The following article appeared in the August 1994 issue of the Old Timers Bulletin, the official publication of the Antique Wireless Association. This article may be copied freely. HMCS HAIDA AND HER VINTAGE RADIOS by Jerry Proc VE3FAB Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Haida is one of a kind. She was one of the 27 'Tribal Class' destroyers built by the British to Royal Canadian Navy specifications between 1937 and 1945. Haida was built by Vickers Armstrong Limited, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. The keel was laid on September 29, 1941 and she was commissioned on Aug 30, 1943. Scheduled to be scrapped in 1963, Haida was purchased by a group of ex-Navy businessmen who would not allow her to be subjected to the indignity of a cutters torch. This was the last Tribal left and no one was going to turn her into razor blades. Incredibly, the ship was purchased from the Crown Assets Disposal Corporation for the rock bottom price of $20,000. Haida was paid off in Halifax, decommissioned, and the Royal Canadian Navy towed her into Sorel Quebec where she was turned over to a civilian volunteer crew of 18 reserve sailors. Basically, their job was to assist in getting the ship through the locks of the St. Lawrence River and into Lake Ontario. After arriving in Toronto on August 25 1965, she was tied up at the foot of Bay Street for several years. Eventually, Haida was purchased by the Government of Ontario in 1971 as a historical artifact and moved to Ontario Place, a waterfront theme park. Haida achieved lofty battle honours during World War II and the Korean conflict, however, space limitations do not permit me to elaborate on those achievements. Our story begins at the time of her retirement from the Royal Canadian Navy. In the short space that is allowed, I will be describing Haida's radio room fittings as they existed at the end of her service life. RADIO 1 When Haida was de-commissioned in 1963, all of her radio equipment was gutted and over the years, it has been a difficult struggle to locate and return the original gear back to the ship. There were four radio rooms fitted on Haida at the end of her service life. Radio 1 was the main radio office and sometimes referred to as the "wireless office". Here, were four operating positions where CW messages were received and transmitted in the high-frequency bands. Traffic was received on Marconi CSR5A general coverage receivers and typed out on Royal Telegraphic typewriters at speeds of 25 wpm. These rugged CSR5A receivers were, 13 tube single conversion units, which could pull in any signal from 80 Khz to 30 Mhz with the exception of the broadcast band. Weighing in at 69 pounds, they wern't exactly portable but they were certainly built well. Receiving antennas consisted of two 35 foot whip antennas mounted on either side of the bridge and two flattops strung between the masts. An Aerial Exchange Board (a matrix panel) allowed any receiver to be connected to any receiving antenna. The antenna system for the receivers also included a device known as an Antenna Multicoupler. This box took the input from any single antenna, amplified it, and split it up for distribution to receivers. For administrative communications among naval ships, the Navy used a Marconi FR12. It had CW, MCW and phone capability on the 325 khz to 580 Khz and 1700 to 4200 Khz bands. At 15 watts' power input on CW, and even less on phone, its range was somewhat limited. Some people considered it lightweight and I suppose it was by 1944 standards, but think of how much capability one would have with 69 pounds of today's equipment ! Located in the same room, is the Marconi CM11 transmitter. It was rated for 100 watts for CW, or 30 watts on AM and without a doubt was the workhorse in the radio office. The internal antenna tuner could match any antenna that was 5 to 750 ohms resistive between 515 Khz and 13.8 Mhz. This is quite a feat for any antenna tuner ! Unfortunately, at 478 pounds, it had to stay in one place. If you had to, you could forge horseshoes on the cabinet, something that can't be done with today's commercial equipment. When Haida was in service, she supported seven UHF radio channels and one VHF channel. Three UHF channels were fitted in Radio 1 and the other four were installed in Radio 3. Each UHF channel consisted of a UHF transmitter, a UHF receiver and a Channel Amplifier Unit. The AN/URR35-35A, an AM receiver for the 200-400 Mhz band provided UHF receiving capability. The companion UHF transmitter, designated as URT502, was crystal controlled with power output adjustable between 10 and 100 watts. Most of the UHF traffic was AM voice, however, MCW would be used from time to time. VHF communication (110 to 160 Mhz) with aircraft was provided by the combination of an RCK receiver and TDQ transmitter, both of which were American Naval designs dating back to the Second World War. All UHF and VHF antennas were weatherproof, vertically polarized dipoles, mounted on yardarms attached to the foremast. Strategically located in the operations room, the bridge and the radio rooms were Remote Control Units (RCU). All voice and CW communications flowed through these boxes as they were the interface between the men and the radios. Each RCU had a push-to- talk handset and CW key input, and was wired into a Channel Switching Unit (CSU) which was essentially a matrix switch. On one side of the CSU, there were was support for up to 10 RCU's. On the other side of the CSU, up to 5 different radio systems could be connected. A slide switch controlled the interconnect between the RCU and radio. Positioned between the CSU and the radio equipment was device called a Channel Amplifier Unit (CAU). Its threefold purpose was to amplify audio coming from the RCU to the transmitter, to amplify the audio from the receiver to the RCU and to key the transmitter when CW was used. Jointly the RCU, the CSU and the CAU were known as the Shipborne Radio Remote Control System. Upon verbal request, any RCU or group or RCU's could be switched to any radio channel that was available. MESSAGE CENTRE Forward and adjoining to Radio 1 is the ships Message Centre. This area was the focal point for the processing, distribution and filing of all messages sent to or from the ship by radio, flashing light, flags or (in harbour) messenger. It also housed part of the ships Teletype system. In the Royal Canadian Navy, radioteletype was known as RATT and was installed in the fleet during the 1950's in order to provide greater message capacity. RATT transmissions were received on a Marconi CSR5A in the HF band and on an RCA Victor RAK-5 receiver in the low-frequency band. The RAK-5 is a regenerative unit similar to the TE236 and was designed back in the 1930's [OTB, Vol 30 No. 3, Nov 1989]. Its performance is exceptional considering its vintage. Audio output from each of these receivers was switch selectable as input to a Model 107 frequency shift converter (FSC). This unit converted the RATT audio tones from the receiver and keyed the RATT equipment. Installed, were two Teletype Model 15 KSR printers, a Model 14 transmitter-distributor and a Model 14 reperforator. Using patch cords, the operators would interconnect the devices on a Teletype Distribution Board to satisfy operating requirements. All outbound RATT messages were passed on to the Frequency Shift Keyer and the Marconi PV500 transmitter located in Radio 2. Another piece of equipment that was fitted, was the AN/SGC1 Teletype Set. All RATT fleet broadcast traffic was sent in five character code groups for security purposes. To decode the messages automatically, the Navy used a KWR37 Crypto Unit whose decoding 'key' was changed daily. CODING OFFICE Aft and adjoining Radio 1 was the ships coding office. For manual transmission and reception of coded messages, a KL7 unit was used. This was a cipher machine, similar to, but more advanced, than the famous German Enigma machine. It had 5 rotors with a wiring maze in each rotor. Earlier models of the KL7 used a patch cord programming matrix on the rear of the unit in order to set the encrypting "key" of the day. Basically, to encrypt a plain text message, the operator would enter the message on the keyboard and the KL7 generated a gummed tape using 5 letter groups. The tape was pasted on a message pad and the resultant encoded message was submitted to the Message Centre where specific information such as routing indicators and date-time- group was added. Finally, the complete message was passed to a CW or a Teletype operator for