Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) 1942–1968, Frigates (Prestonian Class)
Frigates
Frigates were initially called “twin-screw corvettes” and were larger and more habitable than the standard corvettes. They had twice the endurance rate, at 7,200 sea miles at 12 knots. The RCN frigates were named for rivers, hence the name “River class”. 60 frigates were built in Canada for the RCN in 1942/1943, and another ten were built for the United Kingdom on a lend-lease agreement with the USA. In 1944 seven RN frigates were transferred to the RCN, along with three of the Loch class (a slightly larger model designed to be built from prefabricated parts). Most of the RCN frigates were armed with twin 4-inch guns.
Prestonian Class Frigates
Some were retained after the Second World War, and between 1953 and 1958, 21 of the River class frigates were converted to flush-deck models and the quarterdeck was enclosed to house two Squid anti-submarine mortars. The bridge was greatly enlarged and the funnel was heightened. These modified warships were known as Prestonian class ocean escorts. Most had been paid off by 1968. HMCS Victoriaville was renamed HMCS Grandby in 1968 and became a diving tender.
Prestonian Class Frigates (Converted River Class Frigates)
HMCS Antigonish (301) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Buckingham (314) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (317) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Fort Erie (312) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Inch Arran (308) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Jonquiere (318) (Prestonian-class); HMCS La Hulloise (305) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Lanark (321) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Lauzon (322) (Prestonian-class); HMCS New Glasgow (315) (Prestonian-class); HMCS New Waterford (304) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Outremont (310) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Penetang (316) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Prestonian (307) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Ste. Thérèse (309) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Stettler (311) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Sussexvale (313) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Swansea (306) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Toronto (319) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Victoriaville (320) (Prestonian-class).
RCN Prestonian Class Frigates: HMCS Antigonish (301), HMCS Beacon Hill (303), HMCS Buckingham (314), HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (317)
HMCS Antigonish (301)
(Judy Saunders Photo)
HMCS Antigonish (301) Prestonian Class Frigate. Commissioned at Victoria as (K661) on 4 Jul 1944, she arrived at Halifax on 22 Aug 1944, and, after undergoing minor repairs, sailed for Bermuda in mid-Oct 1944 to work up. On her return to Halifax on 2 Nov 1944, she joined EG 16, transferring with the group to Londonderry in Mar, 1945. During the next three months HMCS Antigonish was employed on patrol and support duty, including two round trips to Gibraltar. She left Londonderry in mid-Jun 1945 and on 3 Jul 1945 began tropicalization refit at Pictou, completing 17 Nov 1945. On 22 Dec 1945 she left for Esquimalt and there, on 5 Feb 1946, was paid off into reserve. She re-commissioned for training on 26 Apr 1947, and was paid off on 15 Jan 1954. The ship was converted in 1956-57, to a Prestonian class ocean escort, and again took up her training role until finally paid off on 30 Nov 1966. She was broken up in Japan in 1968.
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Antigonish (301) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Antigonish (301) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)
HMCS Antigonish (301) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(Michael Forshaw Photo)
HMCS Antigonish (301) Prestonian Class Frigate, Esquimalt, part of the 4th Escort Squadron, circa 1961-1962.
HMCS Beacon Hill (303)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate. Built by Yarrows Ltd., Esquimalt, BC, she was commissioned there on 16 May 1944. HMCS Beacon Hill (K407) arrived at Halifax on 11 Jul 1944, having escorted HMS Puncher from New Orleans to New York en route, and proceeded to Bermuda to work up. On her return to Halifax she left in Sep 1944 to join EG 26, an RCN support group based at Londonderry, but for varying periods was detached to Plymouth and Portsmouth. She remained in UK waters for the balance of the European war, leaving Greenock for home on 28 May 1945. Intended for Pacific service, she underwent tropicalization refit at Liverpool, NS, from Jun to Nov 1945, and sailed from Shelburne for Esquimalt on 22 Dec 1945. She was paid off at Esquimalt on 06 Feb 1946, but re-commissioned in the summer of 1949 for cadet training. She was again paid off in 1954 for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (303), was commissioned as such on 21 Dec 1957, and served on the west coast until finally paid off on 15 Sep 1967. She was broken up in 1968 at Sakai, Japan.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate, 9 May 1959.
