HMCS Micmac was a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1945 to 1964. She was the first modern, high-performance warship built in Canada and the lead ship of the Canadian wartime Tribal Destroyer program.
Background and Construction
Ordered on 4 January 1941, Micmac was laid down at Halifax Shipyards Ltd. in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 20 May 1942, launched on 18 September 1943, and commissioned on 18 September 1945 — after the end of World War II. Her construction took 57 months from order to commission, roughly twice as long as Tribals built elsewhere, due to economic and political factors. Canada lacked the high-tensile specialty steel required for Tribal-class hulls, and the propulsion system — steam turbine engines of a size and complexity never before built in Canada — was delayed by a year. The final cost was approximately $8,500,000 CAD, roughly four times the cost of a British-built Tribal and the most expensive piece of military equipment produced in Canada up to that time.
Namesake and Motto
Micmac was named after the Mi'kmaq First Nations people of the Maritime provinces. Her motto was "Melkedae" (Mi'kmaq for "Fearless").
Specifications
- Displacement: 1,927 long tons (standard); 2,745 long tons (full load)
- Length: 377 ft 0 in (114.91 m) overall
- Beam: 37 ft 5 in (11.40 m)
- Draught: 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) standard; 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m) full load
- Propulsion: 3 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 × Parsons geared turbines, two shafts — 44,000 shp (33,000 kW)
- Speed: 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h)
- Range: 5,700 nmi (10,560 km) at 15 knots
- Complement: 190–240
- Pennant numbers: R10 (original), DDE 214 (after conversion to destroyer escort)
Armament
As built: 3 × twin 4.7-inch (120 mm) QF Mk XII guns; 1 × twin 4-inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVI (HA); 2 × twin 40 mm Bofors; 2 × single 40 mm Bofors; 2 × twin 20 mm Oerlikon; 1 × quadruple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes.
After 1953 refit: 2 × twin 4-inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVI (HA); 1 × twin 3-inch (76 mm) Mk 22 (HA); 4 × single 40 mm Bofors; 1 × quadruple 21-inch torpedo tubes; 2 × triple 12-inch (305 mm) Squid anti-submarine mortars.
Service History
Commissioned after WWII ended, Micmac never saw combat. She spent her entire career as a training ship and was the only one of the 27 Tribal-class destroyers never to fire a shot in anger.
Collision with SS Yarmouth County
On 16 July 1947, during full-power trials in fog off Sambro Head near Halifax, Micmac collided with the freighter SS Yarmouth County. The collision destroyed 40 feet of her bow, extensively damaged her forward upper works, and broke her keel. Five crewmen died, five more (plus a civilian dock worker) were lost at sea and presumed dead, and 15 were injured. It was one of the largest peacetime losses of life in Canadian naval history. The ship was saved and returned to port under her own power.
Conversion to Destroyer Escort
While under repair, Micmac was partially converted to a destroyer escort (DDE). Because her broken keel was not fully repaired during the interim refit, her forward hull could not support the planned 4-inch gun mounts, resulting in an unusual armament configuration. She recommissioned on 16 November 1949. On 30 November 1951 she paid off again for a full DDE conversion, during which her keel was finally repaired. She recommissioned as DDE 214 on 14 August 1953.
Due to her hull damage and prolonged refits, Micmac was not deployed to the Korean War.
Later Career
Micmac spent her remaining years conducting training exercises, NATO deployments, and "showing the flag" visits to European and Caribbean ports. She also served as a guard ship to the aircraft carrier HMCS Magnificent. In 1960, she was used in filming for the movie The Great Impostor.
Decommissioning and Fate
By late 1963, the Tribal-class ships were suffering from increasing structural defects and high maintenance costs. The RCN decided to retire the entire class. Micmac was paid off at Halifax on 31 March 1964, sold for scrap, and broken up at Faslane, Scotland in 1965.
Legacy
Micmac's ship's bell is installed on the mast of HMCS Acadia Sea Cadet training centre at Cornwallis Park near Digby, Nova Scotia. The name "Micmac" has been used for Sea Cadet training divisions. One Canadian Tribal-class destroyer, HMCS Haida, survives as a museum ship in Hamilton, Ontario.
