Royal Canadian Navy Minesweepers (Algerine, Bangor, Fundy, Lake and Llewellyn Class), 1939–1945

RCN 1939–1945, Minesweepers (Algerine, Bangor, Fundy, Lake and Llewellyn Class)

‍Minesweepers (Algerine Class)

HMCS Border Cities (J344) (Algerine-class); HMCS Fort Frances (J396) (Algerine-class); HMCS Kapuskasing (J326) (Algerine-class); HMCS Middlesex (J328) (Algerine-class); HMCS New Liskeard (J397) (Algerine-class); HMCS Oshawa (J330) (Algerine-class); HMCS Portage (J331) (Algerine-class); HMCS Rockcliffe (J355) (Algerine-class); HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334) (Algerine-class); HMCS St. Boniface (J332) (Algerine-class); HMCS Wallaceburg (J336) (Algerine-class); HMCS Winnipeg (J337) (Algerine-class).

Minesweepers (Bangor Class)

HMCS Bayfield (J08) (Bangor-class); HMCS Bellechasse (J170) (Bangor-class); HMCS Blairmore (J314) (Bangor-class); HMCS Brockville (J270) (Bangor-class); HMCS Burlington (J250) (Bangor-class); HMCS Canso (J21) (Bangor-class); HMCS Caraquet (J38) (Bangor-class); HMCS Chedabucto (J168) (Bangor-class); HMCS Chignecto (J160) (Bangor-class); HMCS Clayoquot (J174) (Bangor-class); HMCS Courtenay (J262) (Bangor-class); HMCS Cowichan (J146) (Bangor-class); HMCS Digby (J267) (Bangor-class); HMCS Drummondville (J253) (Bangor-class); HMCS Esquimalt (J272) (Bangor-class); HMCS Fort William (J311) (Bangor-class); HMCS Gananoque (J259) (Bangor-class); HMCS Georgian (J144) (Bangor-class); HMCS Goderich (J260) (Bangor-class); HMCS Granby (J264) (Bangor-class); HMCS Grandmère (J258) (Bangor-class); HMCS Guysborough (J52) (Bangor-class); HMCS Ingonish (J69) (Bangor-class); HMCS Kelowna (J261) (Bangor-class); HMCS Kenora (J281) (Bangor-class); HMCS Kentville (J312) (Bangor-class); HMCS Lachine (J266) (Bangor-class); HMCS Lockeport (J100) (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).

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3627031)

A Bangor class minesweeper being repaired in the dry dock on the Dartmouth Marine slipway, April 1942.

Minesweepers (Fundy Class)

HMCS Comox (J64) (Fundy-class); HMCS Fundy (J88) (Fundy-class); HMCS Gaspe (J94) (Fundy-class); HMCS Nanoose (J35) (Fundy-class).

Minesweepers (Lake Class)

HMCS Alder Lake (J480) (Lake-class); HMCS Ash Lake (J481) (Lake-class); HMCS Beech Lake (J482) (Lake-class); HMCS Birch Lake (J483) (Lake-class); HMCS Cedar Lake (J484) (Lake-class); HMCS Cherry Lake (J485) (Lake-class); HMCS Fir Lake (J486) (Lake-class); HMCS Hickory Lake (J487) (Lake-class); HMCS Larch Lake (J488) (Lake-class); HMCS Maple Lake (J489) (Lake-class); HMCS Oak Lake (J490) (Lake-class); HMCS Pine Lake (J491) (Lake-class); HMCS Poplar Lake (J492) (Lake-class); HMCS Spruce Lake (J493) (Lake-class); HMCS Willow Lake (J495) (Lake-class).

