HMCS Haida (G63)

HMCS "Haida" (G63) is a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1943-1963.

"Haida" is arguably the most famous warship to have ever served Canada, having sunk more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship. She is also the only surviving Tribal-class destroyer out of 27 vessels that were constructed between 1937-1945 for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and the RCN.

Construction

"Haida" was among the first batch of Tribal class destroyers ordered by the RCN in 1940-1941. The RCN based this order upon the successful use of the Tribals in the RN during the early years of World War II and the vessels were ordered with modified ventilation and heating systems for North Atlantic winter service. "Haida"'s design was modified after deficiencies were noted in the lead ship of the Canadian Tribals, warship|HMCS|Iroquois|G89.

She was launched on 25 August 1942 and commissioned into RCN service on 30 August 1943. She underwent workups under her first and most famous commanding officer, H.G. DeWolf before reporting to the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in October 1943.

World War II operations

"Haida" worked with the Royal Navy in Arctic Russia that fall, providing convoy escort for relief of the Spitsbergen garrison into Kola and Murmansk.

On 10 January 1944, she was reassigned to the 10th Destroyer Flotilla at Plymouth and took part in the Operation Tunnel sweeps in the Bay of Biscay. "Haida" was damaged by the German "Elbing"-class torpedo boat T-29 on the night of 25-26 April but pressed the attack and sank the T-29 in what was "Haida"'s first victory.

"Haida" took part in Operation Hostile sweeps on 28-29 April in company of warship|HMCS|Athabaskan|G07. "Athabaskan" was torpedoed by another "Elbing", the T-24, with the loss of 128 crew while 83 became prisoners of war and "Haida" recovered 44 survivors. "Haida" is credited with attacking yet another "Elbing" that night when she forced the T-27 aground and set it afire with shelling; it was later sunk by rockets fired from Bristol Beaufighters the following day.

"Haida" continued the Operation Hostile sorties in company of sistership warship|HMCS|Huron|G24 during the months leading up to Operation Overlord. On the 8-9 June, "Haida" was part of Task Force 26 which is credited with sinking the destroyers "ZH1" and "Z32". On 24 June, "Haida" is credited with helping warship|HMS|Eskimo [another Tribal] and aircraft in sinking U-971. On 15 July, "Haida" and two other vessels with the 10th Destroyer Flotilla intercepted a group of German ships at Lorient. The battle saw two trawlers "UJ1420" and "UJ1421" destroyed, one merchant ship sunk and two others left afire.

On 5-6 August, "Haida"s now-famous luck continued while engaged in an Operationa Kenetic sweep. A shell exploded in one of the turrets and started a fire, killing two and injuring eight but not seriously damaging the ship.

"Haida" departed Western Europe on 22 September for Halifax, Nova Scotia, arriving to a tumultuous welcome on 29 September. She returned to Scapa Flow in mid-January 1945 after refitting to receive new radar sensors. She was declared operational again on 19 March and escorted aircraft carriers in minelaying operations off Granesund, Norway and assisted in attacks on shipping in Trondheim from 24-28 March. On 7 April, "Haida" escorted seven anti-submarine warfare vessels from Greenock, Scotland destined for Soviet use at Vaenga.

"Haida" experienced one of the last RCN engagements of World War II when she escorted convoy JW66 in its return to the United Kingdom from Vaenga. The convoy was attacked and "Haida" and "Huron" received near-misses from torpedoes fired by U-boats. In the skirmish, two U-boats were sunk, along with the frigate warship|HMS|Goodall, and the convoy escaped in a snowstorm. "Haida" and "Huron" returned to Scapa Flow on 6 May and was assigned to relief operations at Trondheimfiord, Norway on 17 May.

"Haida", along with "Huron" and "Iroquois", left for Halifax on 4 June to refit as part of Canada's contribution to Operation Downfall. They arrived on 10 June and "Haida" started a tropicalization refit but it was suspended after Japan's surrender later that summer.

"Haida" was paid off on 20 March 1946 with the massive demobilization of the RCN World War II fleet.

Cold War operations

"Haida" was in mothballs for approximately 1 year but was prepared for reactivation in 1947 and underwent a refit for updated armament and sensors. While in refit, fire gutted the wheelhouse and boiler tubes burst later during speed trials. She returned to the fleet, still carrying the famous pennant G63, in May 1947.

"Haida" and her sister ship warship|HMCS|Nootka|R96 participated in exercises between the RCN's Atlantic Fleet and the United States Navy and Royal Navy over the next several years. "Haida" was involved in assisting during the grounding of warship|HMCS|Magnificent|CVL 21 off Port Mouton on 4 June 1949. That December, "Haida" was downgraded to a Depot and Accommodation Ship in Halifax.

The launch of the Korean War on 25 June 1950 saw "Haida" once again activated for war duty. She was converted to a destroyer escort and began refit in July 1950 which saw various new armaments and sensors and communications systems. She was recommissioned on 15 March 1952 and carried the pennant DDE 215. She departed Halifax on 27 September for Sasebo, Japan, arriving there on 12 November after passing through the Panama Canal.

