HMCS Gaspé (MCB 143)

HMCS Gaspé (hull number MCB 143) was a Bay-class minesweeper that was constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. The vessel entered service in 1953 and remained with the Royal Canadian Navy until 1958. That year, the ship was transferred to the Turkish Navy and renamed Trabzon. The vessel remained in service until 1991.

Design and description
The Bay class were designed and ordered as replacements for the Second World War-era minesweepers that the Royal Canadian Navy operated at the time. Similar to the Ton-class minesweeper, they were constructed of wood planking and aluminum framing.

Displacing 390 LT standard at 412 LT at deep load, the minesweepers were 152 ft long with a beam of 28 ft and a draught of 8 ft. They had a complement of 38 officers and ratings.

The Bay-class minesweepers were powered by two GM 12-cylinder diesel engines driving two shafts creating 2400 bhp. This gave the ships a maximum speed of 16 kn and a range of 3290 nmi at 12 kn. The ships were armed with one 40 mm Bofors gun and were equipped with minesweeping gear.

Operational history
The ship's keel was laid down on 21 March 1951 by Davie Shipbuilding at their yard in Lauzon, Quebec. Named for a bay located in Quebec, Gaspé was launched on 12 November 1951. The ship was commissioned on 26 November 1953. The First Canadian Minesweeping Squadron was constituted in December 1953 with Gaspé an initial unit. The squadron sailed to the Caribbean Sea in April 1955 for a training cruise, making several port visits. In May 1956, the First Canadian Minesweeping Squadron deployed as part of the NATO minesweeping exercise Minex Sweep Clear One in the western Atlantic.

The ship remained in service with the Royal Canadian Navy until being paid off on 22 August 1957. The ship was transferred to the Turkish Navy as part of the NATO Mutual Aid Agreement on 31 March 1958. Commissioned into the Turkish Navy on 19 May 1958 and renamed Trabzon, the ship remained in service until 1991.