Minesweepers (Llewellyn Class)

HMCS Coquitlam (J364) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Cranbrook (J372) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Daerwood (J357) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Kalamalka (J395) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Lavallee (J371) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Llewellyn (J278) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Lloyd George (J279) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Revelstoke (J373) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS Rossland (J358) (Llewellyn-class); HMCS St. Joseph (J359) (Llewellyn-class)

HMCS Border Cities (J344)

(Harold Moore Photo)

HMCS Border Cities (J344) (Algerine-class).  Built at Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned there on 18 May 1944.  HMCS Border Cities arrived at Halifax in mid-Jun 1944, and on 8 Jul 1944 proceeded to Bermuda to work up.  Returning to Halifax on 3 Aug 1944, she was assigned to Senior Officer's ship to EG W-2 of WLEF.  In Jun 1945, she was assigned to Atlantic Coast Command and in Aug 1945, placed temporarily in maintenance reserve at Sydney.  On 10 Nov 1945 she left, with four sister ships for the west coast, and on 15 Jan 1946, was paid off into reserve at Esquimalt.  She was sold for scrap in 1948 and broken up at Victoria soon afterward.  Her hulk was scuttled as a breakwater (possibly at Kelsey Bay).

(DND Photo via the CFB Esquimalt Naval Museum)

HMCS Border Cities (J344) (Algerine-class).

  (Harold Moore Photo)

HMCS Border Cities (J344) (Algerine-class).

(Harold Moore Photo)

HMCS Border Cities (J344) (Algerine-class).

(Harold Moore Photo)

HMCS Border Cities (J344) (Algerine-class).

HMCS Fort Frances (J396), 170.

(Elizabeth Wagner Photo)

HMCS Fort Frances (J396) (Algerine-class).  Commissioned at Port Arthur on 28 Oct 1944, she arrived at Halifax on 26 Nov 1944, and sailed for Bermuda in Jan 1945 to work up.  Returning to Halifax, HMCS Fort Frances served briefly with escort groups W-8 and W-9 of Western Escort Force before being paid off into maintenance reserve on 3 Aug 1945.  She was again commissioned (170) from 23 Oct 1945 to 5 Apr 1946, and in 1948 was handed over to the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys as a hydrographic survey ship.  In 1958 she reverted to naval service as a civilian-manned oceanographic research vessel.  She was sold for breaking-up in 1974.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Fort Frances (170) (Algerine-class).

HMCS Kapuskasing (J326), 171, 173

(DND Photo)

HMCS Kapuskasing (J326) (Algerine-class).  Commissioned at Port Arthur on 17 Aug 1944, HMCS Kapuskasing arrived at Halifax early in Sep 1944 and on 1 Oct 1944 proceeded to Bermuda to work up.  She returned to Halifax in mid-Nov 1944 and was assigned as Senior Officer's ship to EG W-1 of Western Escort Force.  When the force was disbanded in Jun 1945, she was placed temporarily in maintenance reserve at Sydney, then taken to Halifax for refit in Nov 1945.  On completion of the refit, she was paid off into reserve on 27 March 1946.  In 1949, she was loaned to the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys and converted for hydrographic survey work.  She returned to the Navy in 1972 (171) and was based in Halifax.  HMCS Kapuskasing became part of the navy’s auxiliary fleet (pennant number 173), manned by a civilian crew until she was expended as a target on 3 October 1978.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4950905)

HMCS Kapuskasing (J326) firing her forward gun, 1944.

(RCN Heritage Officer Photo)

HMCS Kapuskasing being prepared to be towed out to sea as a live-fire target, 3 Oct 1978.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3204731)

HMCS Kapuskasing (J326), Algerine class minesweeper in convoy, June 1945.

HMCS Middlesex (J328)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Middlesex (J328) (Algerine-class).  She was commissioned at Port Arthur on 8 Jun 1944, arrived at Halifax in mid-July and sailed for Bermuda in Aug 1944 to work up.  Assigned to EG W-3 of Western Force, she joined the group in New York on 30 Aug 1944, direct from Bermuda.  HMCS Middlesex was principally engaged as southern local escort to UK-bound convoys out of New York.  She was the Senior Officer's ship from mid-Nov 1944, until the force was disbanded in Jun 1945, whereupon she refitted at Halifax and was placed in maintenance reserve there.  In Mar 1946, she returned to service as emergency ship at Halifax.  On 2 Dec 1946, en route to assist the fishing vessel Ohio, she ran ashore on Half Island Point, near Halifax.  Her crew escaped unharmed.  She was declared a total loss.

