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HMCS TERRA NOVA 259
Restigouche Class Destroyer
Seventh and last of her class, TERRA NOVA was built by the Victoria Machinery Depot and commissioned on 06 Jun 1959, and shortly thereafter sailed east, to be on hand of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and a review of NATO warships at Toronto in August. On 03 Jul 1961 she embarked the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland on a 12 day series of visits to its southwest outports. In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, ALGONQUIN, MICMAC, CAYUGA, ST CROIX, TERRA NOVA, KOOTENAY, SWANSEA, LA HULLOISE, BUCKINGHAM, CAPE SCOTT, CNAV BLUETHROAT and CNAV ST CHARLES, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics (click here to see the newspaper article). In Mar 1965, TERRA NOVA and GATINEAU participated in the search for a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair CP-107 Argus that had disappeared 60 miles (97 km) north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In May 1965 she entered Halifax Shipyards to begin her conversion to an IRE class destroyer escort. She was fitted with the new AN/SQS-505 sonar, which she tested for seven months before completing the IRE conversion, which she was the first of her class to undergo. She returned for duties in Esquimalt on 04 May 1971.
From January to June of 1973, TERRA NOVA was deployed off the coast of Vietnam as part of Operation Gallant during Westploy ’73. TERRA NOVA was deployed to Vietnam should a sea evacuation be necessary for the Canadian peacekeeping troops taking part in Operation Gallant on land, Canada’s military contribution to the International Commission of Control and Supervision. The international coalition was introduced following the signing of the Paris Peace Accord in January 1973, which attempted to put an end to the Cold-war era conflict between communist forces in the north of the country pitted against United States-backed southern Vietnamese forces. But the ceasefire agreement failed and the conflict and casualties continued to mount even after the peace accord was signed. TERRA NOVA’s deployment was highly secretive; they were given few details about its deployment and the vessel departed Esquimalt quietly with no official send-off.
Between 21 Nov 1983 and 09 Nov 1984, TERRA NOVA received her DELEX refit at Esquimalt. On 08 May 1986, HMCS PROVIDER 508, HMCS RESTIGOUCHE 257, HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 and HMCS KOOTENAY 258, departed Esquimalt for Exercise RIMPAC 86 and returned on 21 Jun 1986. Transferred to the east coast, she returned to Halifax on 12 Dec 1989. Designated for service in the Persian Gulf, she was temporarily armed with two quadruple Harpoon missile-launchers, mounted just abaft the after deckhouse; a Phalanx gun atop the Limbo well; two single Bofors on the boat deck amidships, and shoulder-fired Blowpipe and Javelin missiles. Along with ATHABASKAN and PROTECTEUR, she left Halifax on 24 Aug 1990, not to return until 07 Apr 1991. On 22 Feb 1994, TERRA NOVA stopped and boarded M.V. Pacifico while on a drug interdiction patrol and seized 5.9 tonnes of cocaine. On 05 Apr 1994, HMCS TERRA NOVA departed Halifax for Op. Forward Action, Haiti; arriving in Op Area on 28 Apr 1994. While so employed she rescued boatloads of refugees on two separate occasions and conducted 90 boardings. She left the Hatian Op Area on 13 Jul 1994 and arrived in Halifax on 18 Jul 1994. On 11 Jul 1997 she was placed in a "state of extended readiness" until finally paid off on 01 Jul 1998. After being paid off TERRA NOVA appeared, cast as an American destroyer, in the movie K-19: The Widowmaker. On 04 Nov 2009, DND announced that Aecon Fabco had won the bid and would tow both vessels to their Pictou Shipyard in Pictou, Nova Scotia to be broken up. TERRA NOVA departed Halifax Harbour on 20 Nov 2009 under tow by the tugboat Atlantic Elm and arrived in Pictou on 22 Nov 2009, where she joined the GATINEAU which had arrived a few days earlier. By the summer of 2010 she was being cut up for scrap, mainly aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel. She later sank at her mooring and was raised by crane in April 2011 and the remainder of her hulk was dismantled.
Photos and Documents Ship's company photos The Ship's Bell Commissioning Booklet
Statement of Ordinary Residence for HMCS TERRA NOVA - 1962
Ex Far Horizons - 1983 Engineer Officers 1959-1993
RCN Memories: A West Coast Drug Bust
Commanding Officers
Captain for the day
Captain for the day is a tradition in the RCN where during the ship's Christmas celebrations, the Commanding Officer changes places with the youngest member of the ship's company.
