Mackenzie-class destroyer

The Mackenzie-class destroyer was a class of warship used by the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces from the 1960s-1990s. Six such ships were envisioned, of which four were completed to this specification. The last two hulls were completed to the post DDH conversion St. Laurent-class destroyer design (which included helicopter hangars); they were designated as Annapolis-class destroyers instead.

The four Mackenzie-class destroyers spent most of their service in the Pacific arena, used primarily in the training role. Their only significant update was the DELEX (destroyer life extension) program and thus were largely obsolete in their intended role by the late 1970s.

The Mackenzie class was similar to the previous Restigouche-class, which was a follow-on to the St. Laurent-class. The most noticeable change for Mackenzie was the replacement of the forward 3"/50 gun with a 3"/70 and the presence of a fire-control director atop the bridge superstructure. The bridge was raised one full deck higher than on previous classes in order to see over the new gun mount.

The Vickers 3"/70 Mk.6 gun was developed by the Royal Navy and fitted to the Tiger-class cruisers, with the RCN being the only other customer. The weapon had several shortcomings, and it was only installed on the first three hulls.  HMCS Qu'Appelle (DDE 264) received a 3"/50 gun instead.

HMCS Mackenzie was used in an episode of The X-Files before being scuttled off Sidney, British Columbia. HMCS Saskatchewan was scuttled off Nanaimo, BC and HMCS Yukon was scuttled off San Diego, California.