Canadian Vickers - Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding

British ship building and weapons manufacturing conglomerate Vickers Sons & Maxim was invited by the Government of Canada in 1911 to establish a Canadian division to manufacture vessels for the nascent Royal Canadian Navy. Vickers Sons & Maxim established Canadian Vickers Ltd. and constructed a shipyard in the east end of Montreal.

During World War I the yard built the Holland 602 type submarine for the British and the Italian Navy. They were known as the British H class submarine in the Royal Navy.

This shipyard would go on to produce many civilian and military ships in Canada, including:

• St. Laurent-class destroyer
  • HMCS St. Laurent (DDH 205)
  • HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229)

• Restigouche-class destroyer
  • HMCS Restigouche (DDE 257)

• Mackenzie-class destroyer
  • HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261)

• Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers
  • CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent
  • CCGS Simcoe

Canadian Vickers also manufactured luxury yachts and vessels.

Canadian Vickers was sold in 1926 and reacquired by Vickers in 1956. Renamed Vickers Canada Limited in 1978 after being sold to Canadian interest and renamed several times again by the last owners Marine Industries (as Versatile Vickers Inc in 1981 and MIL Vickers in 1987). Shipbuiding operations ceased by 1988.