HMCS New Liskeard (J397), 168

(Kerry Dunphy Photo)

HMCS New Liskeard (J397) (Algerine-class).  Built at Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned there on 21 Nov 1944.  HMCS New Liskeard arrived at Halifax on 15 Dec 1944 and proceeded to Bermuda for workups in Mar 1945.  Upon her return in Apr 1945 she was assigned to EG W-8 of Western Escort Force.  When EG W-8 was disbanded in Jun 1945, she was allocated to HMCS Cornwallis as a training ship from Jul to Sep 1945.  She was then placed in maintenance reserve, first at Sydney and then at Halifax, until the end of the year.  Refitted at Halifax, she was re-commissioned (168) on 9 Apr 1946, as a training ship for cadets.  On 22 Apr 1958, she was paid off for conversion to an oceanographic research vessel, serving as such until 1 May 1969.  Later that year she was taken to Dartmouth Cove, NS, and broken up.

(DND Photo)

HMCS New Liskeard (J397) (Algerine-class).

HMCS Oshawa (J330)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Oshawa (J330) (Algerine-class).  Built by the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co., Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned at Port Arthur on 6 Jul 1944.  She arrived at Halifax on 18 Aug 1944 and after working-up in Bermuda in September, she was allocated to EG W-6 of Western Escort Force as Senior Officer's Ship.  On 10 May 1945. as the senior warship of the convoy escort group, HMCS Oshawa was dispatched to accept the surrender of U-889.  Her escort group was disbanded in Jun 1945, and HMCS Oshawa was paid off into maintenance reserve at Sydney on 28 Jul.  She was re-commissioned (174) on 24 Oct 1945, and in Nov 1945 sailed for Esquimalt.  She arrived there 21 Dec 1945 and on 24 Feb 1946, was paid off into reserve.  During one more commission from 11 Apr 1956 to 07 Nov 1958 she was part of the Twelfth Canadian Escort Squadron before beginning her conversion to an oceanographic research vessel on 2 Nov 1956.  She was extensively converted for oceanographic research and was manned by the RCN until 6 Nov 1958 when she was again paid off and re-designated as CNAV Oshawa, manned by a civilian crew, a role in which she continued, until sold to Capital Iron and Metal, Victoria on 28 Aug 1966 and broken up in 1966-1967.

(Roger Heward Photo)

HMCS Oshawa (J330) (Algerine-class).

(Roger Heward Photo)

HMCS Oshawa (J330) (Algerine-class).

(Roger Heward Photo)

HMCS Oshawa (J330) (Algerine-class).

(Roger Heward Photo)

HMCS Oshawa (J330) (Algerine-class).

HMCS Portage (J331)

(Rick Hamilton Photo)

HMCS Portage (J331) (Algerine-class).  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).

(Erling Baldorf Photo)

HMCS Portage (J331) (Algerine-class).

(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).  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), at Bathurst, NB, Jul 1945.

(Roger Heward Photo)

HMCS Rockcliffe (J355) (Algerine-class).

(Roger Heward Photo)

HMCS Rockcliffe (J355) (Algerine-class).

HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334), 176

(Len Burton Photo)

HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334) (Algerine-class), ca 1950.  Commissioned at Port Arthur on 24 Jun 1943, this was the first Algerine class ship 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).

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4950921)

HMCS Sault Ste. Marie (J334) (Algerine-class).

(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).  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).  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(

(DND Photo)

HMCS Wallaceburg (J336) (Algerine-class).

(Steve Hlasny Photo)

HMCS Wallaceburg (172) (Algerine-class).

‍

(US Naval History and Heritage Photo)

HMCS Wallaceburg (172)

HMCS Winnipeg (J337)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Winnipeg (J337) (Algerine-class).  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).  

