HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH-332)

History

In the early 1990s, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) began operating the Halifax-class frigates, which eventually consisted of 12 conventionally propelled ships, responsible for a variety of maritime missions, both offensive and offensive defensive. These include the HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH-332), the third ship in its class. She was built by MIL Davie Shipbuilding in Clauson, Quebec, the keel was laid on December 16, 1988, and the warship was launched on May 16, 1991.

The official commissioning took place on July 14, 1994 at the designated home port of CFB Halifax.

At the time of this writing (2018), the warship and all of its sisters are still in service with the RCN and have been gradually upgraded to accommodate greater air defense support since entering service.

Background

Maritime defense remains a priority for Canada because of its wide coastline at either end of the country, with clear access to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their commitment to NATO was also the basis for an effective, state-of-the-art naval force, so the government took such action in the late 1970s to build a new fleet of combat frigates. The origins of the HMCS Ville de Quebec began with an initiative in late 1977 to equip the RCN with a new class with modest (projectile-based) artillery armament, a greater focus on anti-ship and anti-submarine capabilities and the start-up of helicopter support facilities .

Some 20 ships were initially envisaged as part of the modernization effort, which would consist of an initial six warships. The type will be used to succeed the aging family of blue-water frigates and escort platforms, although like other optimistic Cold War-era plans, planning and construction delays for what will become the "Halifax-class" have resulted in buildings not awarded until the mid-1980s contract.

Ultimately, the fleet consisted of twelve ships.

The current fleet is spread over two Canadian coasts: seven are assigned to the most important Atlantic Theater, while the rest operate west.

Structure, drive and performance

When completed, the HMCS Ville de Quebec will have a displacement of 4,000 tonnes lightly loaded and over 5,000 tonnes fully loaded. Dimensions include a barrel length of 440 feet, a beam of 54 feet and a draft of 23 feet.

Power comes from 2 LM2500 gas turbines and 1 SEMT Pielstick diesel engine propulsion power, with 2 shafts under the stern, giving the vessel a top speed (under ideal conditions) of 30 knots and a range of up to 9,500 nautical miles. Notably, the engine is "raft mounted" to reduce the acoustic signature.

There is a crew of 225 on board, including an air force, as the ship supports 1 Sikorsky CH-148 Tornado (or similar) Navy helicopter over its stern helipad (these were formerly CH- 124 "Sea King""). Also attached is a full-service hangar facility for offshore repair and maintenance of these rotorcraft products.

Weapons and Support Systems

The missile portion of the ship's armament includes 16 x Evolved Sea Sparrow medium-range surface-to-air missiles (SAM), 24 x Honeywell Mk 46 torpedoes, and 8 x RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles (ASM). Projectile-based weapons include 1 x 57mm Bofors Mk. 2 turret, 1 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) and up to 8 x .500 caliber Browning Machine Guns (HGM), 50 for Work up close and personal. The warship's helicopters are also equipped for anti-ship/anti-submarine missions and provide the active critical "eye in the sky" capability on the horizon.

All are designed to equip warships with the necessary tools to deal with most known air, sea or underwater threats.

HMCS Ville de Quebec is equipped with 2 x BAe Systems Shield Mk. 2 decoy chaff launchers for self-defense against missile attack. 2 x Thales SPG-503 for fire control, Raytheon AN/SPS-49(V)5 C/D band air search radar is active tracking device. Kelvin Hughes supplies the Model 1007 I-band Navigation Unit. The AN/SLQ-25A "Nixie" system was used to tow decoy reels to defend against enemy torpedoes, and the bow-mounted sonar unit was used for submarine hunting.

The Canadian Electronic Warfare System (CANEWS) works with the SLQ-505 jammer kit as a component of the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR).

Modern Considerations and Services

Due to its Cold War roots, Ville de Quebec has been modernized to keep it alive on a changing battlefield. This includes upgrading all major relevant mission systems, including communications, fire control, search and track, and electronic warfare suites.

Modifications have also been made to accommodate the new CH-148 Cyclone series helicopter (the aircraft is described elsewhere on this website).

Since working at sea, Ville de Quebec has patrolled vital Atlantic waters to advance Canadas interests and conducted various NATO-related exercises, demonstrating her stealth, seafaring skills and response to multiple threats overall preparation. During the Yugoslav war in the 1990s, she was part of the Yugoslav blockade force and assisted the United States after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Like other Western ships, the Quebec City is part of a contingent of warships patrolling the coast of Somalia against local pirates in the latest deployment. Another modernization took place in late 2014, bringing it back online by the end of 2015.

A machine fire in March 2016 delayed their full return, and their last documented operation was the NATO-sponsored Trident exercise.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing