RCN Minesweepers (Algerine class): HMCS Portage (J331), HMCS Rockcliffe (J355), HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334), HMCS St. Boniface (J332), HMCS Wallaceburg (J336), HMCS Winnipeg (J337)
HMCS Portage (J331)
(Rick Hamilton Photo)
HMCS Portage (J331) Algerine class Minesweeper. Built by Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Port Arthur, Ontario, she was named for Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. She was commissioned at Port Arthur on 22 Oct 1943, and arrived at Halifax on 28 Nov 1943. After working up in St. Margaret’s Bay, HMCS Portage was assigned to EG W-2 of Western Escort Force as Senior Officer’s Ship, late in Jan 1944. In mid-Apr 1944 she was transferred, still as S.O., to W-3, and continued as such until late Oct 1944, when she underwent an extensive refit at Liverpool, NS. She then proceeded to Bermuda for workups, rejoining W-3 in Mar 1945. The group was disbanded in Jun 1945 and HMCS Portage was placed in maintenance reserve at Sydney and then at Halifax, when she was paid off on 31 Jul 1946. She was re-activated for training purposes (169) during the summers of 1947 and 1948, and spent most of the period between 1949 and 1959 in the same role, much of the time on the Great Lakes. She was finally paid off 26 Sep 1958, and scrapped at Sorel three years later.
(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)
HMCS Portage (J331) Algerine class Minesweeper.
(Erling Baldorf Photo)
HMCS Portage (J331) Algerine class Minesweeper.
(USN Naval History and Heritage Photo)
HMCS Portage (J331)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3203647)
HMCS Portage (J331) entering a canal, Lock No. 6, 14 June 1949.
HMCS Rockcliffe (J355)
(Roger Heward Photo)
HMCS Rockcliffe (J355) Algerine class Minesweeper. Commissioned at Port Arthur on 30 Sep 1944, HMCS Rockcliffe arrived at Halifax on 30 Oct 1944 and proceeded to Bermuda to work up . Upon returning to Halifax in mid-Dec 1944 she was assigned to EG W-6 until Jun 1945. She escorted the surrendered U-889 part of the way to Shelburne, NS, on 10 May 1945. Paid off to reserve at Sydney on 28 Jul 1945, she was re-commissioned (173) for passage to Esquimalt, where she arrived on 21 Dec 1945. On 12 Jan 1946, she was again paid off into reserve, but was re-commissioned on 3 Mar 1947, to serve as a training ship. In 1948 she was listed as an oceanographic vessel. In Jul 1949, she was listed a a depot ship. She was finally paid off on 15 Aug 1950, and scrapped ten years later.
(Roger Heward Photo)
HMCS Rockcliffe (J355) Algerine class Minesweeper, at Bathurst, New Brunswick, July 1945.
(Roger Heward Photo)
HMCS Rockcliffe (J355) Algerine class Minesweeper.
(Roger Heward Photo)
HMCS Rockcliffe (J355) Algerine class Minesweeper.
HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334), 176
(Len Burton Photo)
HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334) Algerine class Minesweeper, c1950. Commissioned at Port Arthur on 24 Jun 1943, this was the first Algerine class minesweeper to join the RCN. Originally intended to be named The Soo, she was renamed owing to objections from her namesake city. HMCS Sault Ste. Marie arrived at Halifax on 8 Aug 1943, and proceeded to Bermuda for workups in Sep 1943. On her return she joined EG W-9 of Western Escort Force, serving as Senior Officer’s ship until mid-Apr 1945. She then transferred as S.O. to W-7 until the group was disbanded in Jun 1945. After a short period in reserve at Sydney she was ordered to the west coast, arriving at Esquimalt on 12 Dec 1945. She was paid off into reserve on 12 Jan 1946, but re-commissioned (176) for reserve training on 7 May 1949. In July 1950, HMCS Sault Ste Marie was in the San Diego area on minesweeping exercise with the USN. After an enjoyable port visit she departed San Francisco and headed on into gale force winds up to 68 knots. For three days, all hatches were battened down, and everyone stayed below decks. At one point she only made 3 nautical miles in a 15-hour period hour period, before she settled down to following seas just 200 miles south of Esquimalt. Then she had a pea soup fog the rest of the way home. She returned to the east coast in mid-Dec 1955, and spent the summers of 1956 to 1958 on the Great Lakes. She was paid off on 1 Oct 1958, and broken up in 1960 at Sorel.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4950902)
HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334) Algerine class Minesweeper.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4950921)
HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334) Algerine class Minesweeper.