"Haida" relieved "Nootka" on 18 November off the west coast of Korea and had an uneventful patrol, returning to Sasebo to replenish on 29 November. She patrolled off the east coast of Korea beginning on 4 December and took part with USS|Moore|DE-240 in shelling of a railway yard in Songjin as well as a coastal battery and North Korean troops. On 18-19 December, "Haida" attacked an enemy train but missed the escaping locomotive which hid in a nearby tunnel, thus not joining the exclusive "Trainbusters Club". "Haida" returned to patrol on 3 January 1953 and escorted aircraft carriers as well as performing coastal bombardments. On 29 January, "Haida" entered the "Trainbusters Club" after attacking a train north of Iwon and also detonated a drifting anti-ship mine on her return to Yang do.

She departed Sasebo on 12 June, heading west through the Suez Canal and arrived in Halifax on 22 July 1953.

"Haida" departed Halifax for a second Korean tour on 14 December 1953, passing through the Panama Canal. Despite the cease fire, infractions by North Korea and China were occurring, thus the need for a naval presence around South Korea. She departed the Korean theatre on 1 November 1954 and headed for Halifax via the Suez Canal once again.

Following the Korean operations, "Haida" embarked on Cold War anti-submarine warfare duties with other NATO units in the North Atlantic and West Indies.

"Haida"'s aging hull and infrastructure proved troublesome and in January 1958 she went into refit for hull repairs and protection for electronic equipment. Further refits in 1959 corrected various problems and she sailed for the West Indies in January 1960, however further equipment failures culminating in the 3 April failure of her steering gear forced her to return to Halifax. A hull survey in May found extensive corrosion and cracking forcing her into drydock for the remainder of the year. She undertook further repairs in June-July 1961 after further cracking was found during operations in heavy seas that March. More cracks were detected in March 1962 which forced a refit through February 1963.

Preservation

With the writing on the wall, "Haida" undertook her last assignment, a summer tour of the Great Lakes. She departed Halifax on 25 April 1963 with a mobile television studio onboard. She undertook various public tours and weapons training during the tour; one of the individuals to tour her was a civilian named Neil Bruce. Bruce foresaw that she was destined for scrapping and formed HAIDA Inc. as a means of attempting to acquire her for preservation.

"Haida" returned to Halifax and was placed in Category C reserve at the navy base warship|HMCS|Protector in Sydney. Crown Assets announced "Haida" would be scrapped in 1964 as part of cutbacks to the RCN. HAIDA Inc. placed a bid of $20,000 and won possession on the grounds of restoration. The RCN donated gear and towed her to Halifax for cleanup and fitting out, then to the Marine Industries Limited shipyard at Sorel, Quebec where she became civilian property.

The Naval Reserve Division warship|HMCS|York provided a skeleton crew for the "Haida" as she was towed to Toronto by 2 tugboats. She arrived on 25 August 1964 with guest of honour Vice-Admiral Harry DeWolf (Retired) who was her first commanding officer. "Haida" was restored and reacquired the pennant G63 while docked at the foot of York Street.

She opened as an attraction in August 1965 at the pier on York Street. Initially the city of Toronto had planned to build a "Serviceman's Memorial Park" near the Prince's Gates at nearby Exhibition Place to link with the "Haida" preservation efforts. The organization HAIDA Inc. ran into financial difficulties during the late 1960s and title to the ship was transferred to the provincial government. In 1970, "Haida" was moved to a site at the west end of the Toronto waterfront where its amusement park Ontario Place was located. The vessel was also used as a Royal Canadian Sea Cadets training facility.

In 2002, at the urging of Hamilton, Ontario MP Sheila Copps, Parks Canada purchased the "Haida" from the provincial government and towed her (at great difficulty) from her Ontario Place dock to a shipyard at Port Weller for a $5 million refit to her hull. She was taken to a new home on the Hamilton waterfront and was towed into that city on August 30, 2003, the 60th anniversary of her commissioning into the RCN. She is now a National Historic Site of Canada and is a museum ship on the Hamilton waterfront. "Haida" has become a focal point of a revitalized waterfront near Catharine Street North.

In July 2006 the "Haida" was "twinned" with the Polish destroyer ORP "Błyskawica" in a ceremony in Gdynia, Poland. Both ships served in the 10th Destroyer Flotilla during World War II. The ceremony was attended by former crew members of both ships and the general public.

Commanding officers

* Lt. Commander H.G. DeWolf, RCN (30 August 1943 - 18 December 1944)

Promoted to Captain on 1 July 1944. DSO awarded on 27 May 1944.

* A/Lt.Cdr. Robert Philip Welland, RCN (19 December 1944 - 2 September 1945)

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Notes

References

External links

* [http://www.hmcshaida.ca Friends of HMCS "Haida"]
* [http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/haida/index_e.asp Parks Canada HMCS "Haida" website]
* [http://www.hnsa.org/ships/haida.htm HNSA Web Page: HMCS Haida]