RCN Frigates (River Class): HMCS Coaticook K410/HMCS Dunver K03/HMCS Eastview K665/HMCS Ettrick K254/HMCS Fort Erie K670/HMCS Glace Bay K414/HMCS Grou K518/HMCS Hallowell K666/HMCS Inch Arran K667/HMCS Joliette K418/HMCS Jonquiere K318

HMCS Coaticook (K410)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3554611)

HMCS Coaticook (K410) (River-class).  Built at Lauzon by Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd., she was commissioned on 25 July 1944, at Quebec City.  HMCS Coaticook proceeded to Bermuda in mid-Sep 1944 for three weeks' working up.  She was then assigned to EG 27 with which she served on A/S and support duties out of Halifax for the balance of the war.  In Jun 1945, Coaticook sailed to Esquimalt, where she was paid off into reserved on 29 Nov 1945.  In 1949 her stripped hull was sunk for a breakwater at Powell River but was re-floated in 1961.  While in tow for Victoria to be broken up, the hull was found to be structurally unsound and instead scuttled off Race Rock.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Coaticook (K410) (River-class).

HMCS Dunver (K03)

(Diana Brown Photo)

HMCS Dunver (K03) (River-class).  Laid down as HMCS Verdun, in honour of Verdun, Quebec, her name was changed to HMCS Dunver to avoid confusion with HMS Verdun, already in commission.  She was the first frigate launched for the RCN, and was commissioned at Quebec City on 11 Sep 1943.  She arrived at Halifax on 3 Oct 1943, having escorted a Sydney-Halifax convoy en route.  After working up at Pictou, NS, she was allocated to EG C-5, and served continuously on North Atlantic convoys until Oct 1944.  In July 1944 she had been the Senior Officer's ship while escorting HXS.300, the largest convoy of the war with 167 merchant ships.  In Oct 1944, she commenced refit at Pictou, completing on 27 Dec 1944, and in Apr 1945, joined EG 27, based at Halifax, for the rest of the European war.  In Jun 1945 she went to the west coast for tropicalization, but this was discontinued in Aug 1945 and she was laid up at Esquimalt.  She was paid off on 23 Jan 1946.  HMCS Dunver was sold and her hull expended as part of a breakwater at Royston, BC, in 1948.  HMCS Hespeler and HMCS Dunver were credited with the sinking of U-484.  However, post war analysis credits the sinking of U-484 to HMS Portchester Castle and HMS Helmsdale.

(Glendon Oliver Photo)

HMCS Dunver (K03) (River-class), during a light line transfer ca 1944.  

(Jim Williams Photo)

HMCS Dunver (K03) (River-class), pulling away after a light line transfer ca 1944.  

 (DND Photo)

HMCS Dunver (K03) (River-class).

HMCS Eastview (K665)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Eastview (K665), (River-class).  Commissioned at Montreal on 3 Jun 1944, HMCS Eastview arrived at Halifax on 26 Jun 1944 and proceeded to Bermuda to work up.  On her return in Aug 1944 she was attached to EG C-6 as Senior Officer's ship, and on 18 Sep 1944 left St. John's, Newfoundland, with her first convoy, HXF.308.  For the balance of the European war she was continuously on Atlantic convoy duty, and was one of the escorts of HX.358, the last HX convoy of the war, leaving St. John's 27 May 1945.  That Jul 1945 she went to the west coast and had barely commenced tropicalization refit when work was stopped and the ship laid up in reserve at Esquimalt.  She was paid off on 17 Jan 1946, and sold in 1947, and her hull made part of a breakwater at Oyster Bay, BC, the following year.

HMCS Ettrick (K254)

(IWM Photo, FL 11755)

HMCS Ettrick (K254) (River-class), as HMS Ettrick, 1944.  She was one of the only six frigates of this Class to be fitted with steam turbine main propulsion engines instead of reciprocating machinery.  Named after a river in Scotland, HMS Ettrick was commissioned  on 11 Jul 1943, as an RN ship and assigned to EG C-1, a Canadian escort group.  On 29 Jan 1944, while undergoing a refit in Halifax, she was transferred to the RCN, and on completion of the refit on 6 May 1944 she was assigned to EG C-3.  She arrived in Bermuda on 30 Sep 1944 for a month's working-up, and on her return made two round trips to Londonderry with EG C-3, before being transferred in October to EG 27, Halifax.  She was employed locally until VE-Day, and on 30 May 1945, returned to the RN at Southampton.  She was then converted to a combined operations HQ ship, though never employed as such, and in Apr 1946, was laid up at Harwich.  In 1953 she was broken up at Grays, Essex.