Minesweepers, Bangor Class

HMCS Bayfield (J08)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Bayfield (J08) (Bangor-class).  Named for the village of Bayfield, NS, she was built at Vancouver for the RN but transferred to the RCN for manning, and commissioned on 26 Feb 1942.  After working up, Bayfield joined Esquimalt Force in May 1942 but was transferred to Prince Rupert Force in Nov 1942, returning to Esquimalt in Mar 1943, for re-assignment to the east coast.  She left Esquimalt on 18 Mar 1943, arriving at Halifax on 30 Apr 1943 and, after a major refit at Baltimore, MD, joined Halifax force until ordered to the UK for invasion duties.  On 18 Feb 1944, with HMCS Georgian, HMCS Mulgrave and HMCS Thunder, she left Halifax for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 7 Mar 1944.  Allocated to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla on 7 Mar 1944, her CO, Lt, Pierce was the SO of the flotilla.  She was present on D-Day, and she remained with Plymouth Command until paid off on 24 Sep 1945.  Returned to the RN, she was placed in reserve at Sheerness until 1948, when she was broken up at Gateshead.

(Laureen Duerksen Photo)

HMCS Bayfield (J08) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Bellechasse (J170)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Bellechasse (J170) (Bangor-class).  Named for a county in Quebec, HMCS Bellechasse was built at Vancouver and commissioned there 23 Dec 1941.  She spent her entire career on the west coast, alternating between Prince Rupert Force and Esquimalt Force . Paid off on 23 Oct 1945, at Esquimalt, she was sold the following year to the Union Steamship Co., Vancouver, but her intended conversion for mercantile service was not carried out.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199013)

HMCS Bellechasse (J170) (Bangor-class Minesweeper), 30 November 1944.

HMCS Blairmore (J314)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Blairmore (J314) (Bangor-class).  Built at Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned there on 17 Nov 1942.  She arrived at Halifax on 24 Dec 1942, and after working up was assigned to WLEF.  Upon the division of the forces into escort groups in Jun 1943, she became a member of EG W-4 and remained with the group until Feb 1944.  Transferred to the UK for invasion duties, she left Halifax on 20 Feb 1944 in company with HMCS Fort William, HMCS Milltown and HMCS Minas for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 08 Mar 1944 . Assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, she was present on D-Day and continued with Plymouth Command until 21 Sep 1945, when she sailed for Canada . During this period she returned to Canada for a refit at Halifax in Apr 1945, returning to Plymouth in Jul 1945.  HMCS Blairmore was paid off at Sydney, NS, on 16 Oct 1945, sold to Marine Industries Ltd., and placed in strategic reserve at Sorel in 1946.  She was re-acquired by the RCN in Jul 1951, owing to the Korean crisis, and converted to a "coastal escort" (193).  Again placed in reserve at Sydney, she was transferred to the Turkish Navy as Beycoz on 29 Mar 1958, remaining in service until 1971.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Blairmore (J314) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Brockville (J270)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Brockville (J270) (Bangor-class), (178).  Built at Sorel, Quebec, she was commissioned there on 19 Sep 1942.  She arrived at Halifax on 20 Oct 1942 in need of two weeks' repairs, having grounded at Rimouski in en route.  After working up, she was assigned briefly to WLEF and then to Halifax Force.  In Mar 1943 she was transferred back to WLEF and when that force was divided into escort groups in Jun 1943, she became a member of EG W-3.  In May 1944, Brockville returned to Sydney Force, remaining with it until Jun 1945.  She had two wartime refits: one at Dalhousie, NB, lasting seven weeks in Aug and Sep 1943; the other a three-month refit at Lunenburg at the end of 1944, followed by workups in Bermuda in Mar 1945.  On 28 Sep 1945, she was paid off at Halifax, transferred to the marine section of the RCMP and renamed Macleod.  HMCS Brockville was re-acquired by the RCN in 1950 and re-commissioned on 05 Apr 1951. After modernization at Lauzon in 1952 (178) she was assigned to Point Edward naval base at Sydney and later transferred to the west coast.  She was paid off into reserve at Esquimalt on 31 Oct 1958, and broken up three years later.

