Composition : 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
Mintage : 31,997 for the 3coins of this series released in 2003

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Gilding across a sea of innovation - The HMCS Bras d'or (FHE-400) (1968)

At the end of the Second World War, military research in Canada was solidly fixed on anti-submarine warfare. Officials knew they had to increase the speed of their surface ships if they hoped to compete against the latest threats posed by nuclear propulsion.

Researchers quickly identified a technology that was originally developed by Alexander Graham Bell and Frederick Baldwin as the most promising strategy - the hydrofoil. Such a ship could achieve much higher speeds than conventional surface ships by rising up on a set of wing-like "foils" to virtually eliminate the friction that would otherwise existbetween a ship's hull and the water.

After 20 years in develpoment, the Bras d'or began her sea trials in 1968. She performedbrilliantly, "flying" on her foils at speeds of up to over 60 knots. Even in swells of 10 ft, she was more comfortable foilborne at 40 knots than an observing frigate was at 18. Her future looked promising, but a shift in defence policy brought a sudden end to her career in 1971.

This coin is the tenth issue of the Canadian transportations collection that was releasedbetween 2000 and 2003. The complete collection contains 12 coins; four on the land transportation, four on the sea transportation and four on the rail transportation.

CANADIAN TRANSPORTATIONS - HMCS BRAS D'OR (FHE-400) - 2003 CANADIAN COINS 10 is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 17- MEANS OF TRANSPORT and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.