(Bob Hanley Photo)

HMCS Ettrick (K254) (River-class).

HMCS Fort Erie (K670)

(Chris Carnall Photo)

HMCS Fort Erie (K670) (River-class).  Built by George T. Davie & Sons Lts., at Lauzon, Quebec, she was laid down as HMCS La Tuque, but was renamed HMCS Fort Erie in Mar 1944.  Commissioned at Quebec City on 27 Oct 1944, she did not arrive at Halifax until Dec 1944.  She worked up in Bermuda in mid-Jan 1945 and, on her return to Halifax, was assigned to EG 28, an RCN support group based on Halifax, for the duration of the European war.  Tropicalization refit, begun 2 Jun 1945, at Pictou, NS, was cancelled on 20 Aug 1945 and HMCS Fort Erie was paid off on 22 Nov 1945, to be laid up at Shelburne, NS.  She was sold in 1946 to Marine Industries Ltd., but re-acquired by the RCN and rebuilt in 1954 and 1955 as a Prestonian class ocean escort (312).  Re-commissioned 17 Apr1956, she was generally in service as a training ship.  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.  HMCS Fort Erie was paid off on 26 Mar 1965 at Halifax.  She was broken up at La Spezia, Italy, in 1966.

(Rob Stevens Photo)

HMCS Fort Erie (K670) (River-class).

HMCS Glace Bay (K414)

(Gary Penelton Photo)

HMCS Glace Bay (K414) (River-class).  Built at Lauzon, Quebec, she was commissioned on 2 Sep 1944, at Levis, Quebec.  She arrived at Halifax 23 Sep 1944.  She carried out workups in Bermuda in mid-Oct 1944 and on her return was assigned to EG C-4, Londonderry.  She left St. John's, Newfoundland, for Londonderry on 17 Nov 1944, escorting a number of U.S.-built sub-chasers destined for the Russian Navy.  Glace Bay was employed continuously on convoy duty until VE-Day, and early in Jun 1945, left 'Derry for the last time to spend several months at a variety of tasks off the east coast of Canada.  In Oct 1945 she made a round trip to Bermuda, and on her return was paid off on 17 Nov 1945 at Sydney.  She lay in reserve at Shelburne until sold in 1946 to the Chilean navy and re-named Esmeralda and in 1952, Bacquedano.  She was broken up in 1968.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Glace Bay (K414) (River-class).

HMCS Grou (K518)

(Naval Museum of Manitoba Photo)

HMCS Grou (K518) (River-class).  She was named for a French martyr of 1690 in lieu of the name Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec, the latter being considered overly long.  Built at Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, she was commissioned at Montreal on 4 Dec 1943.  She arrived at Halifax later that month, worked up in St. Margaret's Bay and in Mar 1944, was assigned to EG 6, Londonderry.  In Apr 1944 she went to the Kola Inlet and returned as escort, along with HMCS Waskesiu, HMCS Outremont and HMCS Cape Breton, to convoy RA.59 from North Russia, arriving at Loch Ewe on 6 May 1944.  Based at various times at 'Derry, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, she was present on D-Day on A/S patrol.  HMCS Grou left for home with convoy ON.285 on 17 Feb 1945, and on 4 Mar 1945 began a six-month tropicalization refit at Dartmouth, NS.  In Oct 1945 she left for the west coast, where she was paid off into reserve at Esquimalt on 25 Feb 1946.  She was broken up at Victoria in 1948.

HMCS Hallowell (K666)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Hallowell (K666) (River-class).  Commissioned on 8 Aug 1944, at Montreal, HMCS Hallowell arrived at Halifax on 3 Sep 1944 and left a month later for Bermuda to work up.  Returning early in Nov 1944, she was allocated to EG C-1 and was Senior Officer's ship from Dec 1944 onward, remaining with the group until the end of the European war.  She left St. John's 28 Nov 1944 to join convoy HX.322, and was thereafter continuously employed escorting North Atlantic convoys.  Early in Jun 1945, she left Greenock for home, and in Jul and Aug 1945 was engaged in transporting troops from St. John's to Canada.  She was paid off at Sydney on 7 Nov 1945 and placed in reserve at Shelburne.  Sold to Uruguayan interests in 1946, she was re-sold to a Palestinian firm in 1949 for conversion to a short-service Mediterranean ferry and re-named Sharon.  In 1952 she was acquired by the Israeli Navy, re-converted to a warship and re-named Misnak.  In 1959, she was again sold, this time to the Sinhaliese (Sri Lanka) Navy and re-named Gajubahu.  She was discarded in 1978.

