HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400)

HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400) was an experimental ocean-going hydrofoil built for the Royal Canadian Navy to test anti-submarine warfare technology at sea. Marine Industries Limited built her at Sorel, Quebec, with de Havilland Canada, an aircraft company, as prime contractor, and she was launched in July 1968 after a 1966 engine room fire delayed the work. She flew on surface-piercing steel foils in a canard layout, using a gas turbine for foilborne running and a diesel engine for hullborne running, and on trials in 1969 she exceeded 63 knots, making her the fastest unarmed warship in the world at the time. The Canadian Armed Forces ran her from 1968 to 1971, until the programme was cancelled on 2 November 1971 over changed defence priorities. She was saved and now stands on display at the Musée Maritime du Québec at L'Islet-sur-Mer.