HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400)
Encyclopedia

HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400) was a hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...

 that served in the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...

 from 1968 to 1971. During sea trials in 1969, the vessel exceeded 63 knots (34.3 m/s), making her the fastest unarmed warship in the world.

The vessel was originally built from 1960 to 1967 for the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

, as a project for the testing of anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

 technology on an ocean-going hydrofoil. The RCN was replaced on 1 February 1968 by the unified Canadian Armed Forces, and HMCS Bras d'Or was commissioned into that service several months later. Changes in priorities and cost overruns later led to the project's cancellation.

HMCS Bras d'Or was named in honour of Bras d'Or Lake
Bras d'Or Lake
Bras d'Or Lake is a large body of salt water dominating the centre of Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Bras d'Or Lake is sometimes referred to as the Bras d'Or Lakes or the Bras d'Or Lakes system, however its official geographic name is Bras d'Or Lake as it is a singular...

 on Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

's Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....

, where inventor Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....

 performed hydrofoil experiments in the early 20th century near his estate and new laboratory at Beinn Bhreagh
Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia
Beinn Bhreagh, generally pronounced "ban vreeagh", is the name of the estate founded by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, which has become an unincorporated rural community located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada...

, setting the world watercraft speed record in the process. In 1909 the lake was also the historic site of the first flight of an aircraft in Canada and the British Commonwealth; the airplane, named the Silver Dart
AEA Silver Dart
-References:NotesBibliography* Aerial Experimental Association . Aerofiles. . Retrieved: 19 May 2005.* Green, H. Gordon. The Silver Dart: The Authentic Story of the Hon. J.A.D. McCurdy, Canada's First Pilot. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Atlantic Advocate Book, 1959.* Milberry, Larry. Aviation in...

, was built by the Aerial Experiment Association
Aerial Experiment Association
The Aerial Experiment Association was a Canadian aeronautical research group formed on 30 September 1907, under the tutelage of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell...

 under Dr. Bell's tutelage. The lake's name was thus fitting for a hydrofoil vessel which could 'fly' above an ocean's surface.

Development

A combined Anglo-Canadian study (RCN and Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

) into the use of hydrofoils for anti-submarine work and coastal patrol craft began post war. This led to a 17-tonne prototype, the R-103, built by Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders...

 in the UK, and sea-trialled in Canada. This led to the foil configuration used for the Bras d'Or.

Construction

HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400) was the third vessel to bear that name (see below) and was built at Marine Industries Limited
Marine Industries Limited
Marine Industries Limited was a Canadian ship building company, in Sorel, Quebec, with a shipyard located on the Richelieu river about 1 km from the St. Lawrence River. It employed up to 10,000 people during the post WWII boom....

 (MIL) in Sorel, Quebec, the primary contractor being de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...

, an aircraft company. The Principal Naval Overseer was Commander Donald Clark, CD
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...

, RCN, who initiated the project on completion and launch of in 1964. The hull was built upside down out of aluminum and rotated on 22 January 1966 when it was complete. The foil system was constructed from maraging steel
Maraging steel
Maraging steels are steels which are known for possessing superior strength and toughness without losing malleability, although they cannot hold a good cutting edge. Aging refers to the extended heat-treatment process...

.

The Bras d'Or flew on a set of surface-piercing foils in a canard
Canard (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the forward surface is smaller than the rearward, the former being known as the "canard", while the latter is the main wing...

 configuration (a small foil forward and a larger load-bearing foil aft). The foils were made of maraging steel coated in neoprene
Neoprene
Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene in general has good chemical stability, and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range...

 to prevent corrosion. However, the neoprene coating did not work adequately and the foils still suffered corrosion.

The main foils featured several parts: two anhedral foils, two anhedral tips, two dihedral foils, and a centre high-speed foil. The steerable front foil featured two anhedral sections and two dihedral sections with a strut down the middle, resulting in a diamond shape.

The Bras d'Or had two propulsion systems: one for foilborne operation and one for hullborne operation, which included four engines. Foilborne power was provided by a FT4A-2
Pratt & Whitney GG4
-External links:*...

 gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....

 developing 25500 hp at 21,500 rpm through General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

 gearboxes to a pair of three-bladed supercavitating
Supercavitation
Supercavitation is the use of cavitation effects to create a bubble of gas inside a liquid large enough to encompass an object traveling through the liquid, greatly reducing the skin friction drag on the object and enabling achievement of very high speeds...

 propellers. Hullborne propulsion was driven by a Davey Paxman
Paxman
Paxman may refer to:Surname* Jeremy Paxman, British TV journalist* Giles Paxman, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Spain* Stephen Paxman, Australian rules footballerOthers* Paxman Musical Instruments...

