HMCS ATHABASKAN 282

Iroquois Class Destroyer

Third of her class, and built by the Davie Shipbuilding Co., Lauzon, ATHABASKAN was commissioned on 30 Sep 1972. On 26 Nov 1981, she was dispatched, along with Algonquin and Preserver, to the aid of the M.V. Euro Princess, which was badly holed and drifting down on the drill-rig Rowan Juneau, off Sable Island. Rescue helicopters took off the ship's crew, while ATHABASKAN’s Sea King evacuated 44 from the drill-rig despite 60-knot winds. This procedure had to be done “free-deck” at both ends, owing to a malfunction of her Beartrap. The abandoned merchant ship was recovered by CGS Alert.

On 24 Aug 1990, ATHABASKAN departed Halifax as one of three ships representing Canada in the Persian Gulf conflict, returning on 07 Apr 1991. Not resting on the laurels of her predecessors, the crew of the ATHABASKAN proved their metal on 18 Feb 1991. On that morning, USS Princeton was patrolling 28 nautical miles off Failaka Island in the Persian Gulf when, at 7:15 a.m. local time, two MN103 Manta bottom-mounted influence mines detonated, one just under the port rudder and the other just forward of the starboard bow. The blasts cracked the superstructure, buckled three lines in the hull, jammed the port rudder, flooded the #3 switchboard room through chilled water pipe cracks, and damaged the starboard propeller shaft. BM3 Ford was seriously injured, along with two other crewmembers who sustained various injuries. At great risk to his ship and crew, the CO of ATHABASKAN navigated her, with the use of the Seaking helicopters to locate mines, though the minefield to deliver damage-control supplies to the severely damaged USS Princeton. ATHABASKAN then guided USS Princeton thorough the minefield until relieved by the minesweeper USS Adroit.

In Oct 1991 she was turned over to MIL, Lauzon, for her TRUMP refit, after which, on 03 Aug 1994, she was provisionally accepted by the Navy. In the fall of 1995 she took part, with Kootenay, in the two-month Exercise UNITAS, along with ships from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, the U.S. and Uruguay. On 15 Mar 1999 ATHABASKAN departed Halifax for a six month deployment with SNFL, rejoining the Force again at the beginning of 2000. On 03 Aug 2000 she was handed a rather bizarre assignment: to board (via helicopter) the GTS Katie 160 kilometres off Newfoundland. The freighter had a cargo of Canadian military equipment destined from Kosovo to Bécancour, Que., which her chartered had refused to land because of a dispute over payment. She was compelled by the boarding party to deliver her cargo as originally intended. In Sep 2005, with Toronto, Ville de Québec and the CCGS Sir William Alexander, she deployed to Louisiana to assist disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. On 21 Apr 2006, as flagship of the NATO Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG 1) she was moored at Devonport UK to mark the 80th birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II. In Jan 2010, with Halifax, she deployed to provide disaster relief following the major earthquake in Haiti. That same year, on 29 Jun 2010, she was the the command ship for HM Queen Elizabeth II for the International Fleet Review marking the Canadian Naval Centennial. Following a refit in St Catherine’s, Ontario, while being towed back to Halifax in Dec 2012, she broke loose from her tow off Cape Breton Island, sustaining some hull damage.

HMCS ATHABASKAN was paid off in Halifax, NS on 10 Mar 2017. She was the last of the Iroquois Class destroyers.

Historical note:  The 5"54 cal gun on the 280s were named after the Oto Melara technicians who built and did the FSR work in Canada.  The names for the guns were as follows:  IROQUOIS - Pasquale, HURON - Tulio, ATHABASKAN - Leno and ALGONQUIN - Luigi.

