RCN River class Frigates: HMCS Kirkland Lake (K337), HMCS Kokanee (K419), HMCS La Hulloise (K668), HMCS Lanark (K669)
HMCS Kirkland Lake (K337)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Kirkland Lake (K337) River class Frigate. Laid down as HMCS St. Jerome, she was renamed in Mar 1944. Commissioned at Quebec City on 21 Aug 1944 as HMCS Kirkland Lake, she arrived at Halifax on 10 Sep 1944 and left on 20 Nov 1944 for Bermuda to work up. On her return to Halifax in Dec 1944 Kirkland Lake was assigned to EG 16, leaving on 08 Mar 1944 for Londonderry when the group was transferred there. She was based at various times at ‘Derry and Portsmouth, and in May 1945, escorted two convoys to Gibraltar and two back. She returned to Canada in June for tropicalization refit at Quebec City, and when this was completed on 05 Nov 1945, returned to Halifax. She was paid off 14 Dec 1945, to maintenance reserve in Bedford Basin and broken up at Sydney, 1947-48.
HMCS Kokanee (K419)
(Len Burton Photo)
HMCS Kokanee (K419) River class Frigate Commissioned at Esquimalt on 6 Jun 1944, HMCS Kokanee arrived at Halifax on 24 Jul 1944 and left for Bermuda in Aug 1944 to work up. On arrival at St. John’s in Sep 1944 she was assigned to EG C-3 as Senior Officer’s ship, and spent the rest of the European war on Atlantic convoy duty. She left Londonderry for the last time on 24 May 1945, with convoy ON.304, and soon after arriving left for the west coast. On 4 Oct 1945 she completed tropicalization refit, but as VJ-Day had intervened she was paid off into reserve on 21 Dec 1945. She was sold to Capital Iron for breaking up in 1947, but re-sold in 1948 to the government of India for conversion to a pilot vessel for the Hooghly River and re-named Bengal in 1950.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Kokanee (K419) River class Frigate.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Kokanee (K419) River class Frigate.
HMCS La Hulloise (K668)
(IWM Photo, A 28098)
HMCS La Hulloise (K668) River class Frigate. Commissioned at Montreal on 20 May 1944, HMCS La Hulloise arrived at Halifax in Jun 1944. She proceeded to Bermuda in Jul 1944 to work up, and on returning was assigned to EG 16 at Halifax. In Oct 1944 she was re-assigned to EG 25, and transferred with it to Londonderry in Nov 1944. She spent the remainder of the war in UK waters, based variously at ‘Derry and Rosyth. On 7 Mar 1945, with HMCS Strathadam and HMCS Thetford Mines, she took part in sinking U-1302 in St. George’s Channel. Late in May 1945 she sailed for Canada to undergo tropicalization refit at Saint John, NB. Work was completed on 19 Oct 1945, but the Pacific war had ended and she was paid off at Halifax on 6 Dec 1945. When she was re-commissioned for cadet and new entry training in 1949 her CO, LCdr Jette, was also SO Reserve Fleet East Coast. On 23 Nov 1953 HMCS La Hulloise was paid off for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (305). She was commissioned as such on 9 Oct 1957. On 13 Feb 1959, HMCS Fort Erie, HMCS Buckingham, HMCS Swansea and HMCS La Hulloise returned to Halifax after a 5 week exercise in southern waters that included a port visit to Kingston, Jamaica. In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, HMCS Algonquin, Micmac, Cayuga, St. Croix, Terra Nova, Kootenay, Swansea, La Hulloise, Buckingham, Cape Scott, CNAV Bluethroat and CNAV St. Charles, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics. La Hulloise was paid off on 16 Jul 1965 and broken up at La Spezia, Italy, in 1966.
HMCS Lanark (K669)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Lanark (K669) River class Frigate. Commissioned on 6 Jul 1944, at Montreal, HMCS Lanark arrived at Halifax on 28 Jul 1944. She carried out workups in Bermuda in September and, returning to Halifax in Oct 1944, was assigned to the newly formed EG C-7, Londonderry. She spent the balance of the European war on convoy duty, most of that time as Senior Officer’s ship, and early in Jun 1945, sailed for home. In mid-Jul 1945 she began tropicalization refit at Liverpool, NS, but that was called off on 31 Aug 1945 and the ship was paid off at Sydney on 24 Oct 1945. She was then placed in reserve at Shelburne, but was sold to Marine Industries Ltd., in 1946. Later repurchased by the RCN, she was converted to a Prestonian class ocean escort (321), 1954-55, and on 26 Apr 1956, commissioned for training purposed on the east coast. She was paid off the last time on 16 Mar 1965, and broken up at La Spezia, Italy in 1966.
(John Vukson Photo)
HMCS Lanark (K669) River class Frigate.
(William Carey Photo)
HMCS Lanark (K669) River-class Frigate.
Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205380)
The Tower Bridge opening for HMCS Lanark (321) River class Frigate, 19 June 1956.