(Mike O'Keefe Photo)

HMCS Burlington (J250)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4090375)

HMCS Burlington (J250).  Built by Dufferin Shipbuilding Co., Toronto, Ontario, she was commissioned at Toronto on 6 Sep 1941, and arrived at Halifax on 30 Sep 1941.  After working up, she made Halifax her base, and in Mar 1942, was assigned to WLEF, transferring in May to Gulf Escort Force.  Late in Dec 1942 she commenced refitting progressively at Halifax, Lunenburg and Dartmouth.  Following completion of the work in May 1943, she worked up at Pictou and was assigned in June to EG W-9 of WLEF.  In Feb 1944, she was transferred to Halifax Local Defence Force, and in Sep 1944 sent to Bermuda for a month's workup.  On her return she joined Newfoundland Force, based at St. John's and served there until the Command was disbanded.  On 4 Jan 1945, U-1232, commanded by Kapt. Kurt Dobratz, attacked convoy SH-194 off (what is today) Egg Island bell buoy.  After torpedoing several ships, the convoy's escort, aided by ships from Halifax, including HMCS Burlington, searched for the U-boat.  During the search, HMCS Burlington and ML Q116 collided - holing the Burlington's hull and severely damaging Q116s bow.  Following repairs in Halifax, HMCS Burlington continued to be employed on convoy escort duties.  She engaged in a hunt for another submarine in early March.  On 22 Apr 1945 she once again went for a short refit.  By the time it was finished the war with Germany had ended.  She then engaged in miscellaneous duties until she was paid off on 30 Oct 1945, and was sold in 1946 to T. Harris of New Jersey in 1946.  She was later broken up.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Burlington (J250).

HMCS Canso (J21)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Canso (J21) (Bangor-class).  Built for the RN at North Vancouver, she was laid down and launched as HMS Canso.  Transferred to the RCN on completion, she was commissioned at Vancouver on 6 Mar 1942 as HMCS Canso.  After working up, she was assigned to Esquimalt Force from May 1942 to Jul 1943, when nominated for service in the Atlantic.  She left Esquimalt on 8 Jul 1943, arriving at Halifax on 19 Aug 1943, and was allocated to Halifax Force.  On 21 Feb 1944, with HMCS Guysborough, HMCS Kenora, and HMCS Wasaga, she sailed from Halifax via the Azores for Plymouth, arriving on 8 Mar 1944.  She was allocated in turn to the 32nd, 16th and 31st Minesweeping Flotillas, and was on hand on D-Day as part of the 16th.  In Aug 1944 she returned briefly to Canada for a refit at Saint John, NB, and in November resumed her task of clearing German Minefields.  She was paid off on 24 Sep 1945, and returned to the RN at Sheerness, to be broken up at Sunderland in 1948.

HMCS Caraquet (J38)

(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)

HMCS Caraquet (J38) (Bangor-class).  Named for a New Brunswick bay, she was built for the RN but transferred to the RCN for manning and commissioned on 2 Apr 1942, at Vancouver.  In May 1942 she joined Esquimalt Force and in Sep 1942 was transferred to Prince Rupert Force, but she returned to Esquimalt in Mar 1943, with order to proceed to the east coast.  She left Esquimalt for Halifax on 17 Mar 1943 arriving on 2 May 1943 and was allocated to WLEF, transferring in Jul 1943 to Halifax Force and in Dec 1943 to Newfoundland Force.  During this period she underwent a six-week refit at Baltimore, MD, from mid-Jul 1943.  On 19 Feb 1944, with HMCS Cowichan, HMCS Malpeque and HMCS Vegreville, she left for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 13 Mar 1944.  She was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla for invasion duties and was present on D-Day.  HMCS Caraquet proceeded to Canada at the end of Sep 1944 to refit at Lunenburg, returning to Plymouth in Mar 1945, for further mine-clearance work.  She was paid off on 26 Sep 1945 and returned to the RN at Sheerness.  In 1946 she was sold to the Portuguese Navy and renamed Almirante Lacerda.  In 1975 she was sold to the navy of the Republic of Mozambique and remained in service till 1984.

(Dennis Cardy Photo)

HMCS Caraquet (J38) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Chedabucto (J168)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Chedabucto (J168) (Bangor-class).  Built at Vancouver and commissioned there on 27 Sep 1941, HMCS Chedabucto left Esquimalt for the Atlantic on 11 Nov 1941, arriving at Halifax with a cargo of explosives.  Assigned briefly to WLEF, on 10 Apr 1942, HMCS Chedabucto J168, sank SS Trongate, whic was on fire, loaded with explosives, off Halifax.  She transferred in Jun 1942 to Gulf Escort Force, escorting convoys between Quebec City and Sydney.  In Sep 1942, she was assigned to Sydney Force and then, in Jan 1943, reassigned to WLEF.  Soon afterward she underwent a lengthy refit at Lunenburg and Halifax, on completion of which in Jun 1943, she worked up at Pictou and was allocated to Gaspé Force.  On 31 Oct 1943, Chedabucto was involved in a night collision with the cable vessel Lord Kelvin, and sank 30 miles from Rimouski with the loss of one officer.

