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HMCS TERRA NOVA 259
Restigouche Class Destroyer
Seventh and last of her class, TERRA NOVA was built by the Victoria Machinery Depot and commissioned on 06 Jun 1959, and shortly thereafter sailed east, to be on hand of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and a review of NATO warships at Toronto in August. On 03 Jul 1961 she embarked the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland on a 12 day series of visits to its southwest outports. In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, ALGONQUIN, MICMAC, CAYUGA, ST CROIX, TERRA NOVA, KOOTENAY, SWANSEA, LA HULLOISE, BUCKINGHAM, CAPE SCOTT, CNAV BLUETHROAT and CNAV ST CHARLES, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics (click here to see the newspaper article). In Mar 1965, TERRA NOVA and GATINEAU participated in the search for a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair CP-107 Argus that had disappeared 60 miles (97 km) north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In May 1965 she entered Halifax Shipyards to begin her conversion to an IRE class destroyer escort. She was fitted with the new AN/SQS-505 sonar, which she tested for seven months before completing the IRE conversion, which she was the first of her class to undergo. She returned for duties in Esquimalt on 04 May 1971.
From January to June of 1973, TERRA NOVA was deployed off the coast of Vietnam as part of Operation Gallant during Westploy ’73. TERRA NOVA was deployed to Vietnam should a sea evacuation be necessary for the Canadian peacekeeping troops taking part in Operation Gallant on land, Canada’s military contribution to the International Commission of Control and Supervision. The international coalition was introduced following the signing of the Paris Peace Accord in January 1973, which attempted to put an end to the Cold-war era conflict between communist forces in the north of the country pitted against United States-backed southern Vietnamese forces. But the ceasefire agreement failed and the conflict and casualties continued to mount even after the peace accord was signed. TERRA NOVA’s deployment was highly secretive; they were given few details about its deployment and the vessel departed Esquimalt quietly with no official send-off.
Between 21 Nov 1983 and 09 Nov 1984, TERRA NOVA received her DELEX refit at Esquimalt. On 08 May 1986, HMCS PROVIDER 508, HMCS RESTIGOUCHE 257, HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 and HMCS KOOTENAY 258, departed Esquimalt for Exercise RIMPAC 86 and returned on 21 Jun 1986. Transferred to the east coast, she returned to Halifax on 12 Dec 1989. Designated for service in the Persian Gulf, she was temporarily armed with two quadruple Harpoon missile-launchers, mounted just abaft the after deckhouse; a Phalanx gun atop the Limbo well; two single Bofors on the boat deck amidships, and shoulder-fired Blowpipe and Javelin missiles. Along with ATHABASKAN and PROTECTEUR, she left Halifax on 24 Aug 1990, not to return until 07 Apr 1991. On 22 Feb 1994, TERRA NOVA stopped and boarded M.V. Pacifico while on a drug interdiction patrol and seized 5.9 tonnes of cocaine. On 05 Apr 1994, HMCS TERRA NOVA departed Halifax for Op. Forward Action, Haiti; arriving in Op Area on 28 Apr 1994. While so employed she rescued boatloads of refugees on two separate occasions and conducted 90 boardings. She left the Hatian Op Area on 13 Jul 1994 and arrived in Halifax on 18 Jul 1994. On 11 Jul 1997 she was placed in a "state of extended readiness" until finally paid off on 01 Jul 1998. After being paid off TERRA NOVA appeared, cast as an American destroyer, in the movie K-19: The Widowmaker. On 04 Nov 2009, DND announced that Aecon Fabco had won the bid and would tow both vessels to their Pictou Shipyard in Pictou, Nova Scotia to be broken up. TERRA NOVA departed Halifax Harbour on 20 Nov 2009 under tow by the tugboat Atlantic Elm and arrived in Pictou on 22 Nov 2009, where she joined the GATINEAU which had arrived a few days earlier. By the summer of 2010 she was being cut up for scrap, mainly aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel. She later sank at her mooring and was raised by crane in April 2011 and the remainder of her hulk was dismantled.
Photos and Documents Ship's company photos The Ship's Bell Commissioning Booklet
Statement of Ordinary Residence for HMCS TERRA NOVA - 1962
Ex Far Horizons - 1983 Engineer Officers 1959-1993
RCN Memories: A West Coast Drug Bust
Commanding Officers
Captain for the day
Captain for the day is a tradition in the RCN where during the ship's Christmas celebrations, the Commanding Officer changes places with the youngest member of the ship's company.
Cliff Woodrow - Dec 1959
They shall not be forgotten A
B
C
D
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F
G
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I
J
K
L
M
O
P
R
S
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V
W
Y
Z
Former Crew Members
(SD) = 1962 Statement of Ordinary Residence (click here to view the original pages)
Photos and Documents
(JJJ21) Restigouche Class Destroyers: R-L: HMCS GATINEAU 236, HMCS RESTIGOUCHE 257, HMCS KOOTENAY 258, HMCS TERRA NOVA 259, HMCS COLUMBIA 260, HMCS CHAUDIERE 235 - Apr 1960, location unknown (JJJ22) Stern shot of the ships in JJJ21 (JJJ24) (believed to be) Terra Nova sailors ashore in unknown location (JJJ24) Terra Nova in Portugal 1960 for the 500th Anniversary of Henry the Navigator (JJJ25) Sailors on the fo'c's'le of HMCS TERRA NOVA for an unknown evolution
From the collection of CPO2 Fin Clk J.J. Joly, RCN / C.A.F.
Courtesy of Jean-Marc Joly
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