(USN Naval History and Heritage Photo)
HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334).
HMCS St. Boniface (J332)
(Naval Museum of Manitoba Photo)
HMCS St. Boniface (J332) Algerine class Minesweeper. Built at Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned there on 10 Sep 1943,. HMCS St. Boniface arrived at Halifax late in Oct 1943, and worked up at Pictou from Nov to Dec 1943. She was then assigned as Senior Officer’s ship to EG W-5 of Western Escort Force until mid-Apr 1944. She then transferred to W-4, again as SO, until early Dec 1944 when, following minor repairs at Halifax, proceed to Bermuda to work up. Upon returning to Canada, she rejoined W-4 until the group was disbanded in Jun 1945. On 18 Apr 1945, HMCS St. Boniface was in a collision with SS Empire Chamois in the Halifax approaches, as the freighter’s convoy, SC.173, was forming up for passage to the UK. HMCS St. Boniface suffered extensive damage to her bows, but made Halifax under her own power and was under repair there for three months. In Aug 1945, she became a training ship at HMCS Cornwallis until Jan 1946, when she was placed in reserve at Halifax. She was finally paid off on 25 Sep 1946, and sold for mercantile use. She was last noted under Panamanian flag as Bess Barry M. in 1954.
HMCS Wallaceburg (J336), 172
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Wallaceburg (J336) Algerine class Minesweeper. Built by Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned at there on 18 Nov 1943. She arrived at Halifax on 13 Dec 1943, and after working up was assigned to EG W-8, Western Escort Force, in Feb 1944. In Apr 1944, HMCS Wallaceburg was transferred to EG W-6 as Senior Officer’s ship but returned in December to W-8. During Jul and Aug 1945, she was attached to HMCS Cornwallis for training, then placed in reserve, first at Sydney and then at Halifax. She was paid off on 7 Oct 1946, but re-commissioned (172) on 1 Nov 1950 for cadet training. HMCS Wallaceburg spent the summers of 1956 and 1957 on the Great Lakes and was paid off on 24 Sep 1957. On 31 July 1959, she was transferred to the Belgian Navy, to serve as Georges Lecointe until she was discarded in 1969.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Wallaceburg (J336) Algerine class Minesweeper.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Wallaceburg (J336) Algerine class Minesweeper.
(Steve Hlasny Photo)
HMCS Wallaceburg (172) Algerine class Minesweeper.
âHMCS Winnipeg (J337)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Winnipeg (J337) Algerine class Minesweeper. Commissioned at Port Arthur on 29 Jul 1943, she arrived at Halifax in mid-Sep 1943 and, after working up at Pictou, was assigned to EG W-7 of Western Escort Force. In Dec 1943 she was transferred to W-6, acting as Senior Officer’s ship from Feb to Apr 1944. HMCS Winnipeg then joined W-5, again as SO, and served with that group until it was disbanded in Jun 1945. In Aug 1945 she was placed in reserve at Sydney, but was re-activated (177) for passage to Esquimalt, where she arrived on 21 Dec 1945. She was paid off into reserve there on 11 Jan 1946, but in 1956 she was brought around to the east coast and, on 7 Aug 1959, handed over to the Belgian Navy as A.F. Dufour. She was broken up in 1966. It is not confirmed but the superstructure of HMCS Winnipeg may still be in use as a firefighting-training platform in Zeebrugge, Belgium.
US Naval History and Heritage Photos)
HMCS Winnipeg (J337) Algerine class Minesweeper.