The St Laurent Class was the first class designed and built in Canada to Canadian specifications. The first of the class was commissioned in 1955. HMCS Fraser was paid off in 1994, the last of the class still in commission.
These vessels were known at the time as "cadillacs" because of their luxurious accommodation. It was the first Canadian class to provide the crew with bunks instead of hammocks.
The starting point for the design was the British Type 12 destroyer but was extensively redesigned for nuclear, chemical and biological warfare and for the harsh northern seas in which Canadian vessels spent most of their working lives.
The class was origninally designated DDE but in the 1960s the ships were fitted for the new Sea King helicopters and re-designated DDH.
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