HMCS Chignecto (J160)

(Rob Stevens Photo)

HMCS Chignecto (J160) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Vancouver on 31 Oct 1941, HMCS Chignecto spent her whole career on the west coast, alternating between Esquimalt Force and Prince Rupert Force.  She was paid off on 3 Nov 1945, at Esquimalt and sold in 1946 to the Union Steamship Co., Vancouver, for conversion to a coastal merchant ship.  The conversion was not proceeded with, and in 1951 an offer to purchase her was received from a San Francisco firm.  She was later scrapped in 1957 at the Point Hope Shipyard, Victoria, BC, Canada.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Chignecto (J160) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Clayoquot (J174)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205783)

HMCS Pictou (K146) (Flower-class) Corvette.

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(Catherine Crewe Photo)

HMCS Clayoquot (J174).  

Laid down as HMS Esperanza, she was renamed HMCS Clayoquot J174 in 1940.  Named after Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, she was commissioned at Prince Rupert on 2 Aug 1941.  After working up, she left Esquimalt on 10 Oct 1941 for Halifax, arriving 14 Nov 1941.  Initially assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force, she was transferred in Mar 1942, to WLEF and in May 1942 to Gulf Escort Force.  While serving with Gulf Escort Force she rescued 55 survivors of HMCS Charlottetown, torpedoed and sunk near Cap Chat on 11 Sep 1942.  In Oct 1942 HMCS Clayoquot joined Sydney Force.  She arrived at Halifax on 29 Dec 1942 for a major refit, which was progressively carried out there and at Liverpool and Pictou, NS.  Completing her refit in May 1943, she re-joined Sydney Force in Jul 1943 after working up.  In Jan 1944, she was transferred to HMCS Cornwallis for officers' training in A/S warfare, and in Oct 1944 was re-assigned to Halifax Force.  On 24 Dec 1944, while taking station on convoy XB.139, she was torpedoed and sunk three miles from Sambro Light Vessel by U- 806, losing eight of her crew.

The following is from McLean, Douglas M. (1994) "A Loss of the HMCS Clayoquot," Canadian Military History: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 4 - The torpedo struck without warning.  HMCS Clayoquot was returning from an anti-submarine sweep in the approaches to Halifax harbour when its stern rose into the air, mangled by the detonation of a German T-5 acoustic homing torpedo.  The men aboard felt two concussions, the second likely being depth charges stored on Clayoquot’s stern set off by the torpedo.  Whatever the details, the explosions were devastating for the small Bangor class minesweeper.  A grainy photograph of the doomed ship shows the stern blasted vertical, the ship listing to starboard. Clayoquot lasted barely ten minutes after being hit, just long enough for all but eight of her crew to escape.  The worst fate befell two young officers trapped in the port forward-cabin.  These men called out through a port hole for axes to chop their way to freedom, but all the axes were underwater.  The merciless sea closed around them as the ship vanished.

(David Hamilton Photo)

HMCS Clayoquot (J174).

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, PA16969)

HMCS Clayoquot (J174).

HMCS Courtenay (J262)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Courtenay (J262) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Prince Rupert on 21 Mar 1942, HMCS Courtenay spent her whole career on the west coast, serving alternately with the Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force.  She was paid off on 5 Nov 1945, at Esquimalt and sold in 1946 to the Union Steamship Co., Vancouver for use as a merchant ship.  However, she was not converted to this use, and has proved impossible to trace beyond 1951, when a purchase offer was made by a San Francisco firm.