(R. Pentland Photo)

HMCS Hallowell (K666) (River-class).

(Victor Borushynski Photo)

HMCS Hallowell (K666) (River-class).

HMCS Inch Arran (K667)

(Ryan Lee Photo)

HMCS Inch Arran (K667) (River-class).  Built at Lauzon, Quebec, she was commissioned on 18 Nov 1944, at Quebec City.  HMCS Inch Arran left for Halifax on 3 Dec 1944, visiting Dalhousie en route.  In Jan 1945 she proceeded to Bermuda to work up, and on her return to Halifax on 4 Feb 1945, she was assigned to EG 28.  She served for the rest of the war on A/S and supported duties out of Halifax, and on 13 May 1945 escorted the surrendered U-889 into Shelburne, NS.  Tropicalization refit, commenced on 6 Jun 1945 at Sydney, was suspended on 20 Aug 1945, and the ship was paid off on 28 Nov 1945.  Placed in reserve at Shelburne, she was sold in 1946 to Marine Industries Ltd., but re-acquired in 1951 by the RCN for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (308) at Saint John, NB.  She was re-commissioned on 23 Aug 1954, serving on the east coast as a training ship until finally paid off on 23 June 1965.  She was then acquired by the Kingston Mariners' Association for conversion to a nautical museum and youth club, but was eventually scrapped in 1970.

(Jim Silvester Photo)

HMCS Inch Arran (K667) (River-class).

HMCS Joliette (K418)

(John Newton Photo)

HMCS Joliette (K418) (River-class).  Laid down at Morton Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Quebec City on 19 Jul 1943, she was commissioned there on 14 Jun 1944.  HMCS Joliette left Quebec City on 1 Jul 1944 for Halifax, and th3en proceeded to Bermuda to work up.  Returning to St. John's in Aug 1944, she became a member of EG C-1 but on reaching Londonderry the following month was re-assigned to EG 25.  Returning to 'Derry on 22 Nov 1944  from her first round trip to Halifax, she ran aground in Lough Foyle, receiving extensive bottom damage.  Repairs were effected at Belfast from 5 Dec 1944 to 5 Apr 1945, after which HMCS Joliette went to Tobermory to work up.  She then returned to Londonderry, but sailed for Canada in Jun 1945.  On 19 Nov 1945, she was paid off at Sydney and laid up at Shelburne.  In 1946 she was sold to the Chilean Navy, to serve as Iquique.  She led the mission to establish the Chileans first station on Antarctica.  Iquique was disposed of in 1968.

(Keith Oliver Photo)

HMCS Joliette (K418) (River-class), looking forward from the Quarterdeck

(Brian Westhouse Photo)

HMCS Joliette (K418) with German U-boat U-889, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

HMCS Jonquiere (K318)

(Naval Museum of Manitoba Photo)

HMCS Jonquiere (K318) (River-class).  Commissioned at Quebec City on 10 May 1944, she arrived at Halifax on 5 Jun 1944 and proceeded from there to Bermuda to work up.  Returning in Aug 1944, HMCS Jonquiere was assigned to EG C-2 and after three Atlantic crossings was transferred to EG 26 at Londonderry.  She was also based from time to time at Portsmouth and Plymouth, remaining in UK waters on A/S patrol until 27 May 1945, when she sailed with ON.305, the last westbound convoy.  She was paid off 4 Dec 1945 at Shelburne, NS, and later taken to Lauzon for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (318), re-commissioning 20 Sep 1954.  Paid off on 12 Sep 1966, she was purchased by Capital Iron and Metal, Victoria, BC, in 1967 to be broken up.  Shortly after purchased the price of scrap metal plummeted and she was not broken until up late 1971, early 1972.

(Randy Dawson Photo)

HMCS Jonquiere (K318) (River-class).