RCN Flower class Corvettes: HMCS Fredericton (K245), HMCS Frontenac (K335), HMCS Galt (K163), HMCS Giffard (K402)
HMCS Fredericton (K245)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, GM1149)
HMCS Fredericton (K245) Flower class Corvette. Built at Sorel, Quebec, she was commissioned there on 8 Dec 1941. After arriving at at Halifax on 18 Dec 1941, she was assigned to WLEF until Jul 1942, when she joined Halifax Force (Aruba Tanker Convoys). In Sep 1942, after one round trip to Aruba, she was placed under US operational control to escort New York-Guantanamo convoys. She arrived in New York for the last time on 21 Feb 1943, rejoining WLEF in Mar 1943. After a major refit at Liverpool, NS, from 9 Jun to 10 Oct 1943, and workups at Pictou, she joined EG C-1 and for the next ten months was employed as an ocean escort. She left Londonderry on 30 Sep 1944, for convoy ON.256 and upon arriving in Canada, went to Saint John, NB for two months’ refit . This was completed in mid-Dec 1944 and, in Jan 1945, the ship proceeded to Bermuda for three weeks’ workups. In Feb 1945 she joined EG C-9, with which she was to spend the balance of the war as ocean escort. HMCS Fredericton was paid off on 14 Jul 1946, at Sorel and broken up in 1946.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Fredericton (K245) Flower class Corvette.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo)
HMCS Fredericton (K245) Flower class Corvette in mid ocean with C-1 group December 1943.
HMCS Fredericton (K245) Flower class Corvette. Built at Sorel, Quebec, she was commissioned there on 8 Dec 1941. After arriving at at Halifax on 18 Dec 1941, she was assigned to WLEF until Jul 1942, when she joined Halifax Force (Aruba Tanker Convoys). In Sep 1942, after one round trip to Aruba, she was placed under US operational control to escort New York-Guantanamo convoys. She arrived in New York for the last time on 21 Feb 1943, rejoining WLEF in Mar 1943. After a major refit at Liverpool, NS, from 9 Jun to 10 Oct 1943, and workups at Pictou, she joined EG C-1 and for the next ten months was employed as an ocean escort. She left Londonderry on 30 Sep 1944, for convoy ON.256 and upon arriving in Canada, went to Saint John, NB for two months’ refit . This was completed in mid-Dec 1944 and, in Jan 1945, the ship proceeded to Bermuda for three weeks’ workups. In Feb 1945 she joined EG C-9, with which she was to spend the balance of the war as ocean escort.
HMCS Fredericton was sold into civilian merchant service in 1948. Registered under the Panamanian flag, she was renamed Tra los Montes and repurposed as a cargo vessel. Her subsequent career included: 1950: Rebuilt in Kiel, Germany, as the whale factory ship Olympic Fighter for Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis’s whaling operations in the Antarctic. 1956: Sold to Japanese owners and renamed Otori Maru No. 6, operating as a transport. 1961: Renamed again to Kyo Maru No. 20, continuing in merchant service. She was last listed in Lloyd’s Register for the 1978–1979 shipping year, meaning she operated well into the late 1970s. (David Robbins)
HMCS Frontenac (K335)
(Stuart Graham Photo)
HMCS Frontenac (K335) Flower class Corvette Built at Kingston, Ontario, HMCS Frontenac was commissioned there on 26 Oct 1943. She arrived at Halifax in mid-Dec 1943 and carried out working-up exercises in St. Margaret’s Bay in Jan 1944. She was then assigned to EG 9, Londonderry, and made the crossing in Mar 1944 as escort to convoy SC.154. It was decided, however, the EG 9 should be made up only of frigates, and HMCS Frontenac returned to St. John’s where in May 1944 she joined EG C-1. She left Belfast 19 Dec 1944 to escort ON.273, her last westbound convoy, and early in Jan 1945, commenced three months’ refit at Liverpool, NS. On completion she was assigned to Halifax Force and sent to Bermuda to work up, but saw little further service before being paid off at Halifax on 22 Jul 1945. She was then taken to Sorel, but was sold in Oct 1945 to the United Ship Corp. of New York.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Frontenac (K335) Flower class Corvette.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Frontenac (K335) Flower class Corvette.
(Alan Soderstrom Photo)
HMCS Frontenac (K335) Flower class Corvette.
HMCS Galt (K163)
(Sue Horsley Photo)
HMCS Galt (K163) Flower class Corvette. Built at Collingwood, Ontario, HMCS Galt was commissioned on 15 May 1941, at Montreal. After she arrived at Halifax on 06 Jun 1941, she was assigned in Jul 1941 to NEF and left St. John’s on 25 Aug 1941 with SC.41, her first convoy, for Iceland. She was to serve on that route until Jan 1942. In Feb 1942 she commenced a refit at Liverpool, NS, which was completed on 11 May 1942, and after working up in June was assigned to EG C-3. She arrived at Londonderry for the first time on 5 Jun 1942 with convoy HX.191, and served on the “Newfie-Derry” run for the balance of the year. She arrived Jan 1943, at Liverpool, NS, for another refit which was completed at Halifax in mid-Apr 1943, worked up in St. Margaret’s Bay and, in Jun 1943, joined EG C-1. She left Halifax 13 Mar 1944, for New York for yet another refit, this one including fo’c’s’le extension, completing early in May 1944, and a month later left Halifax for Bermuda to work up. On her return she was allocated for the balance of the war to EG W-5, WEF. HMCS Galt was paid off 21 Jun 1945 at Sorel, and broken up at Hamilton in 1946.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Galt (K163) Flower class Corvette.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Galt (K163) Flower class Corvette.
(Louis-Joseph De Guise Photo)
Gunshield art on the Flower-class corvettes HMCS Galt (K163) (background) and HMCS Wetaskiwin (K175) (front).
HMCS Giffard (K402 )
(DND Photo)
HMCS Giffard (K402) Flower class Corvette. Laid down and launched for the RN as HMS Buddleia, she was renamed HMCS Giffard K402 in Sep 1943. On 10 Nov 1943, she was transferred to the RCN and commissioned as HMCS Giffard K402; named after a town in Quebec. After working-up at Tobermory HMCS Giffard joined EG C-1 at Londonderry and on 15 Feb 1944, sailed to join her first convoy, ON.224. On 7 May 1944 she rescued 49 survivors of the torpedoed HMCS Valleyfield, and the following week resumed her duties as an ocean escort until 27 Nov 1944, when she left Halifax for Liverpool, NS, to undergo a major refit. Completed in Mar 1945, this was followed by workups in Bermuda, when she arrived in St. John’s on 15 Apr 1945, to be employed locally until her departure on 13 May 1945 with convoy HX.335 for the UK. HMCS Giffard left Greenock early in Jun 1945 on her final westward voyage, was paid off on 5 Jul 1945 and laid up at Sorel to await disposal. She was broken up in 1952 in Hamilton.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Giffard (K402) Flower class Corvette.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Giffard (K402) Flower class Corvette.