Iroquois-class

The Iroquois-class destroyers, also designated as the DDH 280 class, were four vessels operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. Development of the class began following the 1963 cancellation of the General Purpose Frigate program. Paul Hellyer ordered an anti-submarine warfare design in 1964, and contracts were awarded to Marine Industries Ltd. and Davie Shipbuilding in 1968. The ships were built between 1969 and 1973, entering service in 1972 and 1973. The vessels were named to honor the First Nations of Canada and to perpetuate the names of Second World War Tribal-class destroyers.

The Iroquois class were the first all-gas turbine powered ships of their type. The design utilized a COGOG propulsion system and featured an enclosed citadel, bridge, and machinery spaces. A primary capability was the operation of helicopters for anti-submarine warfare, supported by a beartrap hauldown device for recovery. As originally built, the vessels were configured for anti-submarine warfare with point defense missiles and anti-submarine mortars. Between 1987 and 1994, the class underwent the Tribal Refit and Update Modernization Program (TRUMP). This refit reconfigured the vessels as guided-missile destroyers (DDG) capable of area anti-aircraft warfare. The modernization included a reconstruction of the superstructure, updated electronics, and the installation of a vertical launch system.

Operational history included roles as flagships for NATO’s Standing Naval Force Atlantic. During the Gulf War, the class provided escort duties and used helicopters to search for mines in the Persian Gulf. In the 1990s, the ships deployed to the Adriatic Sea to enforce blockades. Following 2001, the vessels participated in operations in the Arabian Sea and the war in Afghanistan. Other duties included fisheries enforcement, search and rescue missions, and counter-narcotics patrols in the Caribbean and off the coast of Somalia. The class provided disaster relief following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Haiti earthquake in 2010.

Huron was paid off in 2005 and was later sunk during a 2007 live-fire exercise. Iroquois and Algonquin were retired in 2015 following the discovery of hull cracks and collision damage, respectively. Athabaskan, the final active ship of the class, was decommissioned in 2017. The Canadian Surface Combatant project is the designated replacement for the class.