HMCS Cowichan (J146)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Cowichan (J146) (Bangor-class).  Built by North Vancouver Ship repairs Ltd., she was commissioned at Vancouver on 4 Jul 1941.  She sailed from Esquimalt for Halifax on 06 Aug 1941 arriving on 10 Sep 1941.  After working up in Bermuda she was initially assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force, but was transferred in Jan 1942, to Newfoundland Force and in September to WLEF.  With WLEF's division into escort groups in Jun 1943, HMCS Cowichan became a member of EG W-6.  She remained with the group until Feb 1944, when she was ordered to the UK for invasion duties.  She left Halifax on 19 Feb 1944 with HMCS Caraquet, HMCS Malpeque and HMCS Vegreville via the Azores for Plymouth, arriving on 13 Mar 1944.  Assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, she was present on D-Day.  HMCS Cowichan returned to Canada for refit late in 19 Feb 1945, but resumed her duties overseas in June.  Proceeding home in Sep 1945, she was paid off on 9 Oct 1945, and placed in reserve at Shelburne.  Sold in 1946 to a New York buyer and converted for mercantile purposes under Greek flag, she still existed in 1956 under her original name.

(DND Photo via the CFB Esquimalt Naval Museum)

HMCS Cowichan (J146) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Digby (J267)

(Ryan Lee Photo)

HMCS Digby (J267) (Bangor-class).

(DND Photo via the CFB Esquimalt Naval Museum)

HMCS Digby (J267) (Bangor-class).  Built at Levis, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 26 Jul 1942.  She arrived at Halifax on 15 Aug 1942, and after completing workups at Pictou, was assigned to WLEF.  When WLEF was divided into escort groups in Jun 1943, HMCS Digby became a member of EG W-5.  In Apr 1944, she arrived at Lunenburg to commence a refit that continued at Shelburne and at Halifax and was completed on 7 Aug 1944.  She then proceeded to Bermuda for workups.  On returning she was allocated to Sydney Force and, in Feb 1945, to Newfoundland Force.  She was paid off on 31 Jul 1945, and placed in reserve at Sydney.  HMCS Digby was proposed for transfer to the marine section of the RCMP in 1945, to be re-named Perry, but was not taken over.  She lay in strategic reserve at Sorel until re-acquired by the RCN in 1951 and refitted for training duties. She was re-commissioned on 29 Apr 1953 (179), finally being paid off on 14 Nov 1956 and scrapped.

(Brian Dobing Photo)

HMCS Digby (J267) (Bangor-class).

(Ryan Lee Photo)

HMCS Digby (J267) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Drummondville (J253)

(RCN Photo)

HMCS Drummondville (J253) (Bangor-class).  Built at Montreal, she was commissioned there on 30 Oct 1941.  She arrived at Halifax on 11 Nov 1941 and served at various times with WLEF, Gulf Escort Force, Halifax Local Defence Force, and Sydney Force before joining Newfoundland Force in Feb 1944.  Following a major refit at Louisbourg, she proceeded to Bermuda in mid-Aug 1944 to work up, returning to St. John's early in Oct 1944.  The Newfoundland Force was disbanded in Jun 1945, and from then until Oct 1945 HMCS Drummondville was employed at miscellaneous duties on the east coast.  She was paid off at Halifax on 29 Oct 1945, and in 1946 placed in strategic reserve at Sorel.  Re-acquired by the RCN in 1952, she was placed in reserve at Sydney but never re-commissioned, and in 1958 she was sold for conversion to a merchant ship.  As SS Fort Albany she was sunk by collision near Sorel on 8 Dec 1963, and raised and broken up there the following year.

(Bill Abercrombie Photo)

HMCS Drummondville (J253) (Bangor-class), with possibly HMS P.514 and another RN sub alongside in Halifax, NS, ca 1941.  HMS P.514 and the Dutch submarine O-15 were used for anti-submarine training by the RCN.  P514 was lost on 20 June 1942, so this photo was taken before then.

