HMCS Restigouche (DDE 257) was the lead ship of the Restigouche-class destroyers that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1958 until 1994. Constructed by Canadian Vickers Ltd. in Montreal, she was laid down on July 15, 1953, and launched on November 22, 1954. She was commissioned at Montreal on June 7, 1958. During her service, she measured approximately 112 meters (366 ft) in length, with a beam of 13 meters (42 ft) and a draught of 4.01 meters (13 ft 2 in). Displacing about 2,000 tonnes standard and 2,500 tonnes at deep load, she had a crew complement of 214. Restigouche was powered by two English Electric geared steam turbines producing 22,000 kW (30,000 shp), enabling a maximum speed of 28 knots. Her radar suite included SPS-10, SPS-12, Sperry Mk 2, and SPG-48, complemented by SQS-501 and SQS-503 sonar systems. The ship’s armament diverged from her predecessor, the St. Laurent class, featuring two twin mounts of 3-inch/70 caliber Mk 6 dual-purpose guns forward and a single twin mount of 3-inch/50 caliber Mk 22 guns aft, along with two Limbo Mk 10 mortars and initially, two Bofors 40 mm guns (later removed). She was also equipped with Mk 43 homing torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare. Throughout her career, Restigouche underwent several modernization programs, including the 1964 IRE upgrade, which added variable depth sonar and RUR-5 ASROC anti-submarine rockets, and the 1980s DELEX refit, which enhanced her sensors, weapon systems, and communications. Notably, in the early 1990s, she received a Gulf War refit with Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles and a Phalanx CIWS for modern combat capabilities. Restigouche had an active service history, including participation in NATO exercises, surveillance missions such as tracking the Soviet spy ship Semen Chelyushkin, and deployments to the Red Sea and NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic. She was decommissioned on August 31, 1994. In 2001, she was scuttled off the coast of Mexico as an artificial reef amidst controversy over her acquisition and permits, marking the end of her maritime service.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.