RCN Minesweepers (Bangor Class): HMCS Mahone J159/HMCS Malpeque J148/HMCS Medicine Hat J256/)HMCS Melville J263/HMCS Milltown J317/HMCS Minas J165/HMCS Miramichi J169/HMCS Mulgrave J313/HMCS Nipigon J154/HMCS Noranda J265/HMCS Outarde J161

Royal Canadian Navy Minesweepers (Bangor Class)

HMCS Mahone (J159) (Bangor-class); HMCS Malpeque (J148) (Bangor-class); HMCS Medicine Hat (J256) (Bangor-class); HMCS Melville (J263) (Bangor-class); HMCS Milltown (J317) (Bangor-class); HMCS Minas (J165) (Bangor-class); HMCS Miramichi (J169) (Bangor-class); HMCS Mulgrave (J313) (Bangor-class); HMCS Nipigon (J154) (Bangor-class); HMCS Noranda (J265) (Bangor-class); HMCS Outarde (J161) (Bangor-class); HMCS Port Hope (J280) (Bangor-class); HMCS Quatsino (J152) (Bangor-class); HMCS Quinte (J166) (Bangor-class); HMCS Red Deer (J255) (Bangor-class); HMCS Sarnia (J309) (Bangor-class); HMCS Stratford (J310) (Bangor-class); HMCS Swift Current (J254) (Bangor-class); HMCS Thunder (J156) (Bangor-class); HMCS Transcona (J271) (Bangor-class); HMCS Trois-Rivières (J269) (Bangor-class); HMCS Truro (J268) (Bangor-class); HMCS Ungava (J149) (Bangor-class); HMCS Vegreville (J257) (Bangor-class); HMCS Wasaga (J162) (Bangor-class); HMCS Westmount (J318) (Bangor-class).  

HMCS Mahone (J159)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Mahone (J159) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Vancouver on 29 Sep 1941, she left Esquimalt on 11 Nov 1941 for Halifax, when upon her arrival on 17 Dec 1941, she was assigned to WLEF.  Between May 1942 and Jan 1943, she served with Halifax Force, then underwent a major refit at Liverpool, NS, from 19 Jan to 3 Apr 1943.  She was then transferred to Gaspé Force because of U-boat activity in the St. Lawrence, but returned to Halifax Force in Nov 1943, and soon afterward went to Sydney Force.  On 28 Jan 1944, she was rammed by SS Fort Townshend off Louisbourg, NS, and after temporary repairs was sent to Halifax for further repair work which lasted 4 months.  Early in Jul 1945 she proceeded to Bermuda to work up, returning to Halifax a month later.  HMCS Mahone was paid off at Halifax on 6 Nov 1945, and laid up at Shelburne.  In 1946 she was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel until 1951, when she was re-acquired by the RCN, which kept her in reserve (192) at Sydney until 29 Mar 1958.  That day marked her transfer to the Turkish Navy as Beylerbeyi, and she remained in service until discarded in 1972.

(Robert Chasse Photo)

HMCS Malpeque (J148)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Malpeque (J148) (Bangor-class).  Built at North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd., she was commissioned at Vancouver on 4 Aug 1941.  HMCS Malpeque left for Halifax on 13 Sep 1941, arriving on 19 Oct 1941.  She was briefly assigned to Sydney Force, then to Newfoundland Force, with which she served until 19 Feb 1944, when, with HMCS Caraquet, HMCS Cowichan and HMCS Vegreville, sailed for the UK via the Azores for invasion duties.  Arriving at Plymouth on 13 Mar 1944, she was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, and was present on D-Day.  She proceeded to Canada in Apr 1945, for refit at Liverpool, NS, but returned to the UK in June and remained there until Sep 1945. She then returned home and was paid off on 9 Oct 1945, to reserve at Shelburne.  Taken to Sorel in 1946 and placed in strategic reserve, she was re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 (186) and laid up at Sydney.  Never re-commissioned, she was sold for scrap in Feb 1959.

(Don Smith Photo)

HMCS Malpeque (J148) (Bangor-class).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Malpeque (J148) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Medicine Hat (J256)

(RCN Photo)

HMCS Medicine Hat (J256) (Bangor-class).

