Name Bras d'Or In service 26 June 1957 Homeport Halifax, Nova Scotia Length 18 m Builder Saunders-Roe | Ordered September 1953 Out of service 1973 Launched 22 May 1957 Weight 17 tons | |
Namesake Bras d'Or Lake, Nova Scotia | ||
Bras d'Or (R-103) was a small experimental hydrofoil built for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the 1950s. It led to the development of HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400) in the late 1960s.
Built by Saunders-Roe from either a Saunder-Roe motor boat or Vosper PT boat hull, the Bras d'Or was built based on the prototype R-101 in service with the Royal Navy. Launched in 1957, it underwent trials off Wales in May and arrived in Canada in July. Acquired by the Royal Canadian Navy, it was never commissioned as a warship.
Bras d'Or (R-103) was renamed Baddeck in 1962 as the name "Bras d'Or" was to be provided to HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400). Baddeck retired from the Canadian Forces in 1973 and later acquired by the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. Baddeck remains in storage with her three foils detached and stored separately.