HMCS Protecteur (AOR 509)

"Protecteur" redirects here. For the former RCN naval base, see HMCS Protector.
For other ships with the same name, see HMCS Protecteur.

HMCS Protecteur in Pearl Harbor after a port visit in 2009
History
Canada
NameProtecteur
Ordered16 December 1966
BuilderSaint John Shipbuilding
Laid down17 October 1967
Launched18 July 1968
Commissioned30 August 1969
Decommissioned14 May 2015
HomeportCFB Esquimalt, British Columbia
Identification
MottoSoutien avec Courage ("Support with Courage")
Honours and
awards
FateSold for scrap 27 November 2015[1] at Liverpool, Nova Scotia[2]
BadgeAzure, a silver helmet with the five grills or, garnished of the last, and bearing a coronet "fleur-de-lis" also or.[3]
General characteristics
Class and typeProtecteur-class replenishment oiler
Displacement
  • 8,380 t (8,248 long tons) standard
  • 24,700 t (24,310 long tons) full load
Length171.9 m (564 ft 0 in)
Beam23.2 m (76 ft 1 in)
Draught10.1 m (33 ft 2 in)
Ice class3
Propulsion
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range
  • 7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi)
  • at 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Complement365 officers and crew (men and women) including 45 in air detachment
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried3 × CH-124 Sea King helicopters
Aviation facilitiesaft deck hangar and flight deck

Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Protecteur (AOR 509) was the lead ship of the Protecteur-class replenishment oilers in service with the Royal Canadian Navy. She was part of Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC), homeported at CFB Esquimalt, British Columbia. Built by Saint John Shipbuilding and Dry Docks in Saint John, New Brunswick, she was commissioned on 30 August 1969. She was the first Canadian naval unit to carry the name Protecteur; however, there have been several units, including a base, named HMCS Protector.

Mostly known for her humanitarian efforts, Protecteur had also served in times of war including Operation Friction and Operation Apollo in the Persian Gulf region, multi-national naval exercises, and as part of the INTERFET in East Timor. Operation Apollo was the largest deployment of the Royal Canadian Navy since the Korean War. In six months Protecteur logged over 50,000 nautical miles (93,000 km; 58,000 mi), delivering over 150,000 barrels (~20,000 t) of fuel and 390 pallets of dry goods to deployed coalition ships. Protecteur, as well as her sister ship Preserver, were scheduled to be paid off in 2017, however, damage due to an engine fire aboard the ship in 2014 forced Protecteur to be paid off prematurely. Protecteur was decommissioned at a farewell ceremony on 14 May 2015.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference dedyna1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Ward, Rachel (26 February 2016). "Former HMCS Protecteur towed from Esquimalt, will bring jobs to Liverpool". CBC News. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  3. ^ Arbuckle, J. Graeme (1987). Badges of the Canadian Navy. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing. p. 94. ISBN 0-920852-49-1.
  4. ^ Dirk Meissner (14 May 2015). "Farewell ceremony for HMCS Protecteur after 46 years at sea". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.