Haida

Design

First thoughts of a new destroyer class percolated within the Royal Navy as early as 1934, when became clear that a versatile and powerful destroyer leader design was needed which would displace not more than 1,850 tons to not break the 1930 London Naval Treaty. The intended tasks of such a vessel would range from patrol and guard duties over to escorting convoys, to supporting destroyer flotillas, up to defending fleets, convoys, and ports against air attacks. To fulfill these tasks, it was concluded that a heavy artillery component would be required, so early designs proposed ten (10) 120mm guns in five turrets, several machine guns for air defense, and also torpedo tubes in case of night battles. The idea of installing the 40mm 2-pdr “PomPoms” was quickly discarded, as such installations would only increase the displacement, and they could always be installed later on in case of hostilities, as in those cases the restrictions of any treaty would no longer be a factor.

As the design progressed through 1935, it was decided to abandon the idea of five turrets and incorporate the “PomPoms” into the design. This happened in part as a result of the American Somers-class, which also featured four twin turrets, and the British designers did not want to cause a naval arms race by building even stronger ships.

The initial configuration displaced 1,854 tons, and had machinery which allowed up to 44,000 shaft horsepower for a maximum speed of 36 knots. However, when fully loaded up to 2,519 tons displacement, this speed would drop to 32.5 knots. Like most destroyers of the British Navy, they had a very impressive cruising range of 5,700 statute miles, exceeding the operating range of many foreign destroyers. The armament consisted of four twin-mounted 120mm guns with a maximum elevation 40°, which were directed by a fire control system that could track both sea and air targets, giving the main armament a theoretical ability to engage low flying aircraft. One quadruple 40mm 2-pdr and two .50-caliber machine guns would ensure close range AA defense, while one quadruple 533mm torpedo launcher provided additional striking power against surface units. The anti-submarine armament consisted of 20 depth charges.

In 1936, seven ships were ordered; these began to enter service in 1938. Due to political reasons, and the increasing threat of foreign navies — particularly Germany, which had begun to build very large and combat capable destroyers — nine more were ordered only a few months after the first seven. In 1939, three further vessels were built for the Royal Australian Navy, and four more for the Royal Canadian Navy followed in 1940. Canada also built four more ships in their own shipyards, bringing the final tally to twenty-seven (27) vessels of the class constructed. Christened the Tribal class, all twenty-seven ships were named after indigenous tribes of native peoples found throughout the British Empire (such as Sikh, Iroquois, and Warramunga).

After the onset of World War II, aircraft proved to be a very effective counter to destroyers, and two Tribal-class ships were sunk by air attacks (HMS Afridi and HMS Gurkha). In the interest of increasing their anti-aircraft defenses, the X-turret was removed and replaced by a twin high-angle 102mm dual purpose gun. The light and medium AA was similarly revised and modernized by adding 20mm Oerlikons and the famous 40mm Bofors, which eventually replaced the 2-pdr quadruple and the .50-caliber machine guns. Additionally, the number of depth charges was increased to up to 46 as the ships saw increasing service performing convoy duties during the Battle of the Atlantic. As it became available, members of the class also received radar equipment; however, this only happened from 1944 onwards.

The Canadian Tribals built by Vickers had a few design differences compared to the ones built for the Royal Navy. First of all, the quad “pom-pom” was placed just forward of the X-turret, which gave the weapon much greater high-angle firing arcs; it’s original placement was taken over by a searchlight mount. Interestingly for Haida, she was built with a different bridge than the first generation Tribal-class destroyers; she omitted an elevated control tower as its functionality became obsolescent.

In the late 1940s, Haida underwent a massive refit of armaments and equipment. Her two forward twin 4.7-inch guns were replaced by 2 MkXVI mounts sprouting twin 4-inch guns (similar to what was on the X mount). The X-turret was replaced with a twin 3-inch/50 calibre guns, and the aft 4.7-inch twin turret was replaced with a pair of Squid anti-submarine mortars. Furthermore she was equipped with a plethora of new radar and sonar equipment.

HMCS Haida was laid down by the Vickers-Armstrong company at Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 29 September 1941. She was launched 25 August 1942 and commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 30 August 1943 (pennant G63) as the twenty-second Tribal-class destroyer completed.

Service

Following commissioning, Haida was placed under the command of her legendary commander, H. G. DeWolf, and spent the first leg of her career with the British Home Fleet stationed in Scapa Flow. Her primary role was as a convoy escort for merchant vessels to and from Loch Ewe in Scotland to port cities in the Soviet Union. One notable patrol during this time was her participation as the escort for convoy JW 55B, departing Loch Ewe on 20 December 1943 for Murmansk. This was the very convoy that Scharnhorst attempted to intercept in her final sortie. While the stationed cruisers kept the German raider at bay, the destroyers shepherded the merchants away from harm to the awaiting Soviet forces near Murmansk.

