in Apollo ended. She was replaced by another Halifax-class frigate to serve much the same role. Vancouver has also spent time carrying the Canadian flag more locally, including a trip to Oregon in 2003 and a visit to her namesake city of Vancouver to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her being commissioned.
The ship's crest of the Vancouver depicts a square-rigged, Royal Navy ship of the line sailing west along the ocean. The vessel in the crest is intended to represent HMS Discovery, which, under the command of Captain George Vancouver, mapped much of North America's north-western coast and learned more about the area than had hereto been discovered. Among the geographical locations named after Vancouver is the city Vancouver, British Columbia, the namesake of Vancouver. The crest has been maintained through the history of all three Canadian vessels named Vancouver, right up until the most recent Halifax-class frigate, HMCS Vancouver.
The modern Vancouver is the third Canadian ship to bear the name. The first HMCS Vancouver was a destroyer, among the earliest ships delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy. Formerly the HMS Toreador of the Royal Navy, Vancouver was paid off in November 1936. Less than six years later, the second Vancouver was commissioned for the Second World War. A Flower-class corvette, Vancouver served until the end of the war, until it was paid off in late June, 1945. It would be another forty years until the name Vancouver was once again active in the Canadian navy, when the modern Vancouver was planned as part of the Halifax-class. Vancouver is one of the most often used names in Canadian naval history, with only HMCS Ottawa having been used more frequently.
The Vancouver also had the dubious honour of being the ship named in a satire piece deriding the very existence of the Canadian navy. [1]
[edit] External link
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Halifax | Vancouver | Ville de Québec | Toronto | Regina | Calgary | Montréal | Fredericton | Winnipeg | Charlottetown | St. John's | Ottawa |
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| List of ships of the Canadian Navy |