(Sean Cox Photo)

HMCS Medicine Hat (J256) (Bangor-class).

(Roger Heward Photo)

HMCS Medicine Hat (J256) (Bangor-class).

(John P. Orr Photo)

HMCS Medicine Hat (J256) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Melville (J263)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Melville (J263) (Bangor-class).  Built at Levis, Quebec, the first of the diesel-engined Bangors, HMCS Melville was commissioned at Quebec City on 4 Dec 1941.  She arrived at Halifax on 13 Dec 1941, worked up, and was assigned to WLEF.  In May 1942, she was transferred to Shelburne Force, returning to WLEF that September.  On 3 Feb 1943, she arrived at Lunenburg for refit and proceeded to Halifax to continue it.  She did not resume service until 8 Jul 1943, when she joined WLEF's recently created EG W-5.  In Mar 1944, she underwent further repairs at Lunenburg, following which, on 6 Jun 1944, she sailed for Bermuda to work up.  Returning to Halifax 02 Jul 1944, she was assigned to Sydney Force until Jun 1945. Melville was paid off at Sydney on 18 Aug 1945, and handed over to the Dept. of Fisheries.  She was renamed Lamna in 1959. Lamna was sold to Marine Industries 25 Apr 1960 to be broken up.  Her registry was cancelled 29 Dec 1961 - Vessel dismantled.

HMCS Milltown (J317)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Milltown (J317) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned on 18 Sep 1942 at Port Arthur, HMCS Milltown arrived at Halifax on 27 Oct 1942 and, after working up, joined Halifax Force in Dec 1942.  In March 1943, she transferred to WLEF and in Jun 1943, to Gaspé Force.  In Nov 1943, she returned to Halifax Force until 20 Feb 1944, when, with HMCS Blairmore, HMCS Fort William and HMCS Minas, she sailed via the Azores for Plymouth, arriving on 8 Mar 1944.  She was present on D-Day with the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla.  She returned to Canada to refit at Saint John, NB, from Mar to Jun 1945, leaving Halifax 23 Jun 1945 for Plymouth via the Azores.  She left Plymouth for home on 21 Sep 1945 and was paid off on 16 Oct 1945 at Sydney and laid up at Shelburne.  HMCS Milltown was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel in 1946, but re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 (194) and kept in reserve at Sydney until Feb 1959, when she was sold for scrap.

HMCS Minas (J165)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Minas (J165) (Bangor-class).  Named for Minas Basin in the Bay of Fundy, she was built at Vancouver and commissioned there on 2 Aug 1941.  She sailed for Halifax on 13 Sep 1941, arriving on 19 Oct 1941.  After brief service with Sydney Force, she was assigned in Jan 1942, to Newfoundland Force.  In Nov 1942 she transferred to WLEF, and when WLEF was divided into escort groups in Jun 1943, she became a member of EG W-7.  That December she was re-assigned to W-4.  On 1 Feb 1943, she collided with HMS Liscomb outside Halifax, necessitating a month's repairs.  HMCS Minas left Halifax for the UK on 20 Feb 1944, with HMCS Blairmore, HMCS Fort William and HMCS Milltown, via the Azores. On arrival in the UK on 8 Mar 1944, she was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla for invasion duties, and was on hand on D-Day.  In Sep 1944 she proceeded to Canada to refit at Dartmouth, NS, returning to Plymouth in Jan 1945.  There she rejoined the 31st Flotilla until she sailed again for Canada on 4 Sep 1945.  She was paid off into reserve at Shelburne on 6 Oct 1945, and later moved to Sorel, but was re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 and re-commissioned (189) on 15 Mar 1955 for training on the west coast.  Paid off on 7 Nov 1955, she was sold in Aug 1958, and broken up at Seattle in 1959.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205375)

HMCS Minas (J165) (Bangor-class), March 1944.

HMCS Miramichi (J169)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Miramichi (J169) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Vancouver on 26 Nov 1941, HMCS Miramichi spent her entire service career on the west coast, alternating between Esquimalt Force and Prince Rupert Force.  In the summer and fall of 1943, while serving with Esquimalt Force, she was used occasionally for training purposes.  She was paid off at Esquimalt on 24 Oct 1945, and is thought to have been broken up at Vancouver in 1949, having been purchased in 1946 by the Union Steamship Co. for conversion that was never proceeded with.

