PICTOU - The end of two Canadian Navy destroyers could mark the beginning of some busy times at the Aecon Fabco shipyard here.
The Dartmouth-based company won a tender to dismantle and dispose of HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Gatineau which are currently tied up in Halifax Harbour. The company was awarded the tender for the removal/dismantling/disposal of the ships. It was awarded on Oct. 22 with a bid of $4,258,529.78.
A recent story in The Chronicle Herald quoted a spokesman for Aecon Fabco as saying the dismantling work would likely take a year to complete for 60 to 70 workers. He said that asbestos in the ships would have to be dealt with first.
Department of National Defence spokeswoman Nancy Cook said the ships are scheduled to be removed from Halifax in December.
"They are going to be disposed of through dismantling," Cook said.
"The company can then sell the pieces off. They are anticipating to have the full dismantling done by the fall of 2010."
The 372-foot long ships were both built in the 1950s and served during the Cold War and were decommissioned in the late 1990s.
The Department of National Defence called for bids on Sept. 18, 2009, for the 'removal, dismantling and disposal' of the ships. The deadline was Oct. 8, 2009, and it was announced yesterday that the contract was awarded to Aecon Fabco. The DND said both ships will be towed to the Pictou shipyard.
HMCS Terra Nova
HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259) was a Restigouche-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces from 1959-1997.
She was the sixth ship of her class and the first Canadian war ship to bear the name HMCS Terra Nova. The ship honours the Terra Nova River in Newfoundland as well as an earlier civilian ship the Terra Nova, which gained fame during a scientific exploration voyage to Antarctica. Both the river and the Antarctic (symbolized by a penguin) are featured on the ship's badge.
Terra Nova was laid down on 11 June 1953 at Victoria Machinery Depot Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, and launched on 21 June 1955. She was commissioned into the RCN on 6 June 1959 with the pennant number 259.
After being paid off Terra Nova appeared, cast as an American destroyer, in the movie K-19: The Widowmaker.
HMCS Gatineau
HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236) was a Restigouche-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces from 1959-1996.
She was the third ship in her class and the second vessel to carry the designation HMCS Gatineau. Gatineau was laid down on 30 April 1953 at Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., Lauzon, Que., and launched on 3 June 1957. She was officially commissioned into the RCN on 17 February 1959 and carried the pennant number 236 as a destroyer escort.
She is currently laid up at Canadian Forces Base Halifax.
Source: Lt. Stefan Campbell
Navy Public Affairs/National Defence
