CFAV Firebird
{{Short description|Royal Canadian Navy fireboat}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=YTR561 Firebird in Halifax.jpg |Ship caption=CFAV Firebird in Halifax }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=Canada |Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|naval}} |Ship name= Firebird |Ship operator= *Royal Canadian Navy (1978–2014)
|Ship ordered= |Ship awarded= |Ship builder=Vancouver Shipyards, North Vancouver |Ship original cost= |Ship laid down= |Ship launched= |Ship sponsor= |Ship christened= |Ship completed= |Ship acquired= |Ship commissioned=1978 |Ship recommissioned= |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service=4 December 2014 |Ship renamed= |Ship reclassified= |Ship refit= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship homeport= CFB Halifax |Ship identification=YTR 561 |Ship motto= |Ship nickname= |Ship honors= |Ship captured= |Ship status=Removed from service 4 December 2014 |Ship notes= |Ship badge= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Ship class={{sclass2|Fire|fireboat}} |Ship type= |Ship displacement= {{convert|140|t|LT|0}} |Ship length= {{convert|23.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship beam= {{convert|6.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} |Ship height= |Ship draught= {{convert|2.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship propulsion=*2 × 365 hp azimuthing Z-drives
|Ship speed= {{convert|11|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}} |Ship range= |Ship complement=5 |Ship notes= }} {{Infobox|child=yes | label1 = Equipment | data1 = 3 × manually-controlled {{convert|3|in|cm|adj=on}} water cannon }} |
CFAV Firebird was a {{sclass2|Fire|fireboat}} in the Royal Canadian Navy designed by Robert Allan Ltd. Firebird was based in CFB Halifax, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
{{cite web
|url=https://www.sfu.ca/casr/101-navy-aux-ytr-fire.htm
|title=Canadian Forces Small Ships — the Fire class YTR Rescue Boats
|work=Canadian American Strategic Review
|access-date=13 February 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302225329/http://www.sfu.ca/casr/101-navy-aux-ytr-fire.htm
|archive-date=2 March 2008
|url-status=dead
}} Her sister ship {{ship|CFAV|Firebrand}} is based in CFB Esquimalt.
Her three water cannons can fire water, or fire suppressant foam from her two 250 gallon tanks.
Design and construction
According to the Canadian American Strategic Review the class was designed by naval architects Robert Allan Limited, and were built at Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver in 1978,{{Cite web|url=http://clydeside-images.blogspot.com/2011/01/canadian-navy-fire-fighting-tug.html|title=The Canadian Navy Fire Fighting Tug Firebird at Halifax}} and later acquired by the Canadian Forces.
The two ships displaced {{convert|140|t|LT|0}} and were {{convert|23.1|m|ftin}} long, with a beam of {{convert|6.4|m|ft}} and a draught of {{convert|2.6|m|ftin}}. The ships were powered by two {{convert|365|hp|kW|lk=in}} azimuthing Z-drives and one hydraulic tunnel bow thruster. This gave the vessels a maximum speed of {{convert|11|kn|lk=in}}. The ships had a crew of five firefighters.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/royal-canadian-navy-cuts-fire-service-in-halifax-harbour-1.2867601 |title=Royal Canadian Navy cuts fire service in Halifax Harbour |work=CBC News |date=10 December 2014 |first=Stephanie |last=vanKampen |access-date=14 November 2015}}
The Fire class was equipped with three manually-controlled {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on|0}} water cannons, two diesel-driven fire pumps capable of expending 2,500 gpm at 150 psi each.
Operational history
On 22 March 2001 a large container vessel, Kitano, one day out of New York City, requested help fighting an onboard fire after she had gone to sea.
{{cite news| url=http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/marine/2001/m01m0017/m01m0017.pdf| title=Marine Investigation Report, Container Fire, Container Vessel Kitano, Off Chebucto Head, Nova Scotia, 22 March 2001| publisher=Transportation Safety Board of Canada| date=28 January 2003| access-date=13 February 2008| quote=The wind and sea conditions stopped the fire tug CFAV Firebird from proceeding beyond the middle harbour and prevented the other surface SAR vessels from getting alongside the vessel for any length of time to assist.| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051108155520/http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/marine/2001/m01m0017/m01m0017.pdf| archive-date=8 November 2005}} Because of the extreme weather, Firebird was unable to leave the protected waters of Halifax Harbour to go to Kitano's aid; larger Navy vessels were dispatched instead.
Firebird suppressed a serious fire in {{HMCS|Toronto|FFH 333|6}}'s engine room in 2005. In 2008, the firefighting ship aided the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency department in extinguishing a fire aboard a former Canadian Coast Guard ship CCGS Tupper.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/navy-slashes-fire-service-in-halifax-harbour-1.2516042 |title=Navy slashes fire service in Halifax Harbour |work=CBC News |date=29 January 2014 |access-date=23 August 2014}}
In January 2014 it was announced that Firebird{{'}}s time available for firefighting operations would be cut back due to budget reductions and that all operations on weekends would be suspended. It was announced that on 4 December 2014, Firebird was taken out of service and declared surplus.
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firebird (YTR 561)}}
Category:Fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy
Category:Auxiliary ships of the Royal Canadian Navy