(Gary Robertson Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(Gary Robertson Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(DND/RCN Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate.
(Gary Robertson Photo)
HMCS Beacon Hill (303) Prestonian Class Frigate.
HMCS Buckingham (314)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Buckingham (314) Prestonian Class Frigate, Lunenburg, ca 1963.
Laid down as HMCS Royalmount, she was renamed HMCS Buckingham K685 on 5 Apr 1944. Commissioned on 2 Nov 1944, at Quebec City, she proceeded to the east coast and sailed from Halifax on 18 Dec 1944 for Bermuda to work up. She returned in mid-Jan 1945, and in Feb 1945 was assigned to EG 28, as a member of which she carried out escort and patrol duty out of Halifax until VE-Day. In May she arrived at Shelburne, escorting the surrendered U-889. In Jun 1945 she began a tropicalization refit at Liverpool, NS, continuing it at Shelburne until 20 Aug 1945, when it was suspended. HMCS Buckingham was paid off on 16 Nov 1945 at Sydney and placed in reserve at Shelburne until 1946, when she was sold to Marine Industries Ltd. Re-acquired by the RCN, she was converted to a Prestonian class ocean escort (304), 1953-54, and re-commissioned for training purposes. Further modified by the addition of a helicopter landing deck aft, she carried out, Oct-Dec 1956, trials preliminary to the design of the destroyer helicopter carriers. 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. She was paid off for the last time on 23 Mar 1965. On 22 Mar 1966, Buckingham left Halifax under tow and arrived at Le Spezia on 11 Apr 1966 for scrapping. One of her 4-inch/45 QF Mk. XVI* Twin Gun turrets is preserved in the village of Buckingham, Quebec.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Buckingham (314) Prestonian Class Frigate, with Sikorsky HO4S-3 Sea Horse helicopter on the rear deck.
(Author Photo)
HMCS Buckingham (314) Prestonian Class Frigate. 4-inch/45 QF Mk. XVI* Twin Guns (Serial No. S/14556), L, left, and (Serial No. S/covered with paint), R, right, on a Mk. XIX High Angle mounting, from HMCS Buckingham. Buckingham, Quebec.
HMCS Buckingham (K685) was a river-class frigate, re-commissioned in the 1950s and modernized as a Prestonian-class escort, and was further modified as a platform to test the helicopter carrying concept. This dual 4-inch gun would have been the bow gun (technically in a “B” gun position) and came to the community after the vessel was decommissioned and sold for scrap to an Italian firm in 1965.
(USN Official Naval Archives Photos)
HMCS Buckingham (314)Prestonian Class Frigate.
HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (K663) (317)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (317) Prestonian Class Frigate. HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (K663), was built at Quebec city, she was commissioned there on 30 Sep 1944. She arrived at Halifax 20 Oct 1944, and soon afterward sailed for Bermuda to work up. Returning in Dec 1944, she was allocated to EG C-7, MOEF, based at St. John’s. She left that port 28 Dec 1944, to accompany convoy HX.328 eastward, but was detached on 03 Jan 1945 to the westbound convoy ONS.39, as she had to return for repairs. These were carried out successively at St. John’s, Halifax and Quebec, and completed on 07 May 1945. She then began tropicalization refit at Lauzon, but this was cancelled in Aug 1945 owing to termination of hostilities, and the ship was paid off 25 Nov 1945 at Shelburne, NS. She was sold to Marine Industries Ltd., but later re-acquired by the RCN and converted to a Prestonian class unit (317). Re-commissioned on 7 Dec 1954, she served on the east coast until paid off on 15 May 1965. She was broken up the following year at La Spezia, Italy.
(DND Photo)
A de Haviland Otter from RCAF Station Goose Bay’s Station Flight wizzes by the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (317) Prestonian Class Frigate, near Goose Bay, Labrador.
(RCN Photo via Roberet Norris)
HMCS Provider (508) conducting an RAS with HMCS Bonaventure (22), and HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (307) Prestonian Class Frigate. Spring 1965.