 Ventura 16YJCM sixteen-cylinder diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

 to a pair of variable-pitch propellers
Controllable pitch propeller
A controllable pitch propeller or variable pitch propeller is a type of propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change their pitch...

. Auxiliary power and electrical power while foilborne was provided by an ST6A-53
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is one of the most popular turboprop aircraft engines in history, and is produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. The PT6 family is particularly well known for its extremely high reliability, with MTBO's on the order of 9000 hours in some models. In US military use, they...

 gas turbine powering an auxiliary gearbox. Both of the P&W turbines were built by United Aircraft
United Aircraft
The United Aircraft Corporation was formed in 1934 at the break-up of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. In 1975, the company became the United Technologies Corporation.-1930s:...

 of Canada. There was also a GTCP85-291 gas turbine for essential ship requirements in emergencies.

On 5 November 1966, a de Havilland employee was in the main engine room with the ST6 running when a hydraulic
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...

 fluid leak ignited on a hot joint in the ST6's exhaust stack, resulting in a flash fire. The technician responsible for the fire-suppression system rescued the employee, but as a result did not have time to activate the fire-suppression system.

The fire was put out one and a half hours later by the Sorel fire department. This delayed the ship's launch to 12 July 1968 and cost $5.7 million.

Trials

The Bras d'Or first flew on 9 April 1969 near Chebucto Head
Chebucto Head, Nova Scotia
Chebucto Head is a Canadian headland on Nova Scotia's Chebucto Peninsula located within the community of Duncan's Cove, Nova Scotia.Chebucto Head forms the most easterly point on the peninsula and is used to define the southwestern limit of Halifax Harbour; historically known to the Mi'kmaq Nation...

 off the entrance to Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...

. The vessel exhibited extraordinary stability in rough weather, frequently more stable at 40 knots (78.4 km/h) than a conventional ship at 18 knots (35.3 km/h). The Bras d'Or exceeded 63 knots (34.3 m/s) on trials, quite possibly making her the fastest warship ever built. It was however, never fitted with equipment for warfare (no weapons or weapon systems) and the title now lies with the Norwegian Skjold-class motor patrol boat that will do 60 knots (117.6 km/h), fully equipped.

Cancellation

HMCS Bras d'Ors trial program was abruptly cancelled on 2 November 1971 by Minister of National Defence
Minister of National Defence
*Minister of National Defence *Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China*Ministry of National Defense *Ministry of National Defense *Minister of National Defence *Minister of National Defence...

 Donald S. Macdonald
Donald Stovel Macdonald
Donald Stovel Macdonald, PC, CC is a former Canadian Liberal politician and Cabinet minister.Macdonald graduated from the University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto in 1952. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1962 election as the Liberal Member of...

, attributing it to a change in defence priority (from anti-submarine warfare to sovereignty protection). The ship was laid up for five years, then the program was completely killed, with most of the valuable components either sold by Crown Assets
Crown Assets Distribution
The Crown Assets Distribution handles moveable Crown assets that a federal department or agency has declared as surplus.The Public Works and Government Services Canada operates eight Crown Assets Distribution Centres located across the country which manage the disposal of moveable federal...

 or scrapped.

The ship was saved and donated to the Musée Maritime du Québec at L'Islet-sur-Mer, Quebec
L'Islet, Quebec
L'Islet is a municipality within the Regional County Municipality of L'Islet in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada.It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River halfway between Quebec City and Rivière-du-Loup...

 where it remains on display to this day.

Sea Cadet Corps

Located in Rothesay, New Brunswick
Rothesay, New Brunswick
Rothesay is a Canadian town located in Kings County, New Brunswick. It is a bedroom community of Saint John along the Kennebecasis River.Located along the lower Kennebecasis River valley, Rothesay borders the city of Saint John to the southwest, and the neighbouring town of Quispamsis to the...

, Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in the local...

Bras d'Or (#268) remains as a memory to the Bras d'Or. As of 2008 the corps was parading 20 cadets each night. The Bras d'Or Sea Cadet Corps is the home to the 2007 National Top Sea Cadet of the Year, New Brunswick's Top CIC Officer of the Year, and New Brunswick's Top Sea Cadet of the Year.

External links

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