HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234)

For other ships of the same name, see HMCS Assiniboine.
Career (Canada) Royal Canadian Navy
 Royal Canadian Navy
Namesake: Assiniboine River
Builder: Marine Industries, Sorel
Laid down: 19 May 1952
Launched: 12 February 1954
Commissioned: 16 August 1956
Decommissioned: 14 December 1988
Reclassified: 28 June 1963 (as DDH)
Honours and
awards:		 Atlantic 1939-45, Biscay 1944, English Channel 1944-45
Fate: Sank in 1995 in the Caribbean Sea while under tow to breakers.
General characteristics
Class and type: St. Laurent class destroyer
Displacement:

As DDE: 2263 tons (normal), 2800 tons (deep load)[1]

As DDH:

2260 tons (normal), 3051 tons (deep load)[2]
Length: 371 ft (113.1 m)
Beam: 42 ft (12.8 m)
Draught:

As DDE: 13 ft (4.0 m)[3]

As DDH:14 ft (4.3 m)[4]
Propulsion: 2-shaft English-Electric geared steam turbines, 2 Babcock and Wilcox boilers 30,000 shp
Speed: 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h)[5]
Range: 4,750 nautical miles (8,797.0 km) at 14 knots (25.9 km/h)[6]
Complement:

As DDE: 249

As DDH: 213 plus 20 aircrew
Sensors and
processing systems:

As DDE:

  • 1 x SPS-12 air search radar
  • 1 x SPS-10B surface search radar
  • 1 x Sperry Mk.2 navigation radar
  • 1 x SQS-10 or -11 hull mounted active search and attack sonar
  • 1 x SQS-501 (Type 162) high frequency bottom profiling sonar
  • 1 x SQS-502 (Type 170) high frequency Limbo mortar control sonar
  • 1 x UQC-1B "Gertrude" underwater telephone
  • 1 x GUNAR (Mk.64 GFCS with 2 on-mount SPG-48 directors)

As DDH:

  • 1 x SPS-12 air search radar
  • 1 x SPS-10B surface search radar
  • 1 x Sperry Mk.2 navigation radar
  • 1 x URN 20 TACAN radar
  • 1 x SQS-10 or -11 hull mounted active search and attack sonar
  • 1 x SQS-501 (Type 162) high frequency bottom profiling sonar
  • 1 x SQS-502 (Type 170) high frequency Limbo mortar control sonar
  • 1 x SQS-504 VDS, medium frequency active search (except 233 after 1986)
  • 1 x UQC-1B "Gertrude" underwater telephone
  • 1 x GUNAR (Mk.64 GFCS with 1 on-mount SPG-48 director)
Electronic warfare
and decoys:

As DDE:

  • 1 x DAU HF/DF (high frequency direction finder)

As DDH:

  • 1 x WLR 1C radar warning
  • 1 x UPD 501 radar detection
  • 1 x SRD 501 HF/DF
Armament:

As DDE:

  • 2 x 3"/50 Mk.33 FMC twin mounts guns
  • 2 x 40mm "Boffin" single mount guns
  • 2 x Mk NC 10 Limbo ASW mortars
  • 2 x single Mk.2 "K-gun" launchers with homing torpedoes

As DDH:

  • 1 x 3"/50 Mk.33 FMC twin mount gun
  • 1 x Mk NC 10 Limbo ASW mortar
  • 2 x triple Mk.32 12.75 inch launchers firing Mk.44 or Mk.46 Mod 5 torpedoes
Aircraft carried:

As DDE:

none

As DDH:

HMCS Assiniboine (DDH 234) was a St. Laurent-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1956-1988.

She was commissioned into the RCN on 16 August 1956 and initially carried the pennant number DDE 234 as a destroyer escort. She underwent conversion to a destroyer helicopter escort (DDH) in the early 1960s and was officially reclassed with pennant DDH 234 on 28 June 1963.[7]

In 1974, the Assiniboine was anchored in Lisbon, Portugal as part of the NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic, with crew ashore, when the Carnation Revolution occurred. The tension and confusion of the situation saw the vessel recall her crew and leave the area.[8]

Assiniboine was selected by the Canadian Forces for the Destroyer Life Extension (DELEX) program and completed this refit on 16 November 1979.

She was decommissioned from active service in the CF on 14 December 1988 and was used as a harbour training ship at CFB Halifax beginning in 1989.

She was sold for scrap in 1995 and sank in the Caribbean Sea while under tow.[9]

References

  1. ^ These were "officially revised figures" quoted in Janes Fighting Ships 1963-64
    Conways says 2000 tons standard displacement, 2600 deep load.
    Combat Fleets of the World 1978-79 says 2390 tons displacement, 2900 full load.
  2. ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1992-93, p84.
  3. ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1963-64
  4. ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1992-93, p84.
  5. ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1963-64
  6. ^ Combat Fleets of the World 1978-79
  7. ^ Crowsnest Magazine
  8. ^ "Internet Archive: HMCS Assiniboine and the Portuguese Coup". Archived from the original on 2004-10-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20041015135449/http://naval.ca/article/thomas/hmcsassiniboine_byroberththomas.html. Retrieved 2006-03-25. 
  9. ^ "The Steamers: Where did they end up?". Archived from the original on 2005-10-01. http://web.archive.org/web/20051001060329/http://www.stokers.ca/steamers_where_did_they_end_up.htm. Retrieved 2006-03-25. 
 Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
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