transmission. To decrypt, the procedure would be reversed. Once the message was decoded, it was given to the Message Centre where it was typed up and duplicated for distribution within the ship and for filing. RADIO 2 This was the main transmitting room for RATT and CW transmissions. If the main radio office were put out of action, emergency communications could be provided from this location but at a great reduction in capacity. Radio 2 also provided additional radio channel capacity in the event that Radio 1 became overloaded with traffic. There were two CM11's and one Marconi PV500 HM transmitter installed in this room. The PV500 was a 500 watt CW unit whose frequency range spanned from 3 to 19 Mhz and was used primarily for RATT transmissions. A Frequency Shift Keyer (FSK) converted the 60 milliamp RATT signals from Radio 1 into signals which would then drive the transmitter. All equipment in this room was controlled from Radio 1 but there still had to be two 'Sparkers' on duty in order to change frequencies and tune the equipment. The PV500 was connected to a 35 foot whip antenna mounted on the starboard side near the main mast. One of the CM11's used a 35 foot whip antenna mounted on the opposite side while the other CM11 tickled the ether with a flattop antenna. PV500's were notorious for ground loop problems and one made sure that you kept one hand in a pocket while tuning them. Placing a hand on the cabinet to brace yourself against the ship's roll could result in a really fine attention grabber in the form of an AC buzz. Many Sparkers tuned the PV500's by watching the power amplifier tube through the glass inspection window. When the plate was cherry red but not white, the final stage was considered to be tuned. On some PV500's, the bottom power supply cover panel can be found dented. This was normal, caused by having to kick it in order to ensure that the power supply interlock engaged ! RADIO 3 Radio 3 was strictly an unmanned equipment room located on the port side flag deck. Housed here, were the transmitters and receivers which provided four of Haida's UHF radio channels. All equipment located here was remote controlled. RADIO 4 This room was located on the starboard side over the galley. In the latter years of Haida's service life, Radio 4 was fitted as electronic warfare room. It was equipped with high frequency and centimetric direction finding receivers such as the Marconi FM12 and the AN/UPD501 respectively. In addition, CW transmissions in the 4 and 8 Mhz bands from Russian electronic intelligence gathering ships would be monitored using a Hammarlund SuperPro 600 receiver and recorded on a Webcor reel- to-reel tape recorder. Once Haida was back in port, the recorded tapes would be sent to Ottawa for analysis by Naval intelligence. Slowly, the original equipment is making its way back to the ship as more people are aware of what we are doing. In my position as a Radio Restoration Volunteer for HMCS Haida, I find the challenges of making Haida's vintage gear operational an extremely rewarding and challenging experience. Power supplies had to be handcrafted for most of the receivers and many hours have been devoted in researching the schematics of the various devices and systems. The work is progressing, however, the most difficult part is locating the missing equipment. I would be interested in finding out if anyone knows the whereabouts of any of the following gear: - Model FSC107 frequency shift converter - Model FSK107 frequency shift keyer - AN/SRC501 H.F. Transceiver RCN # 5820-21-041-1625 - AN/UPD501 Centimetric Direction Finding Receiver Today, HMCS Haida is permanently moored at the beautiful Ontario Place waterfront park in her most natural setting - afloat on the water. She is only one of two warship museums located in Canada and we are very proud to have her berthed in Toronto. Her legacy has provided inspiration for great numbers of young men who choose to serve their country both in wartime and peacetime. During the winter months Haida is closed, but from mid-May to Labour Day, she is open to the public seven days a week between the hours of 10:30 am to 7:30 pm. As a special treat, Haida fires a saluting charge from her 4 inch guns each day at noon. On behalf of Commander R.A. Willson and the crew of HMCS Haida, I cordially invite you to tour this great ship if you have the opportunity to visit Toronto. The following article appeared in the May 1993 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine and explains how I became involved with the radio restoration project on HMCS Haida. This article may be copied freely. HMCS HAIDA REVISITED -A Year Later- by Jerry Proc VE3FAB In the January 1992 issue of TCA, an article written by Marilyn Laycock featured amateur radio and vintage military equipment aboard HMCS Haida, a World War 2 Tribal class destroyer. This is personal follow-up to that story and I would like to share it with the readers of TCA. After I read the article, I started rummaging through my junk box and discovered that I had a number of vintage crystals manufactured by Canadian Marconi. The addition of these crystals to Haida's room would add a small authentic touch. Al Cronin, VE3RIH was contacted and an eyeball QSO was arranged for what turned out to be a very cold Saturday afternoon in January of 1992. Several hours later (and a generous amount of 807's), I parted company with the intention of visiting Haida in May of that year. When the time finally arrived, the need to visit the ship persisted, however the requirements to install a new garden shed, take the family on vacation and rebuild the bathroom were far more pressing and deferred my destiny with the ship until mid-July. With my responsibilities now behind me, I contacted Al Cronin again and arranged a session in the radio room. At first glance, it looked like matters were not going to be too comfortable. This is a typical reaction when one gets use to the sterilized, automated and easy operating ways of today's Kenwood's, Yaseu and Icom's. Everything in this room was totally manual. You are now in a time machine. It is 50 years ago and one quickly realizes that the 'Sparkers' who manned this equipment were very busy people. Morse code was received at speeds of 25 words per minute and recorded on a manual typewriter. No automatic antenna tuners, no digital displays, no packet radio and no semi-conductors where to be found anywhere. The first couple of attempts in operating the Heathkit HW101 were an exercise in futility as we were using one of the ship's original antennas for transmitting. There were some contacts, but when you are running a 3:1 SWR or more, patience is a great virtue. Intermod from downtown Toronto, local QRN, the noise from the air ventilation system and verbal chatter in the room itself made for the worst of operating environments. The challenge then became perfectly clear. It was necessary to haul more signal into the receiver in order to override the acoustical and electrical noise. In short order I performed some antenna tests and found that all of the ships original antennas were not resonant on any amateur band. Even an antenna tuner did not help matters. There was however, a nugget of gold to be discovered in all of this. It turns out that the previous radio club which operated here, left behind a 80/40/10 metre trap dipole antenna. It too, did not appear to be resonant, but some patient testing revealed that it was very resonant around 7245 khz with an SWR of nearly 1:1. Upon discovering and using this new resource, the volume of contacts increased substantially and new friendships were forged on 40 meters. On successive Saturdays, Alan and I took turns operating the Heathkit and promoting amateur radio to the public. Both CW and SSB modes were used. CW was used to create 'atmosphere' while SSB was used for public involvement. One Saturday afternoon, I even managed to cause a pile up in the American portion of the 40 metre band. What a thrill to be pursued! Among all this operating, we also managed to fire up one of the ship's original 100 watt Marconi CM11 transmitters and made some CW contacts into the eastern US seaboard. In view of our success and comments from the public, Cmdr. Bob Willson allowed us to erect a 15 metre dipole provided that it was camouflaged among the rest of the aerial wire. (Wire dipoles were not used on ships). The antenna was erected on a beautifully calm and warm October day of that year. Many thanks to Lt. Peter Dixon who volunteered to scale the masts and yardarms. As soon as the soldered