FRIGATES [FF]—Canada

¨  12 Halifax class Bldrs: A: St. John SB, N. B.; B: MIL Group Davie SY, Lauzon, Que.    (sterns by MIL, Tracy)

		Bldr		Laid down		L		In serv.
FFH 330 Halifax		A		19-3-87		30-5-88		29-6-92
FFH 331 Vancouver		A		19-5-88		8-7-89		23-8-93
FFH 332 Ville de Québec		B		16-12-88		16-5-91		14-7-94
FFH 333 Toronto		A		22-4-89		15-6-91		29-7-93
FFH 334 Regina		B		6-10-89		25-11-91		30-9-94
FFH 335 Calgary		B		15-6-91		28-8-92		12-5-95
FFH 336 Montreal		A		9-2-91		28-2-92		21-7-94
FFH 337 Fredericton		A		25-4-92		26-6-93		10-9-94
FFH 338 Winnipeg		A		19-3-93		25-6-94		23-6-95
FFH 339 Charlottetown		A		17-12-93		1-10-94		9-9-95
FFH 340 St. John’s		A		24-8-94		12-2-95		24-6-96
FFH 341 Ottawa		A		29-4-95		22-11-95		28-9-96

Draft:  3,922 tons light, 4,305 tons std. (4,761 fl)

Speed:  29.2 kts (27 sust.; 18 max. on diesel)

Dimensions:  135.5 (124.50 pp) × 16.40 (14.80 wl) × 4.94 mean hull (6.15 max.)

Armament:  8 RGM-84C/D Harpoon SSM; 2 Mk 48 Mod. 0 Sea Sparrow VLS SAM launch groups (16 RIM-7M missiles); 1 57-mm 70-cal. Bofors SAK-57 Mk 2 DP;  1 20-mm Mk 15 Mod. 12 Phalanx gatling CIWS; 4 single 12.7-mm mg; 2 paired, fixed 324-mm Mk 32 Mod. 9 ASW TT (Mk 46 Mod. 1 or Mod. 5 torpedoes);  1 CH-124A Sea King helicopter

Electronics:

Radar:  2 Sperry Mk 340X (FFH 335, 337�?41: Kelvin-Hughes Type 1007) nav.; 1 Ericsson Sea Giraffe 150HC air/surf. search; 1 Raytheon SPS-49(V)5 long-range air search; 2 Thales SPG-503 (VM-25 STIR 1.8) f.c.

Sonar:  SQS-505(V)6 hull-mounted; SQR-501 CANTASS towed array; WQC-501(V) underwater telephone; UYS-503 sonobuoy processor

Electronic Warfare:  Racal SLQ-504 (CANEWS) intercept; Lockheed SLQ-503 (RAMSES) jammer; Southwest SRD-502 (Telegon 4) HFD/F; 4 six-round SLQ-502 (Marconi-GEC Shield-II) decoy RL; Aerojet SLQ-25QA Nixie towed acoustic torpedo decoy (FFH 338 also: SRD-504 combat D/F)

Electo/Optical:  Westcam 14 multi-spectral IR/laser/t.v.—TACAN: URN-25

Machinery:  CODOG: 2 G.E. LM-2500-30 gas turbines (23,747 shp each at 3,600 rpm),  1 SEMT-Pielstick 20PA6-V280-BTC diesel (11,780 bhp max., 8,675 bhp sust.);  2 Escher-Wyss CP props; 47,494 shp

Electric:  3,400 kw tot. (4 MWM TBO-602 V-16K diesel generator sets)

Range:  4,500/20 on one gas turbine; 6,000/15 diesel  Fuel: 550 tons

Crew:  22 officers, 202 enlisted (peacetime complement: 180 total)

Remarks: First six ordered 29-7-83 from consortium of St. John Shipbuilding, Ltd., Paramax Electronics (later Unisys GSG Canada), and Sperry, with three subcontracted to Marine Industries (later MIL Group). Second flight of six ordered 18- 12-87, all from St. John. FFH 330, 332, 333, 336, 337, 339, and 340 are assigned to MARLANT, the others to MARPAC. Three may be decommissioned to reserve as the navy’s share of defense cuts.

