RCN River class Frigates: HMCS Stone Town (K531), HMCS Stormont (K327), HMCS Strathadam (K682), HMCS Sussexvale (K683)
HMCS Stone Town (K531)
(St. Mary’s Museum Photo)
HMCS Stone Town (K531) River class Frigate. Commissioned at Montreal on 21 Jul 1944, HMCS Stone Town arrived at Halifax on 13 Aug 1944, and on 3 Sep 1944 commenced a month’s workups in Bermuda. On her return to Canada she was assigned to newly formed EG C-8 as Senior Officer’s ship, and spent the balance of the war as a mid-ocean escort. She sailed from Londonderry on 12 May 1945, as escort to convoy ONS.50 on her way home, and on 22 Jul 1945 commenced tropicalization refit at Lunenburg. Work was stopped on 24 Aug 1945 and the ship was paid off on 13 Nov 1945 at Lunenburg, to be laid up in reserve at Shelburne. Sold to the Department of Transport for a weather ship, she was modified for the purpose at Halifax in 1950, named Canadian Coast Guard Weathership Stonetown, and sailed that Oct 1950 for Esquimalt. In Oct 1957, after 15 years on station in the North Pacific, she was replaced by CGS Quadra and sold in 1968 to a Vancouver buyer, purportedly for conversion to a fish factory ship.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Stone Town (K531) River class Frigate.
(Frank Statham Photo)
Canadian Coast Guard Weathership Stonetown, circa 1960s.
HMCS Stormont (K327)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Stormont (K327) River class Frigate. Commissioned at Montreal on 27 Nov 1943, HMCS Stormont arrived at Halifax in Dec 1943, worked up in St. Margaret’s Bay and in mid-Mar 1944, sailed for Londonderry to join EG 9. She was present on D-Day, and in Jul 1944 assisted the damaged HMCS Matane toward Plymouth. In Oct 1944 she escorted a convoy to Gibraltar and, in Dec 1944, escorted convoy JW.62 to Kola Inlet and RA.62 back. She left ‘Derry on 09 Dec 1944, for Halifax and tropicalization refit at Shelburne. The latter, begun in Jun 1945, was discontinued on 20 Aug 1945 and the ship was paid off 09 Nov 1945. She was sold in 1947 to a Montevideo buyer for conversion to a merchant ship, but was re-sold in 1951. Converted at Kiel, 1952-54, to a luxury yacht for Aristotle Onassis, she was re-named Christina. After the elder Onassis died in 1975, Christina inherited the yacht, and gave her to the Greek government as a presidential yacht in 1978. She was renamed Argo for a number of years, but was eventually allowed to deteriorate . In 1998, she was purchased by another Greek ship owner, John Paul Papanicolaou, who restored her and renamed her Christina O. She continues to sail.
(Jim Pierce Photo)
HMCS Stormont (K327) River class Frigate.
(Jim Pierce Photo)
HMCS Stormont (K327) River class Frigate, wheelhouse, Jan 1944.
(Jim Pierce Photo)
HMCS Stormont (K327) River class Frigate, twin 20-mm Oerlikon AA guns, Jan 1944.
(US Naval History and Heritage Photos)
HMCS Stormont (K327) River class Frigate.
HMCS Strathadam (K682)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Strathadam (K682) River class Frigate. Built at Esquimalt, BC, she was commissioned on 29 Sep 1944, at Victoria, she arrived at Halifax on 21 No 1944 and left a month later for Bermuda to work up. Returning to Halifax, she was assigned to EG 25, Londonderry, and sailed from St. John’s on 2 Feb 1945. Except for one trip late that month to Gibraltar, HMCS Strathadam was employed in UK waters until VE-Day. On 7 Mar 1945, with HMCS La Hulloise and HMCS Thetford Mines, she took part in the sinking of U-1302 in St. George’s Channel, and on 11 Apr 1945 she was carrying out another attack when a Hedgehog projectile exploded prematurely, killing six of her crew. She returned to Canada at the end of May 1945, and in Jul 1945 commenced tropicalization refit. This was cancelled 20 Aug 1945 and the ship was paid off at Halifax on 7 Nov 1945, to be laid up at Shelburne. She was sold to Uruguayan interests in 1947 but acquired by the Israeli Navy in 1950 and re-named Misgav K30. In the late 1960s she was paid off, and in 1970 was expended as a target for Gabrial missile trials by Israel.
(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)
HMCS Strathadam (K682) River class Frigate.
(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)
HMCS Strathadam (K682) River class Frigate.
HMCS Sussexvale (K683)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Sussexvale (K683) River class Frigate. Launched on 12 Jul 1944, she was the last frigate launched for the RCN. HMCS Sussexvale (K683) was commissioned on 29 Nov 1944, at Quebec City, and arrived at Halifax on 16 Dec 1944. She left on 8 Jan 1945, for a months’ workups in Bermuda, on completion of which she was assigned to EG 26. She arrived in Londonderry to join the group on 6 Mar 1945 and spent the remainder of the war in UK waters, based primarily at Portsmouth. She returned home in May to begin tropicalization refit at Shelburne, NS, but this was called off and the ship was paid off at Sydney on 16 Nov 1945. Placed in reserve at Shelburne, she was subsequently sold to Marine Industries Ltd., but re-acquired by the RCN and converted to a Prestonian class ocean escort (313). Re-commissioned 18 Mar 1955, she served as a training ship until paid off on 30 Nov 1966. Sold in Dec 1966 to Kennedy & Mitsui, Vancouver, BC. She was scrapped in Japan in 1967.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Sussexvale (K683) River class Frigate.
(US Naval History and Heritage Photo, 80-G-1078606)
HMCS Sussexvale, ex-(K683), (FFE 313), July 1956.