cooled down on the co-ax connector, the antenna was attached to the HW101 and a salvo of CQ's was fired off. Immediately, a Swedish amateur replied. Another CQ, a short time later, was rewarded with a QSO from Ukraine. Several more CQ's resulted in contacts with Europe. Wait just one minute! How can this be? The ends of the antenna are pointing East/West. My only conclusion was that our signals were going over the North Pole. Another hidden benefit from operating on this band was the lack of intermod. By the time the ship approached her seasonal closing, my interests started to focus more on the original equipment. Very innocently, I brought home a metal cover panel from the 500 watt Marconi PV500 transmitter in order to repair a broken latch handle. It was only a matter of time before I started to repair more of the equipment and it reached the point where it consumed practically all of my spare time, yet I wouldn't give it up for anything. I was hooked - for good! As an example, at the beginning of September, there was only one fully operational Marconi CSR5 receiver out of five. Four of them were missing power supplies. After spending a great deal of time in surplus stores, enough transformers and parts were located to get all of the units operational. If you think that trying to find a 350 volt centre tapped transformer is difficult, try the impossible by trying to find one with a 12 volt 3 amp filament winding. In order to overcome these problems, solutions such as pairing up standalone filament with available high voltage transformers were employed. Shock mounts for the CSR5 cases were located at another surplus store. Angle brackets for the shocks were fabricated and the cases were refinished in their original Marconi colour of 50 years ago. As funding for these activities is limited, great care must be exercised when purchasing anything. It also helps to have a healthy junk box. In general, the work in restoring Radio Room 1 on Haida is proceeding but we are missing many of the ships original pieces of equipment. We also believe that some of this equipment may still be in Department of National Defence warehouses but it can't be identified because of a parts number conversion introduced many years ago. The obsolete equipment did not get part numbers assigned. Is it sill there? Does anyone out there have any DND connections? Efforts are being made to secure some of this equipment from ships that are being decommissioned but DND budget cuts are hampering progress. Besides the radio room, there are other restorations in progress aboard Haida. Jim Brewer, another volunteer, has successfully installed one of the ship's original radar systems and has built a course/heading simulator which tricks you into believing that Haida is steering a real course. Jim also imparts his naval operations experience on visiting sea cadets. Another long time contributor is Frank Moore who has been instrumental in restoring order to many of the ship's electrical systems. Without him, the radio room would be in total darkness and the need for this article would not exist. One day, we hope to get the ship's horn operational and get smoke to rise from the funnels. It is with great excitement that I look forward to the 1993 opening season on HMCS Haida. Radio 1 will have four fully functioning CSR5 receivers along with other functional gear. The adjacent Message Centre room which is currently being used as a storage area, will be restored and put on display to the public. We now have a Guest Operators Certificate that will be issued to anyone who operates VE3CGJ. Visiting children who manage to tap out any resembling Morse Code on a practice oscillator will be awarded a HMCS Haida Sparkers Club Certificate. With our new 15 meter dipole, Haida will have an international presence and we will be able to demonstrate long distance radio communications to the public. Our 1993 intentions are to have Radio 1 open to the public on most Saturdays between 10:30 and 17:30 hours, May 1 to Labour Day. VE3CGJ will operate SSB on 7245 khz if the 21 Mhz band is not open. Al Cronin and I, on behalf of the Captain and crew of Haida, invite the amateur radio community to visit this one-of-kind Canadian heritage institution. The following article appeared in the February 1994 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine. This article may be freely distributed. HMCS HAIDA - AN UPDATE ON THE RESTORATION by Jerry Proc VE3FAB Back in May of 1993, I wrote an article for TCA titled "HMCS Haida Revisited - One Year Later". Since that article was published, many new and exciting events have transpired, all of which, may be of interest to the readers of The Canadian Amateur. First, let me start with the major radio restoration project that was completed on Aug 1 1993. Earlier in the year, I made up my mind to tackle the refurbishment of Radio 4. This radio room is located above the galley on the starboard side ahead of the forward funnel. During the final years of Haida's service life, this room was fitted to perform the functions of an electronic warfare room. It was equipped with high frequency and centimetric direction finding receivers which allowed the operators to determine the bearing of an adversary vessel. With assistance from other ships, triangulation could determine the distance of the foe. In addition, CW transmissions in the 4 and 8 Mhz bands from Russian Electronic Intelligence ships (masquerading as fishing trawlers) would be monitored using a Hammarlund SuperPro 600 receiver and recorded on a Webcor reel-to-reel tape recorder. Once Haida was back in Halifax, the recorded tapes would be sent to Glouster Ontario for analysis by Naval intelligence. It was also a place where an exhausted Sparker could catch up on some shuteye. The restoration of Radio 4 to its 1963 paint scheme commenced at the beginning of my vacation in July of 1993 and by co-incidence, my holidays ended up in synchronization with a heat wave. Scraping and painting during a heat wave makes almost as much sense as erecting antennas in winter! Not to worry - you have to be a little crazy to be in this business. After the room received an fresh coat of paint, there was this residual problem of having to furnish the room with some vintage equipment. The task of provisioning the room with old gear was made much easier due to the generosity of several amateurs. Bill Scott, VE3CUP of Etobicoke, donated a Wilcox-Gay reel-to-reel tape recorder which turned out to be only 0.25 inches wider than the original Webcor unit. How about that ? Many thanks go out to John Turgoose, VE3NFK, of Kingston who donated a Hammarlund SP600 receiver. Doug Card, VE3CKX of Milton managed to procure an old Underwood open frame typewriter. It is precisely this sort of effort and generosity that contributes to success of any project. Since we are missing the original Marconi FM12 high frequency direction finding receiver, an existing Marconi FMB unit was installed as a stand-in until the genuine article can be located. Hoisting the FMB into Radio 4 required the strength of four people plus the assistance of block and tackle. We believe that the FMB weighed in just under 300 lbs ! On June 15, 1993, Haida received a shipment of Radio Remote Control equipment from the Maritime Command Museum in Halifax. Congratulations are extended to Commander Bob Willson of HMCS Haida for his persistence and the co-operation of the Command Museum for making the appearance of this equipment possible on Haida. This gear, which permitted remote control operation of the radios, had not been on the ship since her de-commissioning in 1963. To date, it has all been mounted, but that was the easy part. When Haida was taken out of service, all of the armoured, multi-conductor cables connecting to the remote control equipment had been sheared off in order to expedite quick removal. Based on what I see in the schematics of the radio remote control system, many Saturdays will be spent splicing and terminating cables just to get some of this gear connected back up to original order. Just when I had given up all hope of ever finding a replacement for the defective RF ammeter in our antique Marconi FR12 transceiver, I received a phone call from Ivor Nixon, VE3IHN of Carrying Place. Out of the 4000 readers of TCA magazine in April of 1993, Ivor was the only person who responded to my ad. In a week's time, I received the replacement unit. (It definitely pays to advertise in TCA - an unsolicited plug). Vintage Teletype equipment was donated by John Langtry, VE3NEC of