Based on the preceding design, the
Restigouche-class ships had the same hull and propulsion, but different weaponry. Initially the
St. Laurent-class had been planned to be 14 ships. However the order was halved, and the following seven were redesigned to take into improvements made on the
St. Laurent-class ships. As time passed, their design diverged further from that of the
St. Laurent-class ships The ships had a
displacement of , at deep load. They were designed to be
long with a
beam of and a
draught of . The
Restigouche-class ships were by powered by two
English Electric geared steam turbines, each driving a
propeller shaft, using steam provided by two
Babcock & Wilcox boilers. They generated giving the vessels a maximum speed of .
Armament The
Restigouche-class ships diverged from the
St. Laurent-class ships in their weaponry. The
Restigouche-class ships were equipped with two twin mounts of
Vickers /70 calibre Mk 6 dual-purpose guns forward and maintained a single twin mount of
3-inch/50 calibre Mk 22 guns aft used in the preceding class. A Mk 69 fire control director was added to control the new guns. They were also armed with two
Limbo Mk 10 mortars and two single
Bofors 40 mm guns.
Improved Restigouche Escorts (IRE) As part of the 1964 naval program, the Royal Canadian Navy planned to improve the attack capabilities of the
Restigouche-class. Unable to convert the vessels to helicopter-carrying versions like the
St. Laurents due to budget constraints, instead
Restigouche-class ships were to receive
variable depth sonar (VDS) to improve their sonar range, placed on the stern, and the RUR-5 anti-submarine rocket (
ASROC). By 1969, the budget for naval programs had been cut and only four out of the seven (
Terra Nova,
Restigouche,
Gatineau and
Kootenay) would get upgraded to IRE standards and the remaining three (
Chaudière,
Columbia, and
St. Croix) were placed in reserve. The ASROC launcher replaced the 3 in/50 cal twin mount and one Mk 10 Limbo mortars aft.
Destroyer Life Extension (DELEX) The Destroyer Life Extension (DELEX) refit for the four surviving
Restigouche-class ships was announced in 1978. An effort by Maritime Command to update their existing stock of naval escorts, the DELEX program affected 16 ships in total and came in several different formats depending on the class of ship it was being applied to. On average, the DELEX refit cost $24 million per ship. For the
Restigouches this meant updating their sensor, weapon and communications systems. The class received the new ADLIPS tactical data system, new radar and fire control systems and satellite navigation. They were also fitted with a triple
torpedo tube mounting to use the new
Mk 46 torpedo. The ships began undergoing their DELEX refits in the early 1980s. However, by the time the ships emerged from their refits, they were already obsolete as the
Falklands War had changed the way surface battles were fought.
Terra Nova was quickly altered to make her ready for an active war zone. The ship's ASROC system was landed and instead two quad
Harpoon surface-to-surface missile systems were installed. A Mk 15
Phalanx close-in weapon system was placed on the
quarterdeck in place of the landed Limbo ASW mortar, and two
40 mm/60 calibre Boffin guns were installed in single mounts where the ship's boats were. The ship was also fitted with new chaff, electronic and communications systems.
Restigouche received a similar refit before deploying as
Terra Novas intended replacement in the Persian Gulf in 1991. ==Construction and career==