In 1969, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Huron (pennant number DDH-281) was laid down at Sorel in Quebec. On December 16th, 1972 the ship was commissioned into the fleet. She weighed 4700 tons which was average for a frigate of her time, but rather small for the typical NATO destroyer. Her 426 foot (129m) frame was unique in the fact that she belonged to the first class of warships to be all gas-turbine propelled. She carried a crew of 285 men and was designed to provide convoy protection and anti-submarine warfare against the huge Soviet submarine arm in the event World War Three erupted. She was equipped with a large 127mm main gun, Sea Sparrow anti-missile missiles, triple Mk32 torpedo tubes and a Limbo depth charge mortar for anti-submarine uses. Her deck was made to accommodate two huge CH-124 (US SH-3) Sea King helicopters. This was unique for the time as most small escort ships did not have helicopter hangars at all and when they did they typically only carried one much smaller and less capable craft.
She protected the Canadian east coast as part of the Atlantic forces. The Huron represented Canada at Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Naval Review in 1977. She was chosen to take the Canadian Governor General on a diplomatic tour of Europe in 1981. In 1987 with the Cold War winding down she was transferred to the Pacific and saw extensive service there including port calls in Russia and Japan. In 1991 she made ready for war and was tasked to provide protection to a force of auxiliary ships sent to aide the international forces at sea during the First Gulf War. On her return from the Persian Gulf she became one of the few Canadian warships to circumnavigate the globe. She was the first Canadian ship to enter post-liberation Kuwait. In 1993 she was designated to be refitted for a new role as an air defense ship as her anti-submarine role had diminished with the end of the Cold War. Her 127mm main gun designed for killing Soviet destroyers was replaced by a smaller faster 76mm OTO Melera multi-purposes mount. Her eight Sea Sparrow missiles were removed and replaced with 29 vertically launched SM-2 Standard missiles that had a forty mile range. Her engines were upgraded due to the fact that she now weighed 5100 tons with her new armament suite.
Tragically this ship, one of the most modern and best armed and equipped for her size was laid up only seven years later due to budgetary reasons. After spending three years in reserve with only a skeleton crew she was ‘paid-off’ (decommissioned) May 31, 2003 at Esquimalt Dockyard. Over the next four years she was stripped of everything that could be used by her three sister ships of the same class. This included her still nearly new engines, weapons systems, radars and electronic suites. She was then cleaned of all petroleum, oil and lubricants and designated for destruction as the cost her scrapping her would be prohibitive.
On May 14, 2007 she was towed 150 kilometers off the coast of Vancouver to meet combat for the first and last time. As part of an exercise called "Trident Fury 2007" she was engaged non-stop over the course of five hours by a naval task force that eight NATO ships and forty aircraft. She was engaged by naval gunfire from the task force which included her sister ship the HMCS Algonquin (which had been re-equipped with Huron’s gun!) She took hundreds of hits from 127mm, 76mm, 57mm, 40mm, 25mm, and .50 cal weapons. The final hits were from 20mm cannon fire and laser guided bombs from Canadian CF-18 Hornets. She holds the distinction of being the first Canadian warship to be sunk in Canadian waters.
Sources
Canadian Forces Combat Camera (pictures)
Canadian Tribal Association website page on the Huron
Sharpe, Jane’s Fighting Ships 1988 & 1995
Frigate Sent to Bottom, by the Canadian Press May 14, 2006 Article
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