Georgetown. His offering of a Model 15 Teletype, a Model 14 tape reperforator and a paper tape reader will enhance the authenticity of the Message Centre. I have also had the good fortune to have contacted Joe Blanchette, VE3BAD of Ottawa. Joe is a Teletype machine mechanic "extraordinare" and has provided Haida with a Radio Teletype Distortion Test Set and some technical expertise. Murray Willer, VE3FRX of Toronto, donated a surplus J-38 key which will be installed at one of the CW positions in Radio 1. With any luck, perhaps we can acquire three more straight keys like the J-38 and have a full house. As a result of being in contact with other military equipment aficionados, I was alerted to the availability of surplus equipment by a forwarded letter from Chris Bisaillion, VE3CBK, of Kanata Ontario. It turned out that Dennis Miller, an antique radio collector in Guelph Ontario, had a World War 2 RCK receiver for sale. This is a 117 pound, crystal controlled, 4 channel VHF aircraft receiver. A phone call, followed by a trip to Guelph one week later, completed the transaction and another piece of missing equipment was acquired for Haida. During August of 1993, I contacted the Canadian Forces Communications and Electronics Museum in Kingston Ontario and paid a personal visit several weeks later. Master Warrant Officer Doug Hildebrand, the museum's curator, was a most delightful and co-operative person that one could wish to meet. There was no extra equipment that could be permanently loaned to Haida, but Doug studied my "needs" list and indicated to me that the Museum was expecting a shipment of encryption equipment. If any extra units were available, Haida could have them for permanent display. It was earth shattering news, as I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that this equipment would ever be de-classified and be made available for display in a museum. If this gear ever materializes, then the Coding Office will be restored. On August 30/93, HMCS Haida celebrated the 50th anniversary of her commissioning. Noontime ceremonies held on the jetty, were attended by the Hon. Garth Turner, Minister of Revenue, the Haida Veterans Association and Members of Friends of Haida. Afterwards, it was time to cut the cake which was in the shape of a destroyer and complete with candy propellers. It was truly a sight to behold ! Members of Applied Military History staged a wonderful display of World War 2 artifacts, including a fully restored jeep. Meanwhile, the inside the ship, our volunteer amateur operators for the day were busy manning the Heathkit HW101 and letting the amateur community know about Haida's commemoration. Between August 23 and Sept 6 1993, the Department of Communications authorized HMCS Haida to use the special call of CF3CGJ to commemorate the 50th Anniversary commissioning of the ship. We were able to staff the station for 7 out of the 14 days that the special call was in force. Despite the heavy atmospheric noise on the 7 mHz band and the heat wave in late August of 1993, Haida's operators were able to contact 340 stations in total. Afterwards, we felt a great sense of accomplishment under the challenging circumstances. Overall, we could not contact as many VE stations as desired, since the ground wave runs out of horsepower pretty quickly on the HF bands and the dead zone of skip doesn't help matters any. Much appreciation goes out to the following operators who assisted with the operation of CF3CGJ: Doug Card VE3CKX (who probably lost several pounds sweating out the heat), Al Cronin VE3RIH, Steve Parsons VE3SMP, Tom Godden VE3TWG, Bernie Marchand VE3XMB and Jerry Proc VE3FAB. Another one of Haida's volunteers, Russ Robinson was formerly a hull mechanic in the Royal Canadian Navy. During the summer months he completely rebuilt the steelwork and rubber gaskets for the port side boiler room air intakes. In 1994, he has plans to do the same on the starboard side. It's hard to see the results because the work is essentially hidden from view. Without this overhaul, the whole structure would have eventually disintegrated from internal rusting. Margaret Mathers, our ex-RCN Stoker succeeded in restoring a one cylinder Lester diesel engine back to full operation in August of 1993. This was quite an accomplishment considering that it had been totally seized up ! There is also an interesting story here. The piston rings were found to be cracked and required replacement. After trying many sources, no rings could be located. By sheer luck, she had the good fortune to meet up with someone who had been saving Lester piston rings in his tool box since the 1940's because he believed that someone would need them one day. This is just the type of luck that you need when you are in the restoration business. When the diesel was finally started, exhaust gas went up the forward funnel for the first time in 30 years. It was, however, very difficult to see, because Margaret got the diesel so well tuned and burning clean, that the exhaust smoke could not be detected easily. At the foundation of any restoration project, there must be an ample supply of money. The Government of Ontario sponsors the ship and its basic operating costs. Any restoration activities are funded directly from charitable donations. To preserve the pride and dignity of this great ship, a program known as "Friends of HMCS Haida" has been formed. If you wish to make a donation in any amount, please contact: Friends of HMCS Haida, c/o Cmdr. R.A. Willson (Ret'd), HMCS Haida Naval Museum, Ontario Place, 955 Lakeshore Blvd. West, Toronto Ont. M6K 3B9 There are other ways in which to provide assistance to the restoration project. If anyone knows anyone else who is in possession of ANY Naval electronics gear, do not hesitate to call me at (416) 249-0261. An income tax receipt will be issued for any charitable donations of cash or applicable equipment. The missing equipment list has been shortened from the last time it was published, but we are still in need of the following: Model Description RCN Part # AN/SRC501 H.F. Trans/Rcvr 5820-21-041-1625 AN/UPD501 Centimetric D/F Receiver ? FSC107 Frequency Shift Converter 5820-000-0038 FSK Frequency Shift Keyer Exciter 5820-000-0047 35 ft. sectional Whip Antenna 5895-21-041-6294/6295 "Royal" Typewriters - upper case only; narrow carriage; closed frame; grey wrinkle finish At the closing of the 1993 season, a small milestone was achieved on Haida. In the Message Centre, I managed to get a paper tape reader connected to a Model 15 Teletype. At random, I selected one of the existing paper tapes supplied with the equipment and mounted it on the reader. As the paper tape read in, the Teletype printed out a female form along with a 1979 calendar. Another tape produced a picture of Mickey Mouse. It was a truly sweet experience, as the sound of a printing Teletype machine has not been heard on the ship since she was decommissioned. One of next years projects is to acquire an RTTY terminal unit and get it connected so the Teletype can print right off the air from one of the antique Marconi receivers. During the off season, I will be enhancing a manual that I started to produce in the spring of 1993. It's a description of the equipment that was fitted into each of the radio rooms in 1963. The way it stands now, the document describes the most interesting aspects of radio the equipment itself. What is lacking is the information on how it was used on a daily basis by the Royal Canadian Navy. Not having served in the Navy myself, makes the task of fattening up the manual contents somewhat difficult. I would therefore like to get in contact with anyone who may have served as a RCN Sparker on Tribal Class destroyers in the early 1960's. I am looking for humorous stories about the equipment, how it was used (or abused), and any particular quirks that it possessed. Information from any earlier period will also be appreciated. You notify me phone or by letter. My address is: 68 Braywin Dr., Etobicoke, Ont. M9P 2P3 . I will send you a manuscript that will list the fitted equipment along with a basic description. What lies in store for 1994? It is no mystery, as I have already started to plan for the restoration of Radio 2, the second largest radio room on Haida. The search for missing equipment will be a continuous effort for the next several years, and one can only speculate as to what gear may turn up in the future. Efforts to restore the pride and dignity of this great ship continue and I would like to thank those volunteers who donate their time and energy towards