Ship's Books and Booklets          Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos          The Ship's Bell

Commanding Officers

     In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice    

They shall not be forgotten

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They shall not be forgotten

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Ship's Books and Booklets

Photos and Documents

(ATHB001) ATHABASKAN being fitted out at the Davies Shipbuilding Company, Quebec - summer, 1971  //  Courtesy of Richard Larcheveque

(ATHB002) Battle Board for HMCS ATHABASKAN 282  //  Maritime Command Museum, CFB Halifax, NS  //  Courtesy of Jarrod David

(ATHB003) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282

(ATHB004) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282  //  courtesy of Mike Ellis

(ATHB005) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 circa 1974  //  Courtesy of Mike Ellis

(ATHB006) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 - DRES Team, FC / WS Dept. circa 1974  //  Courtesy of Mike Ellis

(ATHB007) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 - circa 1975  //  Courtesy of Nigel Whiteley, LCdr, RCN, ret'd  //  DND RCN Photo

(ATHB008) HMCS ATHABASKAN breaking away from PROVIDER and GATINEAU off the coast of California in spring of 1977. WESTEX 77, first 280 in the Pacific Ocean  //  Courtesy of Michael Cowen  //  Photo restoration by Art Turner

(ATHN009) HMCS ATHABASKAN with GATINEAU astern off the coast of California in 1977. On the occasion of the first 280 class frigate to sail in the Pacific Ocean as part of WESTEX ‘77. Photo taken from Kiwi frigate HMNZS OTAGO by a much younger (then SLt) Mike Cowen. We really did believe that we were “Sisters of the Space Age”!  //  Courtesy of Michael Cowen  //  Photo restoration by Art Turner

(ATHB010) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 departing Gibraltar, 1982  //  Photo, with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background, was taken by Brian Lapierre from one of the ship's Sea Kings  //  Courtesy of Brian Lapierre  //  © Brian Lapierre 1982

(ATHB011) ATHABASKAN wins the O'Brien Trophy // The Lookout 23 Jun 1982

(ATH012) Burial at sea from HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 circa 1983  //  Courtesy of Stephane Tardif

(ATH013) ATHABASKAN in Bayonne, France - 1985.  Note the missing anchor pocket door  // Courtesy of Hugh Muir

(RV01-RV02) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 as seen from HNLMS ABRAHAM CRIJNSSEN

(RV03-RV05) Sea King from HMCS ATHABASKAN making a deliver to HNLMS ABRAHAM CRIJNSSEN

Photos taken from HNLMS ABRAHAM CRIJNSSEN F816 during an exercise in the Caribbean near Martinique 25 Jan 1985 - 01 Feb 1985

Courtesy of Rob Vlug, Koninklijke Marine

(ATHB013) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 and HMCS Fraser 233 during Exercise Team Work '88  //  Credit: Trident Magazine  Photographer: Cpl Herbert  //  Courtesy of Jarrod David

(ATHB014) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 RASing with USS Wisconsin during the Gulf War 1990-1991, Persian Gulf  //  Courtesy of Gerald Doutre, CPO1, RCN

(ATHB015) HMCS ATHABASKAN 25th Anniversary crew list

(ATHB016) HMCS ATHABASKAN boarding GTS Katie during Op MEGAPHONE, 160 km off Newfoundland, 03 Aug 2000  //  Courtesy of Gerald Doutre, CPO1, RCN

(ATHB017) HMCS ATHABASKAN arriving in Halifax, Feb 2005  //  Courtesy of Brian Lapierre  //  © Brian Lapierre 2005

(ATHB018) Newspaper article on the visit of HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 to Picton, Ont.  //  The Wellington Times, 28 Mar 2012  //  Courtesy of John Lyons

(ATHB019) HMCS ATHABASKAN celebrated her 40th and 41st birthday during a dependent day sail on 04 Oct 2013  //  They couldn't celebrate the 40th properly due to refit last year  //  Courtesy of Rejean Trudeau

(ATHB020) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 - Exercise Joint Warrior - 2015  //  Courtesy of Scott Murphy

(ATHB021) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 participating in the sail past at Halifax at the start of Exercise Cutlass Fury - 12 Sep 2016  //  Courtesy of Clarence Hemeon

(ATHB022) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 during transit to participate in the Sub Commanders Course in the Caribbean, on November 9, 2016  //  Photographer: Cpl Tony Chand, Formation Imaging Services, HS05-2016-1056-2870  //  © DND Crown Copyright 2016

(ATHB023) HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 phone directory  //  From the collection of Steven Whyte

(ATBH024) Newspaper article from the Trident Magazine on a memorial service conducted on HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 on 16 Oct 2015, off the coast of France, for those lost on HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 by SLt Blair Gilmore, HMCS ATHABASKAN  //  Courtesy of Blair Gilmore