The Bay-class ships were designed and ordered as replacement for the Second World War-era minesweepers that the Royal Canadian Navy operated at the time. Similar to the, they were constructed of wood planking and aluminum framing.
Displacing 390LT and 412LT at deep load, the minesweepers were 152feet long with a beam of 28feet and a draught of 8feet. They had a complement of 38 officers and ratings.
The Bay-class minesweepers were powered by two GM 12-cylinder diesel engines driving two shafts creating 2400bhp. This gave the ships a maximum speed of 16kn. The ships were armed with one Bofors 40 mm gun and were equipped with minesweeping gear.
Chaleur was laid down on 8 June 1951 by Port Arthur Shipbuilding at Port Arthur, Ontario with the yard number 107 and launched 21 June 1952. The vessel was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 18 June 1954 with the hull identification number 144.
Following commissioning, Chaleur spent three months in service with the Royal Canadian Navy. The minesweeper was paid off on 30 September 1954. She was transferred to France on 9 October 1954. The minesweeper was commissioned on 13 November 1954 and renamed La Dieppoise. The vessel was based at Brest, France and then Diego Suarez in 1972.[1] She served as a minesweeper until 1973 when the minesweeping gear was removed and she transferred to the Pacific for duty as an overseas territories patrol vessel. The ship was transferred to Nouméa on 29 June 1976, where La Dieppoise remained for the rest of her career.[1] She was paid off 9 July 1987 and stricken later that year. The last wooden minesweeper in French service, the ship was selected for use as an artificial reef and recreational diving site with Nouméa's lagoon. Initially planned to be sunk on 12 January 1988, the event was postponed due to the arrival of Cyclone Anne until 19 January. The vessel was towed out into the lagoon by the tugboat Le Pivert and successfully sunk on 19 January.[1]