the cause. In addition, I dearly thank all those individuals who have donated equipment, or have helped to operate VE3CGJ during the previous year. It was this direct participation which made the year so successful. Hopefully, we will have a repeat performance in 1994. (Is there anyone interested in rebuilding a bogey boiler ?) On behalf of the Captain and crew of HMCS Haida, we invite you to tour the ship and see the restorations first hand. The following article was submitted for publication in The Canadian Amateur Magazine. It is not in print as of Apr 6/95 but it may be copied freely. HMCS HAIDA - ANOTHER YEAR OF SUCCESS by Jerry Proc VE3FAB As autumn leaves fall and the weather starts to hint at the onset of winter, HMCS Haida is transformed into a state of hibernation in order that she may endure the rigours of the cold, snowy months. The visitors are gone and the atmosphere is tranquil. For the volunteers aboard the ship, it is a time to reflect on the achievements of 1994. This year, much success was enjoyed in several facets of the on-going radio restoration project. Once again, members of the amateur radio community played a pivotal role in helping to attain some of these milestones. The leading project of the year was the refurbishment of Radio 2, a task which occupied nearly three months worth of Saturdays. When Haida was commissioned in 1943, she was fitted with only two radio rooms which where then known as the First and Second Wireless offices. Initially, Radio 2 provided HF/DF (Huff-Duff) capability using the Marconi FH4 direction finding receiver. By 1957, Radio 2 was refitted and became the main transmitting room for radioteletype and CW traffic. If Radio 1, was put out of action, emergency HF communications could be provided from this location but at a great reduction in capacity. Radio 2 also provided additional capacity in the event that Radio 1 became overloaded with traffic. There were two Marconi CM11 transmitter/receivers and one Marconi PV500 HM transmitter installed in this room. The PV500 was a 500 watt unit whose frequency range spanned from 3 to 19 Mhz while the CM11 covered 515 khz to 13.8 mhz running power levels of 100 watts on CW or 30 watts on phone. A frequency shift keyer interfaced the paper tape reader in Radio 1 and the PV500. All equipment in this room was controlled by the remote control system located in Radio 1 but there still had to be two 'Sparkers' on duty in order to change frequencies and tune the equipment. The PV500 was connected to a 35 foot whip antenna mounted on the starboard side aft. One of the CM11's used a 35 foot whip antenna mounted on the port side aft while the other CM11 connected to a flattop antenna attached to the mainmast. PV500's were notorious for ground loop problems and one made sure that you kept one hand in a pocket while tuning them. Placing a hand on the cabinet to brace yourself against the ship's roll could result in a real fine attention grabber in the form of an AC buzz. Many Sparkers tuned the PV500's by watching the power amplifier tube through the glass inspection window. When the plate was cherry red but not white, the final stage was considered to be tuned. On some PV500's, the bottom power supply cover panel can be found dented. This was normal, caused by having to kick it in order to ensure that the power supply interlock engaged! The other major achievement was in Haida's Message Centre where radio teletype system was re-built thanks to the efforts of several amateurs. Hazen Marr, VE3HAZ of Pickering, Ontario contributed two very functional Model 15 teletype machines, Model 14 tape readers, reperforators and a supply of blank tape for the punches. This, together with a donation of surplus Teletype paper from the University of Toronto, will ensure an ample supply of Teletype consumables for many years to come. The most difficult item to locate for the Message Centre was the TT23 Teletype Distribution Panel. Darcy Bens, VE7GCK of Duncan, B.C. made the impossible seem easy. Darcy is a communicator in the Royal Canadian Navy and assisted in the procurement of the panel. David Morgan, W04S, a surplus dealer in Norfolk Virginia, generously discounted the cost of an AN/SGC-1A Teletype Terminal Set and threw in two extras at no charge. The SGC-1A was a 200 Hz AFSK converter/keyer used for radioteletype communications in the 225 to 400 Mhz UHF bands, however this mode of operation is now obsolete. Using a borrowed transceiver and an old terminal unit, the RTTY broadcast from W1AW on 40 metres was copied on one of the vintage Model 15 Teletypes for the first time on May 14, 1994. This was the first such message printed on the ship in thirty one years. In 1995, there are plans to experiment with two way RTTY using as much of the ship's original equipment as possible. Another amateur, Bob Wilson K1GVA of Portland, Maine advised me that he had a TDQ transmitter for sale. Designed in 1944, this was a 45 watt AM/CW VHF transmitter operating in the 115 to 156 Mhz band. Since the unit weighs 285 pounds, the shipping costs to get the TDQ to Toronto would have broken the meagre financial resources of the ship. Help was on the way. As a result of two generous donations by the York Region ARC and South Pickering ARC, we were able to cover the major cost of cartage. Other financial assistance was provided by the Skywide and Thornhill ARC's. My gratitude goes to the members of these clubs and to the individuals who made personal donations. Steve Marsden, VE1YB of Dartmouth, N.S. provided a contact name at the Department of National Defence in Ottawa. This resulted in the potential shipment of electronic warfare gear for Radio 4. In June of 1994, I was contacted by Mark Gibson, VE3MWH of Hamilton, Ontario. He informed me that he would like to donate a vintage Marconi MSL5 low frequency receiver made in 1944. As a result of his generosity, he provided me with inspiration to open an exhibit area which will focus on equipment that was used on Haida in the 1940's. Tom Brent, of Dewdney B.C. is an aficionado of military equipment and an 'invisible' member of the restoration effort. Distance does not permit him to physically participate, but his 'behind the scenes' support is invaluable towards the overall effort. Recently he contributed a BC221 frequency meter and equipment manuals for TDQ and TBS equipment. In 1993, Tom donated a Hammarlund SP600JX receiver to the ship. In the last article that I wrote on Haida, I mentioned that straight keys were missing. Now, we have a full compliment of keys through donations made by Keith Kennedy VE7KWK of Surrey B.C., Robert Dick VE3BD of Willowdale, Ontario and Don Bujas of Grimsby, Ontario. These vintage keys have been mounted on plexiglass plates, just like the originals. Now, the means of how CW was sent is self- explanatory for our visitors. Early in 1994, Haida lost the use of a loaner Heathkit HW101 transceiver for our amateur station VE3CGJ. Doug Card VE3CKX of Milton, Ontario loaned us his personal Yaesu FT200 for the season and was then instrumental in procuring a Heathkit SB104 transceiver which will be made available to the ship on perpetual basis. To commemorate D-Day, Haida used the special call sign of CI3CGJ. Appalling band conditions on 40 metres in the two week period preceding D-Day only permitted 39 contacts to be made. I guess one can't expect much at the bottom of a sunspot cycle. In writing one of these articles, it is almost mandatory to announce a list of missing equipment. Surprisingly, the two top items on the wanted list are the Model 107 frequency shift converter and the 107 frequency shift keyer. Both units employ a 850 Hz frequency shift. These seem to be impossible to locate, yet there were thousands of these built for commercial service and many amateurs got their start in RTTY when this equipment became surplus. TABLE 1 LIST OF MISSING EQUIPMENT Model Description -------------------------------------------------------------- 53 British Admiralty transmitter/receiver 86M British Admiralty VHF Transmitter AN/SRC501 Transceiver (2-4 Mhz, 12 watts) RCN #5820-000-0029 B19 Marconi Receiver - 40 khz to 13 Mhz B28 Marconi Receiver - 60 khz to 420 khz B29 Marconi Receiver - 15 khz to 1500 khz DAS2 Loran A receiver FH4 Marconi direction finding receiver FSC107 Frequency Shift Converter (RCN designation SSC107) FSK107 Frequency Shift Exciter (RCN designation XFK107) HT11 Hallicrafters H.F. marine transmitter TBS-6 60 to 80 Mhz transmitter/receiver --- Five section, 35 ft whip antennas with base insulators If the whereabouts of