HMCS Mulgrave (J313)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Mulgrave (J313) (Bangor-class).  Built at Port Arthur, Ont., she was commissioned there on 4 Nov 1942.  She arrived at Halifax on 30 Nov 1942 and was assigned to Halifax Force for the first quarter of 1943.  She then transferred to WLEF, becoming a member of newly created EG W-2 in Jun 1943.  On 18 Feb 1944, with HMCS Bayfield, HMCS Georgian and HMCS Thunder, she left Halifax for Plymouth via the Azores . On 29 Feb 1944, when entering Horta, HMCS Mulgrave suffered grounding damage and had to be towed to Greenock, Scotland.  After repairs at Ardrossan she finally made Plymouth on 24 Apr 1944 to commence training and exercises.  She was temporarily assigned to the 32nd Minesweeping Flotilla, then in Jun 1944 to the 31st, with which she was present on D-Day.  On 8 Oct 1944, the unlucky HMCS Mulgrave was damaged by a ground mine near le Havre and had to be beached.  On 3 Nov 1944 she left Le Havre in tow for Portsmouth, where she was declared a constructive total loss.  Placed in reserve at Falmouth in Jan 1945, with a reduced complement, she was formally paid off on 7 Jun 1945 and scrapped at Llanelly, Wales, two years later.

HMCS Nipigon (J154)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Nipigon (J154) (Bangor-class).  Built by Dufferin Shipbuilding Co., Toronto, Ontario, she was commissioned at Toronto on 11 Aug 1941.  She arrived at Halifax on 05 Sep 1941 and was the first of the Bangor class to join Sydney Force, on 3 Oct 1941, and remained with it until her return to Halifax on 17 Jan 1942.  She was then assigned for varying periods to WLEF, Halifax Force, and Newfoundland Force.  She was again attached to WLEF when, in Jun 1943, that force was divided into escort groups, and she commenced a major refit at Lunenburg and Liverpool, NS, on completion of which she sailed in May 1944 to work up in Bermuda.  Returning in mid-Jun 1944, she was assigned to Halifax Force until it was disbanded a year later, afterward performing various duties on the Atlantic coast.  HMCS Nipigon was paid off at Sydney on 13 Oct 1945, and laid up at Shelburne.  She was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel in 1946 but was re-acquired and refitted in 1952, though not re-commissioned.  She was transferred to the Turkish Navy on 29 Nov 1957 and served as Bafra until 1972.

(Jason Slater Photo)

HMCS Nipigon (J154) (Bangor-class).

(USN Naval History and Heritage Photo)

HMCS Nipigon (J154)

HMCS Noranda (J265)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Noranda (J265) (Bangor-class).  Built at Levis, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 15 May 1942. Noranda arrived at Halifax on 30 May 1942, and after working up at Pictou was assigned to Halifax Force.  In Feb 1943, she was transferred to WLEF and, when it was divided into escort groups in Jun 1943, became a member of EG W-9.  HMCS Noranda went to Sydney Force in May 1944.  After a major refit at Lunenburg from Sep to Dec 1944, she proceeded to Bermuda to work up.  After returning to Halifax on 2 Feb 1945, she served briefly with Halifax Force before re-joining Sydney Force.  She was paid off at Halifax on 28 Aug 1945, and transferred to the marine section of the RCMP as Irvine.  Sold in 1962 for use as a yacht and re-named Miriana, she sank at Montego Bay, Jamaica, in May 1971.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Noranda (J265) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Outarde (J161)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Outarde (J161) (Bangor-class).  Named for Outarde Bay, Quebec, she was commissioned at Vancouver on 4 Dec 1941.  HMCS Outarde spent her whole career on the west coast, alternately serving with the Prince Rupert and Esquimalt Forces.  She was paid off 24 Nov 1945, at Esquimalt, sold in 1946 for conversion to a merchant ship, and re-named Ping Hsin by her Shanghai owners.  She vanished from Lloyd's Register after 1950.

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