HMCS St. Laurent was the Navy's first postwar antisubmarine vessel, designed and built entirely in Canada, commissioned in 1955. Classed as a destroyer escort, she was the most advanced of her kind, and caused a considerable stir in world naval circles. She was the first of twenty very similar ships whose sleek lines quickly earned them the nickname "Cadillacs."
These ships were followed in the 1970s by the different looking Iroquois class of destroyer-helicopter carriers, and since 1992 by the ultramodern City class patrol frigates. The development and careers of each of these classes of ships is illustrated, with before and after photographs of the many whose appearance has been altered by rebuilding.
These ships were followed in the 1970s by the different looking Iroquois class of destroyer-helicopter carriers, and since 1992 by the ultramodern City class patrol frigates. The development and careers of each of these classes of ships is illustrated, with before and after photographs of the many whose appearance has been altered by rebuilding.