this equipment is known, please contact me at 68 Braywin Dr., Etobicoke, Ont. M9P 2P3 (416) 249-0261 Commander R.A. Willson (Ret'd), Haida's full time Captain, participated in the action as well. He managed to procure an Instructograph morse code trainer, a unit which was originally manufactured in the mid 1930's and was in continuous production for at least 25 years. Many a radio operator received code training on a unit such as this. Another applaud goes to Jim Fleming VE3PBJ of Douro Ontario. He provided Haida with an SCR522 transmitter/receiver which was used on the ship during the 1940's and provides another addition to the family of equipment from the war years. Many hams got their start in VHF with this gear. In addition, he donated a URR504 UHF receiver and an XFK frequency shift keyer which will act as a 'stand-in' until the authentic model can be located. In July of this year, Haida received six Channel Switching Units (CSU's) from HMCS Nipigon while that ship was being refitted in Port Weller Ontario. The CSU's are a type of matrix switch which allow receiver/transmitter combinations to be connected to different radio Remote Control Units. Our thanks are extended to those unidentified individuals at DND who made this possible. As this article is being written, Jim Brewer and myself are wiring up these CSU's to the ship's radio remote control system. By 1995, the task should be completed and will provide the basis for yet another restoration story. For those who could not visit the ship and see the restoration first hand, I developed a slide and video show which was presented to thirteen ARC's in Toronto and vicinity in late 1993 and early 1994. It was my pleasure to have done this and in the process, I met many interesting individuals. For 1995, the planned restoration activity will be Radio 3, a unmanned radio room which was only fitted with UHF equipment and was operated by remote control. In closing, I trust that the amateur community will continue to express an on-going interest and assist with the radio restoration project. Once again, I sincerely thank everyone for their efforts. 73 until next year.  THE FINAL VOYAGE OF HMCS HAIDA by Jerry Proc VE3FAB Introduction ------------ The story which follows is a composite of two articles titled 'Haida Inc' and 'Haida Goes Home'. These originally appeared in the September and October, 1964 issues of The Crowsnest Magazine, the official publication of the Royal Canadian Navy in that era. The original text was written by Lt. Peter Ward, Royal Canadian Naval Reserve and former Military Editor of the old Toronto Telegram newspaper. Both of these stories have been blended and re-written from the perspective of 1995. Part I of this story deals with the formation of Haida, Inc., a non-profit organization who made it their mandate to salvage Haida from the cutters torch and bring her to her final resting place. Part II details the efforts of the naval reserve crew who actually brought the ship from Sorel Quebec to Toronto through the St. Lawrence Seaway. PART I ------ When the Royal Canadian Navy announced in 1963, that Canada's most famous warship, HMCS Haida, was to be retired from service, a group of sentimental Toronto men started a campaign to save her from the scrap heap. Twelve months later, she was secured at the foot of York Street in Toronto where preparations were being made to start her in a new career. Her role was to act as a medium for passing on a love of the navy to all those who cared to visit her. Between the time of the first formal meeting held by those sentimentalists, and the ship's eventual arrival at Toronto's Pier Six, there was much heartbreak, elation, hard work and humour. The man who organized "Haida, Inc.", as the ship's new owners were called, was Neil Bruce. Neil was an Air Canada captain who had never been aboard anything larger than Toronto's Island ferry. He heard the story of Haida's past from her officers and fell in love with the ship immediately. Neil became convinced that she should be preserved. At the same time, several other men were thinking similar thoughts. There was Alan Howard of Toronto's Marine Museum; Norman Simpson, a former naval officer turned lawyer; and of course, Lt. Peter Ward of the naval reserve. They were brought together by the officers of Haida and the first meeting took place early in the fall of 1963 at the Marine Museum. After preliminaries were out of the way, other people came into the picture. Bill Doole, Editor and Publisher of the Brampton Times; Joe O'Sullivan, Goodyear Tire sales executive; Dave Kidd another Toronto sales executive; Jack Graham lawyer; Don Smith of Bell Telephone and Rear-Admiral P.D. Budge, RCN (Ret) - all joined Haida, Inc. Admiral Budge took a bit of convincing, but once he believed the project was possible, he threw all of his determination into saving the ship. Haida, Inc. became incorporated as a non-profit corporation through the free legal work of Jack Graham and Norm Simpson. Neil Bruce began a series of trips between Toronto and Ottawa and Halifax to convince both the government and the Royal Canadian Navy that the Haida project was possible. The ship had moved out of commission and into Class C Reserve service late in 1963 and would stay in that condition for at least a year. That gave Haida, Inc. plenty of time to formulate their plans for the ship's future. In the winter of 1963, when the Defence Department's economy drive began, it was announced that HMCS Haida would immediately be declared surplus and turned over to Crown Assets for disposal. There was some frantic scurrying in the homes of the members of Haida, Inc. Neil Bruce doubled the frequency of his trips to Ottawa. Defence Minister Paul Hellyer was visited; so was the Chief of Naval Staff; so were the offices of Crown Assets. Finally, the official word was handed down. The ship would be sold to Haida, Inc. for $20,000 and be delivered to Sorel Quebec in her Class C Reserve condition on Aug 14/64. Bids from towing contractors applying to bring Haida from Sorel to Toronto were arriving steadily. Finally, the McAllister Towing Company of Montreal, got the job for slightly more than $6,000. McAllister said they were quoting a rock bottom price because they too, felt sentimental about Haida - so sentimental in fact, that they later donated $1,000 to Haida, Inc. Paying the towing bill and the insurance for the ship presented a real problem. No one in Haida, Inc. was wealthy and even collectively, it was next to impossible to finance the undertaking. Fortunately, the Toronto-Dominion Bank came up with financing after hearing the plight of Haida, Inc. The navy too, harboured sentimental feelings about Haida. Once the ship's sale had been approved, the RCN pushed her delivery date back to Aug 21/64. They had Haida towed from Sydney N.S. back to Halifax for a quick inspection before she began her new career. The navy donated a noteworthy amount of equipment in order to make the task of converting Haida into a memorial much easier. Cases of Second World War gear were packed up in the forward seamen's mess. These were to be used in setting up displays at a later date. Next, came the problem of getting a crew to bring Haida from Sorel to Toronto. Reservists from HMCS York, Toronto's naval reserve division, volunteered to do the job so the Commanding Officer of Naval Divisions authorized three day's special duty for three officers and twelve hands. Each of the reservists said they would pay for their own transportation to Sorel. Towing the ship through the Seaway was anticipated to span three to four days. The entire trip is detailed in Part II of the story. Due to the generous services provided by HMCS York, and the expert towing ability of McAllister company skippers, Haida arrived at Toronto's Pier 6 a little late but unscathed. She nosed into the jetty shortly after 1000 hours on Aug 25/64 with the sun streaming down on her rust streaked hull and a cheering crowd waving hello from shore. For the members of Haida, Inc. the ship's arrival in Toronto signalled the beginning of a never-ending parade of problems. Money woes headed the list. The new owners of Haida found themselves nearly $30,000 in debt, with no prospects of earning funds until plenty more dollars had been spent getting the ship ready to receive the public. The government had been very generous with Haida's terms of sale. The $20,000 cost of Haida was to be paid in ten yearly instalments. The first instalment was deferred a year from delivery date, and no interest would accumulate. The