YAG 300 (Yard Auxiliary, General Formerly designated Yard Ferry, Personnel) vessels were a series of ten wooden boats built between 1954 and 1955 that throughout their service acted as yard ferries (Blue Boats), training platforms and test beds for route survey equipment with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).
Unofficially known as Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessels (CFAV), the 75-foot boats primarily served as at-sea training platforms for junior naval officers, boatswains, reserve personnel and Sea Cadets at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt until they were taken out of service in 2007. According to the Department of National Defence, "in 2000, a total of 1830 personnel were deployed on the YAGs for a total of 585 days and steamed over 25,000 nautical miles (46,000 km) in support of training."
Design and layout The boats were 75′ long overall, 18′6″ wide, had a draft of 4′6″, measured 70 tonnes, and were all powered by twin 6-71 Detroit Diesel engines. The boats were arranged in typical naval fashion with officers housed forward with the galley and their own head, an engine room amidships, and cadet room aft with 12-14 bunks in double tiers. The heads are equipped with a pump-action lever, that could be used to pump sewage into the black water tanks held aboard or into the ocean water. Above decks was the wheelhouse mounted on the forward cabin's coaming; abaft that, the exposed breezeway; and, mounted on the after cabin's coaming, a Zodiac launch as well as a food locker and barbecue. Above the wheelhouse was an open bridge, fitted with a chart table and a gyrocompass repeater. A second gyro repeater was fitted on the quarterdeck. Each YAG was equipped with a Furuno 1831 navigation radar, with the display located in the wheelhouse.
Retirement Before being put on the auction block, the 57-year old vessels were stripped of all military equipment and then environmentally assessed for sale. Six YAGs and one yard diving tender were auctioned off to buyers on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver. Selling prices varied for each vessel depending on the intensity of the bidding.
The Canadian Government sold all six vessels for $26,537.80 CAD, with an average sale price of $4,422.96 CAD. The most expensive ship sold (YAG 320 Lynx) sold for more than $11,000. The YAG 300 series were replaced by the Orca-class tenders.
List of YAG vessels (1954-2007) List of YAG vessels (1954-2007)Name Pennant Number BuilderLaunchedOut of ServiceDispositionsGrizzly 306 Withey's Shipyard, Gabriola Island, BC19542008YFM 306 YFP 306
YAG 306
Sold 8 June 2011 for C$3,675.00
Name reused for Orca-class PCT 60Cougar 308Withey's Shipyard, Gabriola Island, BC19542008YFM 308 YFP 308
YAG 308
Sold 2 June 2011 for C$4,000.00
Name reused for Orca-class PCT 59CFAV YTP 4 (YTP 4)YTP 4310Star Shipyard (Mercer's) Ltd., New Westminster, BC19541991YFM 310 YFP 310
YMR 4
YTP 4
Retired from RCN 1991CFAV Otter (YAG 312)Otter 312Star Shipyard (Mercer's) Ltd., New Westminster, BC19542007YFM 312 YFP 312
YAG 312
Sold 15 June 2011 for C$1,651.00Caribou314Withey's Shipyard, Gabriola Island, BC19542007YFP 314 M.975 Nimpkish II (RCAF)
YAG 314
Sold for C$1,153.00
Name reused for Orca-class PCT 57CFAV Blue Boat 316 (YFB 316)Blue Boat 316316Star Shipyard (Mercer's) Ltd., New Westminster, BC19552013YFM 316, YFP 316
YFB 316
Retired from RCN 2013
Sold 2014 (ON 838674)CFAV Vixen (YFB 317)Vixen317Withey's Shipyard, Gabriola Island, BC19552011YFM 317 YFP 317
YFB 317
Sold 2011 as Fellowship (US ON 1091262)CFAV Blue Boat 318 (YFB 318)Blue Boat 318318Star Shipyard (Mercer's) Ltd., New Westminster, BC19552013YFM 318 YFP 318
YFB 318
Retired from RCN 2013
Sold 2014.Badger319Withey's Shipyard, Gabriola Island, BC19552008YFM 319 YFP 319
YAG 319
Sold 2011 for C$4,680.00.CFAV Lynx (YAG 320)Lynx320Withey's Shipyard, Gabriola Island, BC19552007YFM 320 YFP 320
YAG 320
Retired from RCN 2007
Sold 2011 for C$11,378.00.
Sank off the coast of Sooke BC 18 November 2021 in a storm and impounded/destroyed by Coast Guard
Gallery
References
External links
Yard Auxiliary General Info Yard Craft and Other Small Craft Built Since WWII
YAG 308
YAG 308 profile on Nauticapedia YAG 308 profile on Shipspotting.com
YAG 312
YAG 312 Profile page at For Posterity's Sake A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project YAG 312 Profile Page at The Nauticapedia Photo of YAG 312 on shipspotting.com Photo of YAG 312 on Flickr YAG 312 in civilian ownership (YouTube)
YAG 314
YAG 314 Profile page at The Nauticapedia m/v Tamarind
YFP 316
A shining star in a sea of blue YAG 316 in civilian ownership (YouTube)
YAG 319
Tiicmis Wilderness & Wellness Retreats AirBnB Listing
Get hitched aboard the "YAG Badger 319" in the Broken Group Islands
YAG 320
YAG 320 Profile page at For Posterity's Sake A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project YAG 320 Lynx in Seattle, WA 1984