Hull systems: Full-load displacement has grown by 496 tons since construction began; limiting displacement is 5,100 tons. The ships have a bubbler noise-reduction system. Do not have fin stabilizers. Measures have been taken to minimize the infrared signature, and the ships have NBC warfare-proof citadels. The engines are raft-mounted to reduce radiated noise, but they have been found to be noisier than expected. The Indal Bear Trap helicopter haul-down and deck transit system is installed. Fuel capacity has been increased from the original 479 tons. FFH 330, 332, and 333 experienced propulsion diesel cracking problems; until repairs were made by the manufacturer during 1995�?6, the unrepaired ships were restricted to 13�?5 kts on diesel power. FFH 336 has 12,500 synthetic rubber anechoic tiles on the hull on the exterior of the underwater hull in the vicinity of the machinery spaces to reduce radiated noise.

Combat systems: The Thales UYQ-501(V) SHINPADS (Shipboard Integrated Processing and Display System) data system with UYC-501(V) databus is fitted. Were originally to have had the newer SQS-510 hull-mounted sonar. The transducer for the SQS-505(V)6 set is mounted in a C5 retractable dome. SQR-501 CANTASS towed tactical passive hydrophone array system uses the “wet end�?of the U.S. SQR-19A  TACTASS. Have UYS-503(V) sonobuoy data processing system.

   A planned additional 12 VLS Sea Sparrow reload SAMs will not now be carried; as a further money-saving move, the ships do not have the latest version of the Harpoon missile weapons-control system, being fitted instead with SWG-1(V) vice SWG-1A. Have the SHINCOM (Shipboard Integrated Communications) system and are fitted with two U.S. OE-82 antennas for the WSC-3 UHF SATCOM system. One of the two navigational radar antennas is mounted atop the helicopter hangar, to port, to assist in helicopter take-offs and landings; they may later be reequipped with a Thales Scout covert continuous-wave radar set forward. All are planned to receive the SRD-504 Combat Direction Finding system, and the jamming system may be replaced.

   Navigational equipment includes Sperry SQN-502/SRD-331 doppler speed log, two Sperry SSN-502 (Mk 49) inertial navigation systems, and Internav SRN-501  LORAN-C receiver. Hazeltine Mk 12 IFF equipment is installed.

Modernization: Four were planned to be backfitted with H.S.A. APAR 3-D search radar during post-2005 refits, funds permitting; installing the system would increase displacement by 105 tons, due to the need for ballasting. Are planned to receive Link 16 Cooperative Engagement Capability, and the EW suite is to be updated. The TIAPS (Towed Integrated Active-Passive Sonar) may be substituted for the CANTASS  passive-only towed array. U.S. Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles will begin replacing the Current RIM-7P version during refits starting late 2004, but the Mk 48 launchers will not be modified to accept quad packs to permit quadrupling the missile load. SLQ-25 has been upgraded to SLQ-25A solid-state variant.

Halifax (FFH 330)

1. 12.7-mm machineguns 2. CH-124 Sea King helicopter 3. 20-mm Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS. 4. navigational and helicopter-control radars 5. twin, fixed  Mk 32 ASW TT in deckhouse at main deck level 6. SPG-503 tracker/illuminator radars 7. RGM-84 Harpoon SSM in quadruple launch canister groups 8. Mk 48 vertical launch cells for Sea Sparrow SAMs 9. OE-82 antennas for the U.S. WSC-3 UHF SATCOM system 10. Sea Giraffe 150HC search radar 11. SPS-49(V)5 air-search radar 12. decoy RL on bridge wings 13. 57-mm SAK 57 DP gun
Drawing by Jean Moulin

Ottawa (FFH 341)

MCpl Pierre Vaudry, Canadian DND, 2-02

Montreal (FFH 336)

MCpl Brian Walsh, Canadian DND, 11-02

Montreal (FFH 336)

Stefan Karpinski, 4-03

Vancouver (FFH 331)

—note vertical SAM launchers abreast stack, Phalanx CIWS on starboard side of the hangar roof, VERTREP position painted on bow, and helicopter haul-down and traversing system on flight deck
Canadian Forces, 2000