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HMCS Thunder (MCB 161)

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
History
Canada
NameThunder
NamesakeThunder Bay
BuilderPort Arthur Shipbuilding, Port Arthur, Ontario
Laid down1 September 1955
Launched27 October 1956
Commissioned3 March 1957
Decommissioned22 August 1997
IdentificationMCB 161
Honours and
awards		Atlantic 1941–44, Normandy 1944, English Channel 1944–45[1]
BadgeGules, a pile vert edged or, charged with a representation of the head of Thor, God of thunderstorms, affrontée, wearing a Nordic open crown composed of a circlet with eight arches all plain and meeting together in a point at the pinnacle, his beard formed into nine radiating coils each tapering to a point with a small spearhead at the end[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeBay-class minesweeper
Displacement
  • 390 long tons (400 t)
  • 412 long tons (419 t) (deep load)
Length152 ft (46 m)
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 GM 12-cylinder diesels, 2,400 bhp (1,800 kW)
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range3,290 nmi (6,090 km; 3,790 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement38
Armament1 × 40 mm Bofors gun
For other ships with the same name, see HMCS Thunder.

HMCS Thunder (hull number MCB 161) was a Bay-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. The ship was named for Thunder Bay. This was the third vessel to carry the name and the second in the class, replacing a previous vessel sold to France. The minesweeper entered service in 1957 and was paid off in 1997.

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Hull classification symbol (Canada)

Hull classification symbol (Canada)

The Royal Canadian Navy uses hull classification symbols to identify the types of its ships, which are similar to the United States Navy's hull classification symbol system. The Royal Navy and some European and Commonwealth navies use a somewhat analogous system of pennant numbers.

Bay-class minesweeper

Bay-class minesweeper

The Bay-class minesweepers, also known as the Gaspé-class minesweepers, were a class of minesweepers operated by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Forces (CF) during the Cold War. Their design was similar to the British Ton-class minesweepers.

Minesweeper

Minesweeper

A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submarines, 12 coastal defence vessels, eight patrol class training vessels, two offshore patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. The RCN consists of 8,570 Regular Force and 4,111 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the current commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and chief of the Naval Staff.

Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term cold war is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two superpowers, but they each supported opposing sides in major regional conflicts known as proxy wars. The conflict was based on the ideological and geopolitical struggle for global influence by these two superpowers, following their temporary alliance and victory against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1945. Aside from the nuclear arsenal development and conventional military deployment, the struggle for dominance was expressed via indirect means such as psychological warfare, propaganda campaigns, espionage, far-reaching embargoes, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race.

Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous municipality in Northern Ontario; its population is 108,843 according to the 2021 Canadian Census. Located on Lake Superior, the census metropolitan area of Thunder Bay has a population of 123,258 and consists of the city of Thunder Bay, the municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge and Neebing, the townships of Shuniah, Conmee, O'Connor, and Gillies, and the Fort William First Nation.

HMCS Thunder

HMCS Thunder

Several Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Thunder;HMCS Thunder (J156), a Bangor-class minesweeper commissioned in 1941 and broken up in 1947. HMCS Thunder (MCB 153), a Bay-class minesweeper commissioned in 1953 and sold to France in 1954. HMCS Thunder (MCB 161), a Bay-class minesweeper commissioned in 1957 and decommissioned in 1997.

Design and description

The Bay class were designed and ordered as replacements for the Second World War-era minesweepers that the Royal Canadian Navy operated at the time. Similar to the Ton-class minesweeper, they were constructed of wood planking and aluminum framing.[2][3]

Displacing 390 long tons (400 t) standard at 412 long tons (419 t) at deep load, the minesweepers were 152 ft (46 m) long with a beam of 28 ft (8.5 m) and a draught of 8 ft (2.4 m).[2][3] They had a complement of 38 officers and ratings.[2][note 1]

