Bay-class minesweeper

Class overview
Name: Bay class
Operators:  Royal Canadian Navy ⁄  Royal Canadian Navy
 French Navy
 Turkish Navy
In commission: 1 December 1953 – 1998
Completed: 20
Retired: 20
General characteristics
Type:Minesweeper
Displacement:390 tons
Length:152 ft (46 m)
Beam:28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught:8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion:2 shafts, 2 GM 12-cylinder diesels, 2400 bhp
Speed:16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement:38
Sensors and
processing systems:		Mechanical minesweeping equipment (later removed)
Armament:1 × 40mm Bofors single mount (later removed)
Notes:Initial plan was for 14 vessels. 6 RCN vessels sold to allies while under construction, replaced by 6 new builds carrying the same name but new pennants.

The Bay-class minesweepers were a class of minesweepers operated by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Forces (CF) during the Cold War. Their design was similar to the British Ton-class minesweepers.[1]

The class derives its name from bays in Canada and was designed by the RCN as a replacement for Second World War-era minesweepers. Fourteen were laid down in 1951–1952, however six were subsequently transferred to the French Navy in 1954. These ships were replaced by six of the same name in 1956–1957 but were assigned new pennant numbers.[1]

They were reclassed in Canadian Forces service as patrol escorts in 1972 and six vessels remained in service until the late 1990s, providing coastal surveillance and shiphandling experience for junior officers with Maritime Forces Pacific.\[1] The removal of the aft mounted minesweeping equipment in the 1970s allowed for the erection of additional sleeping spaces and a wash space for aspiring officers, unofficially known on all ships as "Dunk's Diner".

Ships

Ship Original pennant number Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Paid off Fate
Chaleur MCB 144 Port Arthur Shipbuilding, Port Arthur 8 Jun 1951 21 Jun 1952 18 Jun 1954 30 Sep 1954 Sold to France as La Dieppoise in 1954, stricken 1985.
Chaleur MCB 164 Marine Industries, Sorel 20 Feb 1956 11 May 1957 12 Sep 1957 18 Dec 1998
Chignecto MCB 156 Marine Industries, Sorel 4 Jun 1951 13 Jun 1952 1 Dec 1953 31 May 1954 Sold to France as La Bayonnaise in 1954, stricken 1976.
Chignecto MCB 160 Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon 25 Oct 1955 17 Nov 1956 1 Aug 1957 19 Dec 1998
Comox MCB 146 Victoria Machinery Depot, Victoria 8 Jun 1951 24 Apr 1952 2 Apr 1954 11 Sep 1957 Sold to Turkey as Tirebolu in 1957.
Cowichan MCB 147 Victoria Machinery Depot, Victoria 20 Jun 1951 12 Nov 1951 10 Dec 1953 31 Mar 1954 Sold to France as La Malouine in 1954, stricken 1977.
Cowichan MCB 162 Yarrows Shipbuilding, Esquimalt 10 Jul 1956 26 Feb 1957 12 Dec 1957 22 Aug 1997
Fortune MCB 151 Victoria Machinery Depot, Victoria 24 Apr 1952 14 Apr 1953 3 Nov 1954 28 Feb 1964 Sold in 1964, becoming mercantile Greenpeace Two in 1966 and later Edgewater Fortune.
Fundy MCB 145 Saint John Drydock and Shipbuilding, Saint John 19 Jun 1951 9 Dec 1953 19 Mar 1954 31 Mar 1964 Sold to France as La Dunkerquoise in 1954, stricken 1984.
Fundy MCB 159 Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon 7 Mar 1955 14 Jun 1956 27 Nov 1956 19 Dec 1996
Gaspe MCB 143 Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon 21 Mar 1951 12 Nov 1951 5 Dec 1953 22 Aug 1957 Sold to Turkey as Trabzon in 1957.
James Bay MCB 152 Yarrows Shipbuilding, Esquimalt 16 Aug 1951 12 Mar 1953 3 May 1954 28 Feb 1964 Sold into mercantile service.
Miramichi MCB 150 Saint John Drydock and Shipbuilding, Saint John 13 Jun 1952 4 May 1954 30 Jul 1954 1 Oct 1964 Sold to France as La Lorientaise in 1954, stricken 1984.
Miramichi MCB 163 Victoria Machinery Depot, Victoria 2 Feb 1956 22 Feb 1957 29 Oct 1957 16 Dec 1998
Quinte MCB 149 Port Arthur Shipbuilding, Port Arthur 14 Jun 1952 8 Aug 1953 15 Oct 1954 26 Feb 1964
Resolute MCB 154 Kingston Shipbuilding, Kingston 29 Feb 1951 20 Jun 1953 16 Sep 1954 14 Feb 1964
Thunder MCB 153 Canadian Vickers, Montreal 17 May 1951 17 Jul 1952 15 Dec 1953 31 Mar 1964 Sold to France as La Paimpolaise in 1954, stricken 1986.
Thunder MCB 153 Port Arthur Shipbuilding, Port Arthur 1 Sep 1955 27 Oct 1956 3 Oct 1957 22 Aug 1997
Trinity MCB 157 Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon 31 Jan 1952 31 Jul 1953 16 Jun 1954 21 Aug 1957 Sold to Turkey as Terme in 1957.
Ungava MCB 148 Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon 17 Dec 1951 20 May 1953 4 Jun 1954 23 Aug 1957 Sold to Turkey as Tekirdag in 1957.

References

Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Macpherson and Barrie, p.271
References