HMCS St. Croix (DDE 256)
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 HMCS St. Croix arriving at CFB Esquimalt in August 1964 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
  Canada | |
| Name | St. Croix |
| Namesake | St. Croix River |
| Builder | Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel |
| Laid down | 15 October 1954 |
| Launched | 17 November 1957 |
| Commissioned | 4 October 1958 |
| Decommissioned | 15 November 1974 |
| Homeport | CFB Esquimalt |
| Identification | DDE 256 |
| Motto | "Stand, fight, yield not"[1] |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1940–43[1] |
| Fate | Disposed and broken up in 1991. |
| Badge | Argent, a cross wavy azure charged with a similar one argent issuing from between the arms of the cross saltirewise four maple leaves, gules[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Restigouche-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 2,800 tonnes (2,800 long tons; 3,100 short tons) (deep load) |
| Length | 366 ft (111.6 m) |
| Beam | 42 ft (12.8 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range | 4,750 nautical miles (8,800 km; 5,470 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Complement | 214 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | 1 × DAU HF/DF (high frequency direction finder) |
| Armament |
|
HMCS St. Croix was a Restigouche-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1958 to 1974. The fourth ship commissioned in the class, she was the second ship to bear the name. Following her decommissioning, the ship was used as a training ship at Halifax, Nova Scotia until 1991, when St. Croix was sold for scrapping.
Armament
Based on the preceding St. Laurent-class design, the Restigouches had the same hull and propulsion, but different weaponry.[2] Initially the St. Laurent class had been planned to be 14 ships. However the order was halved, and the following seven were redesigned to take into improvements made on the St. Laurents. As time passed, their design diverged further from that of the St. Laurents.[3]
The ships had a displacement of 2,000 tonnes (2,000 long tons), 2,500 t (2,500 long tons) at deep load. They were designed to be 112 metres (366 ft) long with a beam of 13 metres (42 ft) and a draught of 4.01 metres (13 ft 2 in).[2] The Restigouches had a complement of 214.[4]
The Restigouches were by powered by two English Electric geared steam turbines, each driving a propeller shaft, using steam provided by two Babcock & Wilcox boilers. They generated 22,000 kilowatts (30,000 shp) giving the vessels a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).[2]
The Restigouches were equipped with SPS-10, SPS-12, Sperry Mk 2 and SPG-48 radar along with SQS-501 and SQS-503 sonar.[5]
The Restigouches diverged from the St. Laurents in their weaponry. The Restigouches were equipped with two twin mounts of Vickers 3-inch (76 mm)/70 calibre Mk 6 dual-purpose guns forward and maintained a single twin mount of 3-inch/50 calibre Mk 22 guns aft used in the preceding class.[note 1] A Mk 69 fire control director was added to control the new guns.[6] They were also armed with two Limbo Mk 10 mortars and two single Bofors 40 mm guns.[5] However the 40 mm guns were dropped in the final design.[6]
The destroyers were also equipped beginning in 1958 with Mk 43 homing torpedoes in an effort to increase the distance between the ships and their targets. The Mk 43 torpedo had a range of 4,100 metres (4,500 yd) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). They were pitched over the side by a modified depth charge thrower.[7]