A sad day for the Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS Preserver: reliable workhorse retires from frontlines of history
The big ship’s motto is, “Heart of the Fleet.”
Built in New Brunswick by the Saint John Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. and commissioned in July 1970, the venerable tanker is a floating grocery store, gas station, repair shop and helicopter hangar.
“It provides one-stop shopping,”
Aside from food, fuels and other basic supplies, Preserver also carried ammunition, two landing craft, a dentist, doctor, specialized repair teams and a small hospital with four beds and two operating rooms. It was even equipped to process garbage from other ships.
Some sailors had a nickname for the 21,000-tonne ship: Atlantic Superstore, after a regional grocery chain.
And even though the ship usually played a supporting role, it often near the front lines of key global events.
HMCS Preserver fun facts:
Ship’s company: about 270
Displacement: 21,000 tonnes
Maximum speed: 20 knots
Built by: Saint John Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. Ltd
Commissioned: July 30, 1970
Hangar: room for three helicopters
Fuel: can transfer 1,300 tonnes of fuel an hour while travelling at 12 knots
Role: auxiliary oiler replenishment ship
Length: 171.9 metres
Width 23.2 metres
Propulsion: steam turbines
Range: 6,600 kilometres
Initial cost: $30 million
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...lors-1.3816297
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/nation...nd-of-the-year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2vW7B5JLmY Collision at sea while refueling