HMCS Haida

Type

Destroyer

Period

20th Century

Nation

Canada

Overview: HMCS Haida is a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy, famous as the "Fightingest Ship in the Royal Canadian Navy" for sinking more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship. She is the sole survivor of the 27 Tribal-class destroyers built for the British, Canadian, and Australian navies, and is preserved today as a museum ship and National Historic Site of Canada in Hamilton, Ontario. Specifications: Built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, launched 25 August 1942 and commissioned 30 August 1943. As built she displaced roughly 1,959 long tons standard (2,519 long tons deep load), measured 377 ft (114.9 m) in length with a 37 ft 6 in beam and 13 ft draught, and was powered by two shafts driven by Parsons geared steam turbines producing 44,000 shp for a speed of about 36.5 knots. Her Tribal-class design was notable for pioneering twin gun mountings, giving her heavier armament than typical destroyers of her size. Service History: Haida served on the Arctic convoy route to Murmansk, then joined the 10th Destroyer Flotilla clearing German shipping from the English Channel ahead of the Normandy landings, helping sink around 14 enemy vessels including the destroyer Z32. After the war she was converted to a destroyer escort between 1949–1952, with her forward 4.7-inch guns replaced by 4-inch guns and later Squid anti-submarine mortars added, and went on to serve two tours off Korea conducting shore bombardment and train-busting operations before decommissioning in 1963. Notable Facts: Designated a national historic site in 1984, Haida is one of only three surviving RCN warships from WWII (alongside HMCS Sackville and HMCS Acadia) and the last Tribal-class destroyer left in the world. Her most famous commanding officer was Harry DeWolf, after whom Canada's modern Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel class is named; her postwar destroyer-escort configuration, visible today, differs notably from her wartime WWII silhouette, which is worth noting for modelers choosing which era to depict.