Bay-class minesweeper

The Bay-class minesweepers, also known as the Gaspé-class minesweepers, were a class of <a href="/facts/Minesweeper/6xFLcTF2">minesweepers</a> operated by the <a href="/facts/Royal_Canadian_Navy/eSRkBetN">Royal Canadian Navy</a> (RCN) and <a href="/facts/Canadian_Forces/bxd17dtq">Canadian Forces</a> (CF) during the <a href="/facts/Cold_War/spJdJQ3q">Cold War</a>. Their design was similar to the British <a href="/facts/Ton-class_minesweeper/wGjyW1pz">Ton-class minesweepers</a>.
The class derives its name from bays in Canada and was designed by the RCN as a replacement for <a href="/facts/Second_World_War/2efV5L1U">Second World War</a>-era minesweepers. Fourteen were laid down in 1951–1952, however six were subsequently transferred to the <a href="/facts/French_Navy/hL9F15Wk">French Navy</a> in 1954. These ships were replaced by six of the same name in 1956–1957 but were assigned new <a href="/facts/Pennant_number/1UvdSISw">pennant numbers</a>.
They were reclassed in Canadian Forces service as patrol escorts in 1972 and six vessels remained in service until the late 1990s, providing coastal surveillance and shiphandling experience for junior officers with <a href="/facts/Maritime_Forces_Pacific/Ke5sWdT4">Maritime Forces Pacific</a>.

Bay-class minesweeper open-in-new

Bay-class minesweeper