The Bay-class minesweepers were powered by two GM 12-cylinder diesel engines driving two shafts creating 2,400 brake horsepower (1,800 kW). This gave the ships a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) and a range of 3,290 nautical miles (6,090 km; 3,790 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[3][4] The ships were armed with one 40 mm Bofors gun and were equipped with minesweeping gear.[2][3]

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Ton-class minesweeper

Ton-class minesweeper

The Ton class were coastal minesweepers built in the 1950s for the Royal Navy, but also used by other navies such as the South African Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. They were intended to meet the threat of seabed mines laid in shallow coastal waters, rivers, ports and harbours, a task for which the existing ocean-going minesweepers of the Algerine-class were not suited.

Displacement (ship)

Displacement (ship)

The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into weight. Traditionally, various measurement rules have been in use, giving various measures in long tons. Today, tonnes are more commonly used.

Length overall

Length overall

Length overall is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also used for calculating the cost of a marina berth.

Beam (nautical)

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at its widest point. The maximum beam (BMAX) is the distance between planes passing through the outer extremities of the ship, beam of the hull (BH) only includes permanently fixed parts of the hull, and beam at waterline (BWL) is the maximum width where the hull intersects the surface of the water.

Draft (hull)

Draft (hull)

The draft or draught of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull (keel). The draught of the vessel is the maximum depth of any part of the vessel, including appendages such as rudders, propellers and drop keels if deployed. Draft determines the minimum depth of water a ship or boat can safely navigate. The related term air draft is the maximum height of any part of the vessel above the water.

General Motors

General Motors

The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years before losing the top spot to Toyota in 2008.

Diesel engine

Diesel engine

The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is called a compression-ignition engine. This contrasts with engines using spark plug-ignition of the air-fuel mixture, such as a petrol engine or a gas engine.

Knot (unit)

Knot (unit)

The knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h. The ISO standard symbol for the knot is kn. The same symbol is preferred by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), while kt is also common, especially in aviation, where it is the form recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The knot is a non-SI unit. The knot is used in meteorology, and in maritime and air navigation. A vessel travelling at 1 knot along a meridian travels approximately one minute of geographic latitude in one hour.

Nautical mile

Nautical mile

A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute of latitude. Today the international nautical mile is defined as exactly 1,852 metres. The derived unit of speed is the knot, one nautical mile per hour.

Service history

Thunder's keel was laid down on 1 September 1955 by Port Arthur Shipbuilding at Port Arthur, Ontario with the yard number 114 and launched 27 October 1956.[5][6] The vessel was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 3 October 1957 with the hull identification number 144.[5]

After commissioning, Thunder was sent west and served with Training Group Pacific.[5] In 1972, the ship was re-designated a patrol escort and given the new hull number PF 161. In 1979, the vessel was designated a training ship and given the new hull number PB 161.[4] Thunder was paid off on 22 August 1997.[5][7][note 2]

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Keel

Keel

The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. The laying of the keel is often the initial step in the construction of a ship. In the British and American shipbuilding traditions, this event marks the beginning date of a ships construction.

Port Arthur, Ontario

Port Arthur, Ontario

Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario, Canada, located on Lake Superior. In January 1970, it amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay.

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in active duty with its country's military forces. The ceremonies involved are often rooted in centuries-old naval tradition.

Training ship

Training ship

A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms.

Source: "HMCS Thunder (MCB 161)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 25th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Thunder_(MCB_161).

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Further Reading

Bay-class minesweeper

HMCS Miramichi (MCB 163)
References

Notes

  1. ^ Gardiner and Chumbley claim the complement was 40.
  2. ^ Colledge claims the ship was paid off in September 1997.

Citations

  1. ^ a b Arbuckle, p. 121
  2. ^ a b c d Macpherson and Barrie, p. 271
  3. ^ a b c d Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 49
  4. ^ a b Moore, p. 82
  5. ^ a b c d Macpherson and Barrie, p. 277
  6. ^ "Thunder (6124447)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  7. ^ Colledge, p. 627

References

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