From CBC (Halifax)
HMCS Iroquois to be decommissioned today after 43 years
Ceremony will be sad for many former and current crew of Canadian destroyerRichard CuthbertsonMay 01, 2015
The Iroquois was dubbed "a creature of the space age" when the ship slipped into the water from a shipbuilding yard in Sorel, Que., to begin a four-decade career as Canada's flagship destroyer.
Ten years in planning and construction, the Iroquois and three sister destroyers were designed for a tricky Cold War dual role: a peacetime vessel that could lead rescue missions and fishery patrols, but outfitted with the latest in military slyness and might.
Defence naval architects tested and designed a special hull for anti-submarine warfare that was both fast and quiet. Gas turbines meant the Iroquois could be started and underway in minutes.
For Able Seaman Maurice Williamson, a marine engineer used to the roughness and mechanical rigours of aging navy ships built for the Second World War, the Iroquois was a marvel.
"We were in awe of this, of the technology," says Williamson, who was part of the first crew who sailed the Iroquois down the St. Lawrence River.
Since its commissioning in 1972, the Iroquois has gone on to sail 860,000 nautical miles — the equivalent of nearly 40 times around the globe — on countless rescues, exercises, patrols and NATO missions....
No comments:
Post a Comment