RCN River class Frigates: HMCS Ribble (K525), HMCS Royalmount (K677), HMCS Runnymede (K678), HMCS Sea Cliff (K344)
HMCS Ribble (K525)
(John Smythe Photo)
HMCS Ribble (K525) River Class Frigate. Named for an English river, she was laid down as HMS Duddon. Renamed HMS Ribble in Jun 1943, she was transferred to the RCN and commissioned on 24 Jul 1944 as HMCS Ribble at Blyth, UK. After workups at Tobermory she arrived at Londonderry on 4 Sep 1944 to join the newly formed EG 26 the following month. She spent her whole career with this group, based much of the time at Portsmouth and Plymouth, and from 07-09 Oct 1944, towed the damaged HMCS Chebogue toward Swansea, Wales. On 18 Dec 1944 HMCS Ribble and HMCS Montreal rescued 44 of 53 crewmembers of U-1209 ( OLtzS Ewald Hülsenbeck CO) in the Channel off Scilly Isles, after hitting Wolf Rock. Both frigates claimed their attacks were cause, but this was dismissed by Admiralty findings. HMCS Montreal and HMCS Ribble were members of Escort Group 26. They had attacked several asdic contacts but these produced no results and the contacts were classified as wrecks, of which there were many in the area. When the survivors were found and recovered a short time later the two ships were quick to claim that their attacks were the cause of a sinking. U-1209 had been scuttled after hitting Wolf Rock after her successful efforts to evade her pursuers. OLtzS Hülsenbeck was among those lost. HMCS Ribble was paid off at Sheerness on 11 Jun 1945, and returned to the RN. After 12 years in reserve at Harwich, she arrived at Hughes Bolckow, Blyth on 9 Jul 1957 and was broken up that year.
(IWM Photo, FL 18051)
HMCS Ribble (K525) River Class Frigate.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Ribble (K525) River Class Frigate.
HMCS Royalmount (K677)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Royalmount (K677) River Class Frigate. Laid down as HMCS Alwington K677 at Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, she was named after a historic house in Kingston, Ontario. In Apr 1944 she was renamed HMCS Royalmount K677, to commemorate Mount Royal, PQ. HMCS Royalmount was commissioned at Montreal on 25 Aug 1944, arrived at Halifax on 8 Sep 1944 and carried out working-up exercises in Bermuda later that month. She arrived at St. John’s on 15 Nov 1944 to join EG C-1, and spent the remainder of the war with the group as a mid-ocean. She left Liverpool 21 Apr 1945 and escorted convoy ONS.48 on her homeward passage to refit, from 26 May to 5 Oct 1845, at Sydney. She was paid off at Halifax on 17 Nov 1945, and placed in reserve in Bedford Basin until 1947, when a New York buyer purchased her for scrap.
(Brian Dobing Photo)
HMCS Royalmount (K677) River Class Frigate, before receiving her armament.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Royalmount (K677) River Class Frigate.
HMCS Runnymede (K678)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Runnymede (K678) River Class Frigate. She was commissioned on 14 June 1944 at Montreal and arrived in Bermuda for workups toward the end of Jul 1944. On 21 Aug 1944 she returned to Halifax to become Senior Officer’s ship of EG C-5, and was to wear its barber pole stripes the rest of her wartime career. She left Londonderry toward the end of May 1945, and made her passage home as escort to convoy ON.305. She left Halifax on 20 Jun 1945 for Esquimalt, arriving 18 Jul 1945 and early in Aug 1945 commenced tropicalization refit at North Vancouver. Work was soon suspended and she sailed for Esquimalt 20 Jun 1945 to be placed in reserve, though not paid off until 19 Jan 1946. Sold in 1947, she is reported to have been expended as part of a breakwater at Kelsey Bay, BC, in 1948.
HMCS Sea Cliff (K344)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Sea Cliff (K344) River Class Frigate, 31 March 1945. Originally laid down as HMCS Megantic, she was re-named HMCS Sea Cliff in honour of the town of Leamington, Ontario and it’s citizens. She was built at Lauzon, Quebec, and was commissioned at Quebec City on 26 Sep 1944. She arrived at Halifax 20 Oct 1944, proceeding to Bermuda in Nov 1944 to work up. On completion she sailed to St. John’s to become a member of EG C-3, and left 23 Dec 1944 to join her first convoy, HX.237. On 27 Dec 1944, HMCS Sea Cliff made contact with a possible U-boat. She radioed HMCS St Thomas who went to investigate. HMCS St Thomas immediately made contact and did a hedgehog and then a depth charge run. When U-877 surfaced, HMCS Sea Cliff’s crew fired on her with small arms fire. HMCS Sea Cliff rescued 21survivors from U-877. She spent the remainder of the war on North Atlantic convoy duty, and on 21 May 1945, left Londonderry for the last time, to join ON.304 on her passage to Canada. She began tropicalization refit at Liverpool, NS, on 10 Jun 1945, but work was halted 28 Aug 1945 and the ship was paid off 28 Nov 1945 at Halifax. She was placed in reserve at Shelburne until 1946, when she was sold to the Chilean navy and renamed Covadonga. She was broken up in 1968.
(Collin Hazell Photo)
HMCS Sea Cliff (K344) River Class Frigate in rough seas.