terms couldn't have been more reasonable. Obviously, this project had the sympathy of both the government and senior naval officers. The towing fee, a net amount of slightly more than $5,000 had to be paid immediately. In addition, $2,500 had to materialize in order to insure the crew of HMCS York, Haida herself during the trip down the Seaway, and liability insurance had to be provided for her first year in Toronto. To add to the expenses, security services had to be arranged in order to keep an eye on Haida 24 hours a day. Haida's first day in Toronto was a busy one. That evening, Rear-Admiral R.P. Welland, Deputy Chief of Operational Readiness came to Toronto from Ottawa to officially start Haida off in her new career. With him, came Defence Minister Paul T. Hellyer, who took out time from a well earned holiday to welcome the veteran destroyer. Rear Admiral Welland, a former commanding officer of Haida attended the proceedings. Also present during the turnover ceremonies, were retired Vice-Admiral H.G. DeWolf, a former Chief of Naval Staff who commanded Haida and Commodore John Charles, Haida's captain during her last Korean war tour. Phil Givens, a former Toronto mayor and another enthusiastic fan of Haida, was there too. After a short session of speeches, Admiral Welland presented the ship with a White Ensign and a Blue Ensign. Haida was the first ship out of commission to be honoured in this fashion. Plans were, to fly both flags when Haida opened up to the public. Brief ceremonies alongside the ship were followed by a reception in the wardroom of HMCS York reserve division. There were many salty tales about Haida's past being exchanged among the ship's former captains. After the ceremonies, Haida, Inc. was faced with the challenge of actually opening up the ship to the public. In the fall of 1964 and spring of 1965, Haida was painted, cleaned up, and plans were made to restore her as closely as possible to her Second World War condition. There were going to be some discrepancies, but those couldn't be helped. The cost of altering her structure back to its original condition would be prohibitive. Under the Terms of Sale between the RCN and Haida, Inc., the existing pennant of DDE215 could not be used for permanent display. When Haida was repainted, her wartime pennant G63, was proudly displayed on her sides. In retrospect, Haida is on display today in what basically amounts to her Korean war configuration if referring to her weapons systems. Her radio rooms have been made operational to 1962 vintage. Haida could not stay moored at Pier 6 forever. The following Spring, she was moved by tug to the edge of Coronation Park. This was a Metropolitan Toronto park dedicated to the memory of servicemen who fell during the Second World War. The city informed Haida, Inc. that everyone would be delighted to have Haida there as part of that memorial. Haida, Inc. charged the public a small fee to tour the ship and profits were applied towards upkeep and staffing. Several ideas for money-making were advanced, but Haida, Inc. decided that nothing would be sold on board Haida. No refreshment bars or candy stalls would ever stand on those decks and that policy is still in effect today. Haida's gift shop was eventually erected on the jetty, but nothing commercial is anywhere near the ship. The firm intention of the directors of Haida, Inc. was to make HMCS Haida into a fitting memorial of all sailors who served in the Royal Canadian Navy. By showing the public how seamen lived aboard ship, and how they used their weapons, a greater appreciation of Canada's proud navy could be passed on to the thousands of people that would visit her. Haida, Inc. did not consider themselves the owners of this proud ship. They were merely custodians of her for the people of Canada. In retrospect, by the late 1960's, Haida Inc., could not carry the financial burden imposed by the annual operating expenses of the ship. Fortunately, Haida Inc., entered negotiations with the Government of Ontario, and the ship became part of the provincial family of historical sites in 1971. She was towed to the newly built Ontario Place theme park and was moored in the same spot where she can be found today. In 1988, Haida was declared a national historic monument by the federal government and is protected by law. What a befitting action to guarantee that Canadian naval heritage will be on view for future generations of Canadians. This concludes Part 1 of the story. Introduction to Part 2 ---------------------- Part I of this story dealt with the formation of Haida, Inc., a non-profit organization who made it their mandate to salvage Haida from the cutters torch and bring her to her final resting place. Part II details the efforts of the naval reserve crew who actually brought the ship from Sorel Quebec to Toronto through the St. Lawrence Seaway. PART II _______ The volunteer crew for the last cruise of HMCS Haida assembled at HMCS York, the Toronto naval reserve division, just before 2100 hours on Aug 21, 1964. They looked more like a marine camping expedition than a destroyer's crew. Special duty for eighteen officers and men had been authorized in order for the 'York' sailors to man Haida as she was towed through the St. Lawrence Seaway and the length of Lake Ontario to her last berth in Toronto. Haida's final crew were to board the ship at Sorel, Quebec. There would be no power on board, so naphtha gas cooking stoves and coal-oil lamps were the rig of the day. A navy truck transported sailors and gear to Toronto's Union train station where the York crew assisted baggage men in loading equipment onto the train. Lt- Cdr. Jack MacQuarrie was a late arrival. He pulled up in front of the station less than half an hour before train time with two way radios, a tool kit, diving gear, and a 400 pound gasoline generator. As Lt. Cdr. MacQuarrie's half ton of equipment was carried to the train baggage car, the air was blue with profanity. The crew thought of trying to smuggle most of the gear onto the train as hand baggage, but it was impossible to convince even the most gullible sleeping car porter that a 400 pound gasoline generator is part and parcel of portable luggage and required for one's morning toilet! The crew may have cursed while loading that paraphernalia, but without Lt.Cdr MacQuarrie's generator and bag of tricks, they would have a much less comfortable trip and might have run into serious trouble. The coach of the Toronto-Montreal train looked like a Second World War draft train heading for Halifax that night. They sat up discussing anticipated problems until the small hours of the morning, then tumbled into berths for a few hours sleep before arriving in Montreal. A navy bus met the train, and after some delay in getting their 'hand baggage' sprung from the depths of the terminal, they loaded everything aboard and headed off into the Montreal rush hour. The bus took the road along the south shore of the St. Lawrence and made the 50 mile trip to Sorel with only one stop - for breakfast. Some of the York reservists discovered the French language isn't as easy as the textbooks say it is. More than one man ordered bacon and eggs, then wound up with sausages and pancakes. When the bus arrived in Sorel, Haida was found moored at the Department of Transport jetty, snugged in behind the huge navy tug which brought her from Halifax. An armed RCN guard turned over the ship and Haida was civilian property. Lt.Cdr Bill Wilson, York's executive officer and skipper of the Haida for her last trip, made a quick round of the ship. It was discovered a few vital things like heaving lines were missing but some were quickly scrounged from the RCN tug before she departed. PO Bill Lloyd, shipwright by trade, was appointed cook and dispatched to the local stores to buy rations; Lt.Cdr MacQuarrie also left for a shopping spree - buying gasoline, coal-oil, batteries, etc. The two tugs from McAllister Towing Co. which were to tow Haida through the Seaway and Lake Ontario had arrived shortly after the noon hour. Using a great deal of effort, an air compressor was hoisted on board Haida and lashed down just abaft of 'A' gun. The compressor was hooked up to the capstan, and experimentation proved, that there was sufficient air pressure to rotate both capstans. Any size line could be heaved, however, very slowly. The two-way radios Lt. Cdr. MacQuarrie had borrowed from Motorola for the trip were tested from both tugs and from all positions aboard Haida. They worked properly and an operational communications network was