Hydrofoil HMCS Bras d'Or

Litvyak · September 08, 2011, 08:57:54 PM

Just discovered something I didn't know about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Bras_d%27Or_%28FHE_400%29

Anyone have any idea what armament this'd have had if it had gone into service in the intended ASW role?

I could also see this being further developed by my alt-RCN for coastal patrol and as a missile boat...

GTX · September 08, 2011, 09:28:48 PM

See here: http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/postwar/brasdor/

jcf · September 08, 2011, 10:52:14 PM

The slightly smaller DHC-MP-100 multi-duty vessel was developed from experience with Bras D'Or.
General purpose, gunboat, missile-craft and ASW Patrol versions were proposed.

PR19_Kit · September 09, 2011, 04:12:39 AM

That's one SERIOUSLY impressive ship! And nice to know it still exists as well.

At a guess the Bras d'Or might have been the largest ever military hydrofoil, at 240 tons and 164 ft long that's a lot to lift on some foils! Anyone know differently?

James · September 09, 2011, 04:35:46 AM

Never come across the HMCS Bras d'Or. Great looking ship.

Mr.Creak · September 09, 2011, 04:40:59 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on September 09, 2011, 04:12:39 AMAt a guess the Bras d'Or might have been the largest ever military hydrofoil, at 240 tons and 164 ft long that's a lot to lift on some foils! Anyone know differently?

Russian Babochkas (Project 1141.1, Sokol) are 465 tons/ 164 ft. The Mukha class (Project 1145.1, Sokol) is the same length and 468 tons.
The American USS Plainview was longer (210 ft) but "only" 310 tons.

PR19_Kit · September 09, 2011, 06:38:06 AM

Sounds like the Plainview has it in the Western world then. I hadn't heard of those Russian military foils, but I've seen the civvie Komets and Meteors. The mil ones sound SERIOUSLY large!

Further to this I've found a great site that's STACKED with piccies of foils wolrdwide.

http://www.foils.org/index.html

Alvis 3.14159 · September 09, 2011, 08:04:52 AM

Beautiful ship, but had some technical issues that kept the costs ever spiralling upwards. Interestingly, some of the engineers on the project had been engineers for Avro Canada. Yep, Arrow designers. I wonder if they felt any sense of deja vu?

West coast operations of a hydrofoil would have been problematic, what with all the logs we have floating about here, let alone the shoes with feet in them.

Alvis 3.1

The Rat · September 09, 2011, 05:52:26 PM

Quote from: Litvyak on September 08, 2011, 08:57:54 PM
Just discovered something I didn't know about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Bras_d%27Or_%28FHE_400%29

Anyone have any idea what armament this'd have had if it had gone into service in the intended ASW role?

I could also see this being further developed by my alt-RCN for coastal patrol and as a missile boat...

Please don't mention that on a board with us Canadians on it, we tend to start crying over lost opportunities, AGAIN!

Captain Canada · September 09, 2011, 08:41:47 PM

Bought the book 'The Flying 400' at Coles a few years back for only ten bucks....what a story. A tonne of good pics in it as well. Was also lucky enough to drop by and see her for real ( on the way back from a job in NL ) and wow....what a machine ! On paper, she doesn't read like much, but to walk around under the hull, basically at foil level.....

Litvyak · September 09, 2011, 09:19:26 PM

Rat - I'm one of said Canadians, too... and I raged to myself after discovering the Bras d'Or as much as I've raged about the Arrow, and the non-purchase of nuc subs, and the Jetliner, and the Dynavert, and short form all the things that should've built us to being a /dominant/ technological power... ANYWAYS.

Thanks for the title, Captain - I'll be on the hunt for it!

The Rat · September 10, 2011, 03:57:46 AM

Quote from: Litvyak on September 09, 2011, 09:19:26 PM...and the Jetliner,...

There's the one that really gets my tears flowing.

I soooo want a 1/72nd injection-molded model of that.

Actually, I want about a dozen!

jcf · September 12, 2015, 05:16:08 PM

http://dave-mills.yolasite.com/saro-hydrofoil-bras-dor.php

The first Bras d'Or hydrofoil, the Saunders Roe designed and built hydrofoil test design for
the RCN that led to the FHE 400 that later carried the name.

http://cfv.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=246

dogsbody · September 12, 2015, 06:36:54 PM

I remember seeing the HMCS Bras d'Or many times back in the 70's, after being hoisted ashore in Halifax. You could get a pretty good view down on it when crossing the bridge over to Dartmouth.

Chris

Captain Canada · September 12, 2015, 08:26:36 PM

Nice resurrection ! Love the Flying 400. Kurly and I were transiting back from NL a few years back, and stopped at a rest stop in QC. I told him about it, and we jumped in my truck and went to the next exchange and back-tracked to the museum. What a sight ! The underwater bits are way bigger than you'd expect. I winder if I posted pics here already ?