CAPE Class

escort maintenance ship
These ships were modified Fort class cargo ships (similiar to the US Liberty ship) launched in Vancouver in 1944 for the RN. Originally named HMS BEACHY HEAD and FLAMBOROUGH HEAD, it was some time before either saw service in the RCN.

BEACHY HEAD was turned over to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1947 and served there until 1950 as the VULKAAN, when she was returned to the RN. There she served until 1952, when she was turned over to the RCN, who renamed her CAPE SCOTT. CAPE SCOTT was used on the East Coast until 1970, and was used alongside for several years for the Fleet Maintenance Facility until that organization moved ashore in 1975. Although CAPE SCOTT was towed to Texas for scrapping in 1978, the Fleet Maintenance Facility in Halifax still bears her name.

FLAMBOROUGH HEAD was also purchased in 1952, and sent to the West Coast. She served until 1964, but from 1972 until at least 1993, she was used as a towed mobile support facility and accomodation vessel at Esquimalt. She has now been disposed of, and was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of British Columbia, and she is the largest purpose-sunk reef in the world. Her stern and triple expansion steam engine have been removed, and will be put on display in a museum.

CAPE Class
Characteristics:

Displacement: 8,580 tons 
Dimensions: 134.7 x 17.4 x 6.1 meters (442 x 57 x 20 feet) 
Propulsion: Oil fired steam plant, triple expansion, 2 boilers, 1 shaft, 2,500 shp, 11 knots 
Crew: 270 
Aviation: helicopter deck 
Hangar: none 
Radar: navigation 
Sonar: none 
Fire Control: none 
EW: none 
Armament: none 

Ships:
 
Name
Pendant
Commissioned
Paid Off
CAPE BRETON
100
16/11/59
10/2/64
CAPE SCOTT
101
28/1/59
1/7/70

Photos:
 
 
Cape Breton
CAPE BRETON. DND Photo, Courtesy of  George Webster.
HMCS CAPE SCOTT with a Sikorsky H04-S on her helo pad. DND photo. 
HMCS CAPE BRETON is shown here in a graving dock on the West Coast. Courtesy of Corvus Publishing Group./Canada's Navy.
 

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