Bay-class minesweeper
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The Bay-class minesweepers, also known as the ''Gaspé''-class minesweepers, were a class of minesweepers operated by the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
(RCN) and
Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...
(CF) during the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. Their design was similar to the British s. The class derives its name from bays in Canada and was designed by the RCN as a replacement for
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
-era minesweepers. Fourteen were laid down in 1951–1952, however six were subsequently transferred to the
French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
in 1954. These ships were replaced by six of the same name in 1956–1957 but were assigned new
pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...
s. 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.


Design and description

The class was designed with
mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
wood planking overlaying an aluminum frame and decks. Vessels of the Bay class had a standard
displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
of and at deep load. They were
long overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...
and between perpendiculars, with a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of and a draught of max. They had a complement of 40. The minesweepers were powered by two GM 12-cylinder
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
s turning two shafts, creating . This gave the Bay class a maximum speed of . They carried 52 tons of oil. The ships were armed with one 40 mm/60 caliber Mk 7 gun.


Ships


Service history


Canadian service

Four vessels of the class were ordered in September 1949, followed by a further 10 in 1951 to replace the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
-era minesweepers. The second group of new construction was a result of Canada's entry into the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. Initially ascribed the
classification Classification is a process related to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood. Classification is the grouping of related facts into classes. It may also refer to: Business, organizat ...
MCA they changed to MCB in 1954. In 1954, six ships, ''Chaleur'', ''Chignecto'', ''Cowichan'', ''Fundy'', ''Miramachi'', and ''Thunder'' were transferred to the
French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
under the Mutual Aid Agreement of
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
due to a shortage of the type in allied navies. ''Chignecto'', ''Cowichan'', ''Fundy'' and ''Thunder'' were transferred on 7 April at
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
with ''Chaleur'' and ''Miramichi'' on 9 October. Their names were reused for later vessels of the class. In 1958, four more, ''Comox'', ''Gaspé'', ''Trinity'' and ''Ungava'', were transferred to the Turkish Navy. ''Chaleur'', ''Fundy'', ''Quinte'' and ''Thunder'' formed the First Minesweeping Squadron in 1960. In October 1960, ''Fundy'', ''Thunder'', ''Chaleur'', ''Chignecto'', ''Resolute'' and ''Quinte'' took part in the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
naval exercise Sweep Clear V off Shelburne, Nova Scotia. The Second Minesweeping Squadron, comprising ''Fortune'', ''Miramichi'', ''Cowichan'' and ''James Bay'' made a port visit at
Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
in June 1960 before transiting into the Pacific. In May–June 1961, the First Canadian Minesweeping Squadron, composed of ''Chaleur'', ''Chignecto'', ''Fundy'', ''Quinte'', ''Resolute'' and ''Thunder'', performed a tour of the
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, making several port visits. In an effort to free up funding in the early 1960s for other capital projects, the remaining ten were placed in reserve. Four more of the class, ''Resolute'', ''Quinte'', ''James Bay'' and ''Fortune'' were
paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...
in 1964 and sold to commercial interests. ''Fortune'' was renamed ''Greenpeace Two'' and was used in an attempt to stop nuclear testing in the
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
in 1971. In 1972, the six that remained were re-designated small patrol escorts with the classification PFL. In 1979 they were designated
training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...
s with the classification PB. By 1980, they were part of the West Coast Training Squadron and they served with Training Group Pacific in the 1990s. They were discarded in the late 1990s with the second ''Chignecto'' the last to be paid off on 19 December 1998. In Canadian service they were replaced first by until the new s were ready.


French naval service

In 1954 six ships were transferred to the French Navy and renamed ''Le Dieppoise'' (M 730), ''La Bayonnaise'' (M 728), ''La Malouine'' (M 727), ''La Dunkerquoise'' (M 726), ''La Lorientaise'' (M 731) and ''La Paimpolaise'' (M 729) respectively. The six vessels were transferred under the Mutual Defense Program. In the 1960s the six were modified for use as colonial patrol boats. Their minesweeping gear was removed and air conditioning installed. Their hull identification was changed to P 655, P 654, P 651, P 653, P 652, and P 657 respectively. ''La Bayonnaise'' was stricken in 1976, followed by ''La Malouine'' in 1977. The remaining four were stationed in the Pacific until the 1980s when they were replaced by Super Patra-class patrol craft. In 1986 ''La Lorientaise'' and ''La Dunkerquoise'' were discarded and ''La Dieppoise'' and ''La Paimpolaise'' followed a year later.


Turkish naval service

In 1958, four Bay class were transferred to the Turkish Navy and renamed ''Tirebolu'', '' Trabzon'', ''Terme'' and ''Tekirdag'' respectively. They were transferred under
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
mutual aid.


References


Citations


Sources

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External links


Bay class
– ''hazegray.org'' {{Bay class minesweeper Mine warfare vessel classes Ship classes of the French Navy