HMCS Algonquin (DDG 283) was an that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1973 to 2015.
Algonquin was the fourth ship of her class which is sometimes referred to as the Tribal class or the 280 class. She is the second vessel to use the designation . Algonquin carried the hull classification symbol DDG.
Algonquin was originally designed to be primarily an anti-submarine destroyer. The Iroquois-class destroyers were the first ships in the Royal Canadian Navy (other than the ) to carry multiple helicopters, and were the first ships to be powered entirely by gas turbines in a COGOG (Combined Gas Or Gas) arrangement. Algonquin underwent a major refit called the Tribal Class Update and Modernization Program (TRUMP) from 1987 to 1991 and emerged as an area air defence destroyer.
She was assigned to Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) and was homeported at CFB Esquimalt.
Design
On 26 October 1987, Algonquin entered the Tribal Class Update and Modernization Project refit, dubbed TRUMP, at MIL-Davie, Lauzon. Labour problems and contract disputes delayed completion of the work until 11 Oct 1991.
As a modernization concept, origins of the idea date back to the early 1980s. By the mid-1980s the Canadian Federal Government had decided on the necessity of upgrading the Iroquois-class ships and released a request for proposal, foreseeing complete refurbishment. The project resulted in a thorough refurbishment of the ship and modernization of mechanical, electronic and weapon systems.
Litton Systems Canada was selected as prime contractor and project manager after submitting a detailed 4000+ page proposal which emphasized, maximum automation and software engineering This aspect of the ship was extremely important due to the desired high level of automation in real-time command and control functions on the refurbished ships. Software engineering military standards were fairly recent and not yet widely assimilated, so Litton had to exercise particular caution in the areas of software configuration management (SCM) and software quality assurance (SQA). Litton's Proposal to the Canadian Federal Government had a 250-page SCM and SQA policies section which was accepted without a single edit due to highly sensitive and farsighted work of the Advance Programs Division Technical Contract Team at Litton who established a massive and capable engineering force by 1988–89.
The entire class underwent major retrofits in the early 1990s as a part of the Tribal Class Update and Modernization Project. These refits had the effect of re-purposing the ships for area air defence; following, Iroquois-class ships were also referred to as air defence destroyers. This resulted in an update of vessel designation from DDH (Destroyer Helicopter) to DDG (Destroyer Guided Missile). Their former anti-submarine role was largely assumed by the s.
The main weapon of the new design was the Mk.41 VLS, firing 29 SM-2 Block III long-range anti-aircraft missiles. To provide room for the VLS, the original 5-in L54 gun was replaced with the smaller, but much faster firing, Oto Melara 76 mm gun, relocated from the deck to the bridgework above it. A Phalanx CIWS (Close-in Weapon System) was also added for self-defence. The torpedo tubes were retained, but the Limbo and Sea Sparrow systems were removed.
The modernization also replaced the original Pratt & Whitney FFT-12 cruise turbines with newer 570-KF engines from Allison. The speed remained the same, as weight had increased to 5,100 tons full load. The original split funnel was replaced by a simpler single funnel, giving the ship a reduced heat signature due to cooler engine exhaust.
Construction and career
Algonquin, named for the Algonquin people, was laid down on 1 September 1969 by Davie Shipbuilding at Lauzon, Quebec. The ship was launched on 23 April 1971, christened on 27 April and commissioned into the Canadian Forces on 3 November 1973.
On 9 November, while undertaking a six-day passage, Algonquin conducted first crew readiness work-ups (WUPS) at sea. During this time, the ship embarked her first CH-140 Sea King helicopter. The destroyer was initially stationed out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. On 28 November, Algonquin departed Halifax to participate in the naval exercise MARCOT 3/73 with the destroyer escorts and .