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International Navies – Canada
Royal Canadian Navy / Marine Canadienne - Ships
Destroyer Escort
St. Laurent Class – DDE / DDH
HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205)
Ships
Pennant	Name		Commissioning Date		DDH conversion	DELEX
DDE/DDH 205	HMCS St. Laurent		October 29, 1955		1963	-
DDE/DDH 206	HMCS Saguenay		December 15, 1956		1965	1980
DDE/DDH 207	HMCS Skeena		March 30, 1957		1965	1981
DDE/DDH 229	HMCS Ottawa		November 10, 1956		1964	1982
DDE/DDH 230	HMCS Margaree		October 5, 1957		1965	1980
DDE/DDH 233	HMCS Fraser		June 28, 1957		1966	1982
DDE/DDH 234	HMCS Assiniboine		August 16, 1956		1963	1979
General Information: (for specific information & history click on the ship’s name, above)
Technical characteristics (as built):
Length: 111,56 meters Beam: 12,80 meters Draft: 3,96 meters Displacement: 2800 tons (full load) / 3050 tons (fl) as DDH Propulsion: 2 Babcock & Wilcox boilers; 2 English Electric geared turbines; 2 shafts; 2 propellers; 30000 shp; Speed: 28 knots, max. Crew: 249(DD) / 213 + 20 aircrew (DDH) Aviation/Hangar: none as DD / midships helicopter deck with beartrap; 1 CH-124 „Seaking“ helo as DDH
The St. Laurent class destroyer was the first major class of warship designed and built in Canada. It was similar to the Whitby class frigate, but used more American equipment than British. There were seven ships of the class commissioned between 1955 and 1957. Originally intended as a destroyer escort, but it was later refitted to be a destroyer helicopter escort. Original design Designed to operate in harsh Canadian conditions. They were built to counter nuclear, biological and chemical attack conditions, which lead to a design with a rounded hull, a continuous main deck, and the addition of a prewetting system to wash away contaminants. The living spaces on the ship were part of a "citadel" which could be sealed off from contamination for the crew safety. The ships were sometimes referred to as "Cadillacs" for their relatively luxurious crew compartments. Other innovative features not found on other ships of its time included an operations room separate from the bridge, from which the captain could command the ship while in combat, 12 separate internal telephone systems, air conditioning, and the latest advances in radar and sonar technology. Modifications With the advent of the nuclear submarine, it became apparent that the ships needed to be further upgraded, and in the 1960s, all seven ships of the type underwent extensive modernization, to make them into helicopter carrying destroyers (DDH). Some armament was removed to make room for the landing pad, and stabilizing systems were added to allow for helicopter recovery in any sea conditions, and a single CH-124 Sea King was carried. At the same time the SQS 504 VDS, Canadian designed, advanced sonar system was added, dramatically extending the ship's sonar range. DELEX program In the late 1970s, under the Destroyer Life Extension Program (DELEX), the six newest St. Laurent class ships underwent electronics, machinery, and hull upgrades and repairs, with the intent of extending the life of the class for another 15 years of service. The HMCS Fraser was also used as a testbed for technologies which would later be fitted to the Halifax class frigate. The first ship of the class, the HMCS St. Laurent was paid off in the early 1970s, and it was decided to sell her for scrap instead of undergo the DELEX program. She was caught in a hurricane while being towed to the scrap yard Texas, took on water, and sank off Cape Hatteras.
Armament:
as built; in DDE configuration				after conversion to DDH
2 3”/50 Mk.33 FMC twin mounts 2 40mm ‘Boffin’ single (except D 230 & 233) 2 Mk.NC10 Limbo ASW mortars 2 single Mk.2 ‘K-gun’ launchers with homing torpedoes no flight deck; no hangar;				1 3”/50 Mk.33 FMC twin mount 1 Mk.NC10 Limbo ASW mortar (removed in 233 in 1986; rest in 1991) 2 Mk.32 / 12.75” triple Torpedo-launchers (for Mk.44 or Mk.46Mod5 Torpedoes) Flight deck & hangar for 1 CH-124 ‘Sea King’ Helicopter
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