HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341)
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| Career (Canada) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | City of Ottawa, Ontario |
| Builder: | Saint John Shipbuilding, Saint John, NB |
| Laid down: | 29 April 1995 |
| Launched: | 31 May 1996 |
| Commissioned: | 28 September 1996 |
| Homeport: | CFB Esquimalt |
| Motto: | Regae Revaeb (Eager Beaver) |
| Honours and awards: |
Atlantic 1939-1945 Normandy 1944 English Channel 1944 Biscay 1944 |
| Fate: | Active in service |
| Badge: | Gules, a bend wavy argent charged with two cotises wavy azure, over all a beaver or, the sinister forepaw resting on a log of silver birch proper. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Halifax-class frigate |
| Displacement: | 3,995 tonnes (light) 4,795 tonnes (operational) 5,032 tonnes (deep load) |
| Length: | 134.2 m |
| Beam: | 16.5 m |
| Draught: | 7.1 m |
| Propulsion: | 2 × LM2500 Gas turbines 1 × SEMT Pielstick Diesel engine |
| Speed: | 30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Range: | 9,500 nautical miles (17,595 km) |
| Complement: | 225 (including air detachment) |
| Armament: | 24 × Honeywell Mk 46 torpedoes 16 × Evolved Sea-Sparrow SAM 8 × RGM-84 Harpoon SSM 1 × 57 mm Bofors Mk2 gun 1 × 20 mm Vulcan Phalanx CIWS 6 × .50 Caliber machine guns |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 × CH-124 Sea King |
HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341) is the twelfth and final ship of the Halifax-class line of frigates. Based at CFB Esquimalt, British Columbia, HMCS Ottawa entered service with the Canadian Forces in July 1996, and is the fourth Canadian warship to carry the name.
[edit] Ship's badge
The ship's badge is derived from the unofficial wartime badge of the first HMCS Ottawa (H60): a beaver on a log of wood. The white and blue wavy "bend" represents the Ottawa River upon which the city of Ottawa grew. The red field is intended to refer to the Native peoples - the Outaouasis or Ottawas - who travelled this river and region and from whom its name was derived.
The ship's colours are white and red. This follows the convention that the two colours in the name portion of the badge are the official ship's colours. Given that the ship's namesake is the capital of Canada, the official colours of Canada are appropriately used by this ship.
[edit] History
Since her arrival in Esquimalt following her commissioning, she has been involved in operations and exercises throughout the Pacific and beyond, including several notable deployments to the Persian Gulf.
As the fourth vessel to carry the colours of HMCS Ottawa, FFH 341 was launched on 31 May 1996 and accepted by Maritime Command on 31 July 1996. She was officially commissioned in Cornwall, Ontario on 28 September 1996, and is manned with a mixed gender crew of 225 personnel. She is the fifth and last Halifax-class frigate to join Maritime Forces Pacific.
HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341) deployed in 1998 to the Persian Gulf with the USS Constellation battle group. In February 2002 she joined other Canadian warships deployed with Operation APOLLO in the Gulf of Oman. In September 2006 she deployed with the USS Boxer expeditionary group in the northern Arabian Sea.
