CFAV Otter

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CFAV Otter (YAG 312) was a Royal Canadian Navy training vessel used by the Canadian Forces. Built by Star Shipyard in New Westminster, British Columbia, Otter was launched in 1954 and served from 1954 to 2007, based at CFB Esquimalt.

Over its life it carried several designations: YFM 312 in 1955, YFP-312 in 1960, and later YAG 312 Otter. The wooden 70-tonne boat was about 75 feet long and 18 feet wide, with a draft of roughly 2.6 meters (about 8 feet 6 inches). It was powered by two Detroit Diesel engines (320 hp total) and had a built-in Yanmar generator. The vessel carried a Zodiac launch and housed a crew of 12–14.

Otter’s layout included forward officer quarters with galley and heads, a midships engine room, and an aft cadet area. The wheelhouse sat on the forward cabin coaming, with an open bridge, gyrocompass repeaters, a chart table, and a Furuno radar. There was also a food locker and a barbecue on deck.

Originally used as a harbour ferry (YFM 312) and later as a tender (YFP-312) to HMCS Oriole, Otter became part of the Small Boats Unit at Esquimalt for seamanship and navigation training until 2007. In 2011 it was sold to private owners for C$1,651 as part of the YAG 300 replacement program, which replaced the older boats with Orca-class vessels.