established. The Royal Canadian Navy in Montreal had supplied hammock mattresses and one blanket and pillow per man. The crew staked out their own personal corners of the ship. PO Lloyd arrived back on board with more groceries than an orphanage cook who'd been given carte-blanche permission to purchase anything in the supermarket. He set up his naphtha stove in the wardroom galley were it had been decided that all the ship's cooking would be done. Lt. Cdr. MacQuarrie soon re-appeared at the ship, preceded by a truck with gasoline and coal-oil. The anticipated fresh water problem that would face Haida's last crew now had to be resolved. Plastic containers bought in the discount stores of Sorel were to be the answer. Only several were purchased and this obviously wouldn't be enough to supply fresh water for the entire trip. Petty Officer Lloyd had an inspiration. He commandeered the captains's bathtub. The stern tug fed a fresh water line onto the quarterdeck and a half a dozen hands were drafted as a bucket brigade. As fresh water shot on board via the tug's high pressure hose, bucket after bucket was filled and they were sent back to the captains day cabin. The bathtub was filled until there was just an inch or so between the rim and a full scale flood. All of the buckets were filled one last time and set among the pots and pans in the galley. The crew slipped lines from the Sorel jetty and got underway at 1500 hours. After that, PO Lloyd served up a healthy batch of sandwiches then everyone settled down for a complete survey of the ship. Each gun mount had been doctored so it wouldn't function as a gun again, but this was just what Haida Inc., wanted. Imagine the consternation some energetic 12 year old could create by suddenly training a gun through a crowd of people touring the ship, sweeping them all over the side! The gear from all radar and radio spaces had been removed, but Haida Inc. had plans to restore these compartments. In retrospect, some radio equipment was acquired for display purposes in the 1970's and 1980's but a serious effort to restore the radio rooms did not materialize until 1992. Overall, Haida was in remarkably good condition. Thanks for this, were due in no small measure to the RCN personnel who worked over Haida in that last week or so before she left Halifax. Being the electrical officer, Lt.Cdr MacQuarrie was disturbed by the fact that there was no power aboard ship, but there was miles of perfectly good wiring. Trouble was, that all ship's bulbs, motors, etc. were 220 volts and the generator that everyone sweated to get on board was only rated for 110 volt power. The enterprising electrical officer pondered this problem in every spare minute, then shortly after dark, he drafted half a dozen off-watch volunteers and began work. Emergency wiring cable in each compartment was connected. Several bulbs, forgotten on board by some shipyard worker, were located and pressed into service. The generator was started and connected to the maze of extension cords and emergency wiring which now laced the ship. Then, suddenly, there was light. Except those on watch, all other hands went to bed to slumber blissfully through three hours of sleep before Haida entered the first Seaway lock, just west of Montreal. With four officers and fourteen men, imagine trying to handle two three-inch hawsers forward, and two more aft at the same time. It didn't matter what you wore on your collar or sleeve, when the ship came to up to a lock, each crew member tailed onto a line and pulled. Trouble was, that none of the volunteers had been real practising sailors for quite some time. Some of them never were. Days ran into nights as Haida slipped through lock after lock on the Seaway. On Sunday morning, fog started to close around the two tugs and Haida and the crew could only dimly see the shoreline of the St. Lawrence. They didn't have the faintest idea of where they were. The two way radios were found to be a mixed blessing. There were a lot of questions generated by Haida's crew to the tugs but they just didn't seem to be important enough to warrant a response. The tugs used their radios when they had something to say to Haida, but asking them a question was a difficult matter. Adding to this, there were no Seaway charts aboard Haida. None could be purchased in Toronto. The RCN didn't have any charts to spare and there were none at HMCS York. Picture then, Lt-Cdr. Wilson, anxious to know Haida's position, leaning over the quarterdeck rail with an Esso road map in his hand, hailing a passing motorboat with the plaintive request: "Where are we? " The fog finally closed in and the tugs were forced to anchor. There was nothing to do but wait. Later on Sunday, with the last of the locks behind us, the crew began making plans for Haida's arrival in Toronto. The RCN had put five cases of signal flags on board and the reservists did a practice dress ship under the eyes of hundreds of pleasure craft which had surrounded Haida. These boats came from yacht clubs and marinas located on both sides of the St. Lawrence river. Many of the small boats followed Haida, some for several hours, asking questions, waving and offering good wishes as they finally sped away. Two of the crew, required back in Toronto by Sunday night, left the ship at the Ivy Lea Bridge by one of those pleasure boats. Later that night, just off the City of Kingston, a pilot boat took four more crew ashore because they were required for Monday morning jobs. Among others, we lost our cook, PO Lloyd, so PO John Waddell agreed to take over. He'd done sterling duty earlier in the trip, making some of the plumbing serviceable. Haida was now at the mid point of Lake Ontario right in the teeth of a strong blow from the west. One of the two tugs parted company, leaving the old destroyer at the end of 300 yards of nylon tow rope, pitching a bit in the fresh water swell. Up to that point, temporary oil lamps were being used for port and starboard running lights. Lt. Cdr MacQuarrie was convinced that the ship's original lights could be restored to working order. The bulbs were checked, but the filaments were broken. Carefully, he removed the glass, kidnapped two bulbs from elsewhere in the ship, soldered wires to the old sockets and rigged the running lights to work. Haida finished her last voyage as the only ship in the fleet with frosted glass running lights. At one point, during the electrical gymnastics of Lt.Cdr MacQuarrie, he was seen by Lt.Cdr Wilson walking down the deck with a huge spanner over one shoulder. "Are you the plumber now MacQuarrie?" asked Lt.Cdr Wilson. "No sir", replied MacQuarrie. "The plumber's in the galley cooking supper." It was that kind of a trip. During the last day on Lake Ontario, the sun shone brightly, but the wind made the day feel cold. The crew accomplished a fair bit of work, cleaning the ship and making things relatively shipshape for her Toronto arrival. As dusk fell, the lights of Toronto could be seen far to the northwest. Originally, Haida was scheduled to arrive in Toronto late Monday afternoon, but those strong westerly winds had delayed her arrival. By 2300 hours, Haida arrived in Toronto and the crew admired the fireworks from the Canadian National Exhibition lighting up the sky. Haida rounded Toronto Island and dropped anchor for the night shortly before 0200 hours on Tuesday. During the trip, Lt.Cdr MacQuarrie had managed to get the ten inch signal projector operational. When the tug 'Youville' from HMCS York came out to meet Haida, the crew dazzled them with the regulation naval challenge, but Youville didn't have anything to answer with. Haida's official entry into Toronto was staged at 1000 hours on Aug 25/64. The tug from HMCS York brought a load of television and radio men out to the ship and they spent much time shooting film and recording interviews. Later, Toronto's fireboat, the William Lyon Mackenzie, came out to meet the small flotilla. So did a fair sized contingent of small pleasure craft and a Coast Guard cutter. The tug, Helen McAllister towed Haida through the western gap with the cutter and fireboat both spraying jets of water into the air. Horns and whistles tooted all over the harbour. Ensigns dipped as boats and ships saluted Haida. Finally, she was secured and it was all over. Haida had finished her last voyage. Navy men, being the sentimental slobs they are, did not hide the fact that there weren't too many eyes completely free of mist. Bringing the Grand Old Girl to her final resting place was an honour that will be hard to equal.