Between 2000 and 2003 the Royal Canadian Mint celebrated Canada's 20th-century transport innovations with the Land, Sea, and Rail Transportation Coin Series. Each year featured one coin each for Land (car), Sea (ship), and Rail (train).

The eleventh coin in the series honors the HMCS Bras d'Or, a remarkable hydrofoil born from Cold War innovation. This special-edition $20 coin pairs intricately detailed sterling silver with selective gold plating.

The HMCS Bras d'Or

Following World War II, Canadian researchers sought faster surface vessels to counter nuclear submarines, turning to a hydrofoil design originally pioneered by Alexander Graham Bell and Frederick Baldwin. By lifting its hull above the water on wing-like foils, the ship drastically reduced drag. Debuting in 1968 after two decades of development, the Bras d'Or reached astonishing speeds exceeding 60 knots. She comfortably glided at 40 knots through 10-foot swells, far outperforming standard frigates. Though a shift in defense policy abruptly retired the project in 1971, her legacy as a triumph of Canadian engineering lives on.