Cliff Woodrow - Dec 1959
They shall not be forgotten A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
O
P
R
S
T
V
W
Y
Z
Former Crew Members
(SD) = 1962 Statement of Ordinary Residence (click here to view the original pages)
Photos and Documents
(TNV001) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 - undated - prior to her refit when she received her lattice mast (TNV002) HMCS TERRA NOVA, part of the 5th Destroyer Squadron, before her conversion to an IRE (TNV003) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 // Courtesy of Robbie Robertson (TNV004) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 // Courtesy of Mike O'Keefe (TNV005) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 after her conversion to an IRE - 1968 // Courtesy of Hugh Muir
(TNV006) Daily Orders, HMCS TERRA NOVA - 16 Jul 1962 (TNV007) Battle Board for HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 // Courtesy of the Naval Museum of Halifax (TNV008) HMCS TERRA NOVA departing Halifax 13 Apr 1971 // The banner over the stern reads "Eat Your Hearts Out" // From the collection of Pat Cardinell // Courtesy of Paula Cardinell (TNV009) HMCS TERRA NOVA sails for the Far East - 1973 (TNV010) HMCS TERRA NOVA off the Hawaiian Island of Kauai // From the collection of Pat Cardinell // Courtesy of Paula Cardinell
(TNV011) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 // Photo taken from HMCS ATHABASKAN during RAS approaches - WESTEX '77 // Courtesy of David Bathurst (TNV012) HMCS TERRA NOVA 269 // Courtesy of Mike O'Keefe (TNV013) Painting on the gallery door of HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 circa 1987 // Courtesy of Jeff Woznow (TNV014) HMCS TERRA NOVA, alongside in Halifax, after a spell on the Grand Banks in the early 90's. First and last time I've seen ice all the way out to the 200nm limit off of Newfoundland. I know it's not the only time, but it's rare. // Courtesy of Derek Moss (TVN015) Signalmen chipping ice off the bridge wing // Doug MacKenzie and Steve Burris are in this photo // "Steve, while he was chipping ice off the bridge windows with an ice pick, cracked the window...and a surge or 440 power jumped into the metal pick and right into Steve, knocking him flat. He was OK (eventually), but we were all pretty worried as his hair was all standing on end, and he was a little out of sorts for a while. Things we probably wouldn't do today..." // Courtesy of Derek Moss
(TNV016) Jim Cook, HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 // Courtesy of Jim Cook (TNV017) The youngest sailor is customarily Captain for the Day on December 25. Two of the Atlantic Command Christmas "captains" are shown with a real one, who turned out in square rig for the occasion. Left to right are "Commander" (Ordinary Seaman) Cliff Woodrow, 17, of the TERRA NOVA; "Ordinary Seaman" (Commander) William P. Hayes, commanding officer of the Columbia, and "Commander" (Ordinary Seaman) Jim Anderson, 17, of the Columbia. // Source: CROWSNEST Magazine, Vol 12, No. 3, January, 1960 (TNV018) Two crew members who had served the longest of any on board the destroyer escort TERRA NOVA left the ship on May 3 for the last time. Cdr. C. E. Leighton, commanding officer, bids farewell to PO J. C. Stewart (left) and Ldg. Sea. O. J. C. Helmkay. PO Stewart and Ldg. Sea. Helmkay served on board a total of 140 months under three commanding officers during which 22 foreign and Canadian ports were visited. During this time 506 days were spent at sea and more than 102,000 miles were steamed. // Source: CROWSNEST Magazine, Vol 17, No. 6, June 1965 (TNV019) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 - Maple Spring 1968 // Photo taken from HMCS GATINEAU // Courtesy of Ron MacDonald (TNV020) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 - undated // DND- RCN photo
(TNV021) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 conducting a RAS and personnel transfer (TNV022) HMCS TERRA NOVA jacket patch - OP FRICTION 1990-1991 // Courtesy of David Bakody
(JJJ21) Restigouche Class Destroyers: R-L: HMCS GATINEAU 236, HMCS RESTIGOUCHE 257, HMCS KOOTENAY 258, HMCS TERRA NOVA 259, HMCS COLUMBIA 260, HMCS CHAUDIERE 235 - Apr 1960, location unknown (JJJ22) Stern shot of the ships in JJJ21 (JJJ24) (believed to be) Terra Nova sailors ashore in unknown location (JJJ24) Terra Nova in Portugal 1960 for the 500th Anniversary of Henry the Navigator (JJJ25) Sailors on the fo'c's'le of HMCS TERRA NOVA for an unknown evolution
From the collection of CPO2 Fin Clk J.J. Joly, RCN / C.A.F.
Courtesy of Jean-Marc Joly
HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 in Vancouver, BC - 08 Oct 1979
Photos PE02 & PE03 taken from onboard USS New Orleans
Photographer: Phil Edge © 1979
The former HMCS GATINEAU and former HMCS TERRA NOVA in Halifax Awaiting disposal 17 Jul 2003 Photographer / Courtesy of Roger Litwiller
Silhouettes of the TERRA NOVA cut from the hull before she was broken up. The standing one was given to Jo Dzioba, wife of Cmdr. Larry Dzioba. The one mounted on the plaque is in the Ladysmith legion. Photo taken at Paul Legacy’s house in Ladysmith.
Courtesy of Doug Lumley
The End
HMCS TERRA NOVA towed to the scrap yard in Pictou, NS and broken up
(TNV100) Former HMCS Terra under tow from Halifax to Pictou, Nova Scotia to be broken up // Source: Shipping New from Halifax by Mac Mackay (TNV101) TERRA NOVA was towed out of Halifax harbour on November 20, 2009 by the Atlantic Elm. The destroyer was on her way to Pictou, Nova Scotia to be broken up // Courtesy of - © photographer: Barry Gerrard 2009 (TVN102) After a final tour of TERRA NOVA at the Aecon yards, Larry Zilinsky (former crew member of TERRA NOVA) gives a final salute to the old girl as he steps off of her onto Gatineau (also being broken up), March 2010 // Courtesy of Larry Zilinsky (TVN103) HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 tied up outboard of the GATINEAU 236 at the AECON FABCO facility in Pictou, Nova Scotia // Courtesy of / © photographer: Barry Gerrard 2009 (TNV104) Former HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 well into the process of scrapping at the AECON FABCO facility in Pictou, Nova Scotia. Photo taken July 5, 2010 // Courtesy of - © photographer: Barry Gerrard 2010
(TNV105) Remains of TERRA NOVA at the Pictou Shipyard // Photo courtesy of Ralph MacAdam (TNV106) Anchor from HMCS TERRA NOVA 259 at a Veteras Memorial in Moncton, NB // Photographer: Warrick (Jed) Lockyer
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