By January of the following year, Haida was assigned to the 10th Destroyer Flotilla stationed on the English Channel. Here she partook in a plethora of patrols along the Bay of Biscay and the Channel, contributing to Operations Tunnel and Hostile: operations designed to suppress German forces in preparation for Operation Overlord. It was here where Haida earned her reputation as a fearsome fighter.

On the night of 25-26 April 1944, a force of Canadian Tribal-class destroyers engaged the 4th Torpedoboat Flotilla of the German Kriegsmarine. Haida managed to sink T-29 via shellfire and crippled T-24, while the rest of the force managed to damage T-27.

A few nights later, Haida — along with HMCS Athabaskan — re-engaged the remnants of the 4th Torpedoboat Flotilla. Haida finished what she started by running T-27 aground after lighting her ablaze with gunfire, but not before T-24 scored a direct hit on Athabaskan with a torpedo salvo. In characteristic bravery – and against orders – DeWolf delved back into the inky night to rescue 44 of Haida’s sister ship’s crew.

Six weeks later, Haida found herself providing supporting fire for the amphibious landings of Operation Overlord. Following D-Day, the 10th Destroyer Flotilla engaged the 8th Destroyer Flotilla, north of the landings. Haida contributed to sinking Z-32. Actions such as this drove the German E-boat presence out of the sector, securing 10th Destroyer Flotilla dominance, granting them free reign to seek and destroy Axis shipping.

The remainder of the summer summer was fraught with activity. On a routine patrol on 24 June, reports directed Haida and HMS Eskimo towards an ongoing submarine hunt; dropping her own depth charges, she managed to force U-971 to the surface. The German raider attempted to flee, but was gunned down by the two destroyers. In mid-July, Haida and ORP Błyskawica intercepted a large German force of surface ships; the two managed to sink a pair of sub-chasers and one merchant ship, while damaging two other merchantmen. In early August, Haida took part against another raid on a German convoy, and contributed to the sinking of four enemy vessels. Unfortunately, enemy fire incapacitated a turret and their crew, forcing Haida to return to Halifax, Nova Scotia for refit and repairs.

Once Haida returned to service back at Scapa Flow, she spent the last few months of the war in Europe on convoy and escort duties. Convoy RA 66 was the last official engagement of the Royal Canadian Navy in World War II; as a contributor, Haida aided in the sinking of two German submarines. She returned to Canada after the German surrender, and was undergoing refurbishment and refit for the warmer climate of the south Pacific when Japan sued for peace, ending the war.

In 1947, Haida was reactivated and underwent a massive overhaul. Her armaments were replaced and she was ungraded with an entire suite of new radars and sonars, and she spent the late 1940's participating in a few naval exercises. When the Korean War initiated in 1950, Haida returned to active service. She was re-classified as a destroyer escort (pennant DDE 215) and underwent further refit of armaments and systems. With the work done in early 1952, she set sail for the Far East.

Her first duties in November 1952 encompassed shore patrol and aircraft carrier screening operations, which were uneventful. In December, she spent her time on further shore patrols and shelling a coastal batteries and a railway yards near Songjin with USS Moore. In her January 1953 patrols, Haida finally joined the “Trainbusters Club” when she destroyed a train north of Riwon. This was not an easy feat, as it required sniping the locomotive engine while the trains were darting between coastal tunnels at high speed. A second train fell to her guns in late May, as well as a drifting anti-ship mine. She left in June, returning to Halifax in July.

Despite the formal declaration of a cease-fire, Haida returned to the Korean theater in February 1954 due to reports of infractions between China and North Korea, alongside the still uneasy tensions between the two Koreas. Having spent a few months on patrol, she returned home in November 1954.

Following the Korean War, Haida spent the remainder of the decade on anti-submarine operations, hunting Soviet diesel and nuclear boats alongside other NATO forces all across the North Atlantic and West Indies. Slowly, inexorably, her age began to show with a series of equipment failures that required almost annual refits. By 1963, her days of active service were numbered.

One of her final duties was to serve on public tours across the Great Lakes. Among the visitors at one such stop was Neil Bruce, a former RCN rating, who decided he would alter Haida’s fate. Along with four other veterans, they formed HAIDA, Inc. and won possession of the vessel with a $20,000 bid following her decommissioning. After restoration, she was towed to Toronto Harbor where she served as an attraction starting in 1965. Due to financial difficulties, possession of Haida was transferred to the provincial government in a bid of $1. She continued to serve as a Toronto attraction until 2002, when she was purchased by Parks Canada and towed to her current home in Hamilton, Ontario. After a five million dollar refit, she currently serves her final role as a National Historic Site of Canada, preserving her story for generations of Canadians to come. Fortunately, Canadians are not soon to forget her glory; as of February 2018, “Canada’s Fightingest Warship” has the distinction of serving as the ceremonial flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy.

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  Haida as she was during World War II.

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  Haida as a museum ship in Hamilton, Ontario.

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  A closer view of Haida's superstructure.

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  Haida's forward 102mm guns.

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  One of the ship's 76mm anti-aircraft gun mounts.