(ussubvetsofworldwarii Photo)

HMS P.514, shown here as USS R-19.  She was transferred to the Royal Navy on 9 March 1942 at New London.  HMS P514 was sunk by accident in western Atlantic while she was on passage around the coast of Newfoundland from Argentia to St Johns, on 20 June 1942. HMS P514, commanded by Lt. Walter Augustus Phillimore, RN, in company with Lt.Cdr. Richard Michael Eames Pain, RN (not in command but was taking passage) left Argentia bound for St Johns.  At 0300 hours on the 21st the Canadian minesweeper HMCS Georgian, under the command of A/Lt.Cdr. A.G. Stanley, RCNR, was waiting to provide escort for a convoy bound for Sydney.  HMCS Georgian, unaware that any friendly submarines were in the area, assumed that the dark shape of HMS P514 crossing her bow, was an enemy vessel.  HMCS Georgian rammed the mystery submarine amidships and reported it sunk in position 46°33N, 53°39W.  A rescue mission was immediately sent out but no survivors were found.  A Board of Enquiry into the accident accepted that the Commanding Officer of HMCS Georgian had acted correctly as there had been no reply from the submarine to his identification challenge.

The R-class submarines were a class of USN submarines active from 1918 until 1945.  With the first of the class laid down following the the US entry into the First World War, they were built rapidly.  Although R-15 through R-20 were completed July–October 1918, they did not serve overseas, and the bulk of the class were not completed until after the Armistice.

HMS P514 was armed with 21-inch (533-mm) torpedo tubes and a 3-inch (76-mm)/50 calibre deck gun.  Three (R-3, R-17, and R-19) were transferred to the RN as HMS P.511, HMS P.512 and HMS P.514.

(Catherine Crew Photo)

British submarine, Halifax, ca 1942.

HMCS Esquimalt (J272)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Esquimalt (J272).  Commissioned at Sorel on 26 Oct 1942, HMCS Esquimalt arrived at Halifax on 21 Nov 1942.  Chronically plagued by mechanical troubles, she underwent repairs there until 27 Mar 1943, and again throughout most of May 1943.  She was then assigned to Newfoundland Force until Sep 1944, when she was transferred to Halifax Local Defence Force.  Late in Sep 1944 she underwent a three-month refit at Halifax.  While on A/S patrol on 16 Apr 1945, she was torpedoed and sunk by U-190 five miles off Chebucto Head, near Halifax, with the loss of 44 of her ship's company.  HMCS Esquimalt's survivors were rescued by HMCS Sarnia (J309).

U-190 was a IXC/40 type U-boat, built by Deutsche Schiff und Machinenbau AG Weser, Bremen, launched 8 Jun 1942, commissioned 24 Sep 1942, in service 32 months, with a record of sinking 2 ships, for a total of 7,605 tons.  She was taken over by the RCN at the end of the war and commissioned as HMCS U-190, serving for a year or so before being sunk near the last resting place of HMCS Esquimalt.

(Author Photo, 30 Jan 2019)

HMCS Esquimalt (J272) memorial in the town of Esquimalt.

HMCS Fort William (J311)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Fort William (J311) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Port Arthur on 25 Aug 1942, HMCS Fort William arrived at Halifax on 24 Sep 1942 with a good many defects, and did not commence working up until mid-Oct 1942.  A month late she was assigned to Halifax Force for local convoys.  On 11 Jan 1943, she suffered considerable damage in collision with the government vessel Lisgar at Halifax, and was under repair there for a month.  In Jun 1943, she was transferred to Newfoundland Force . She returned to Halifax in Feb 1944, for a short refit, and on 20 Feb 1944 left with HMCS Blairmore, HMCS Milltown and HMCS Minas for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 8 Mar 1944.  Assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, she was present on D-Day.  HMCS Fort William refitted at St. John's Mar 1945, re-joining the 31st Flotilla in Jul 1945 and remaining until 21 Sep 1945, when she left Plymouth for Canada.  She was paid off on 23 Oct 1945, at Sydney and was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel in 1946.  Re-acquired in Jun 1951, and extensively modernized, she lay in reserve at Sydney until 29 Nov 1957, when she was transferred to the Turkish Navy and re-named Bodrum.  She was removed from service in 1971 and broken up.

HMCS Gananoque (J259)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Gananoque (J259) (Bangor-class).  Built at Toronto, she was commissioned there on 8 Nov 1941.  HMCS Gananoque arrived at Halifax on 23 Nov 1941.  She was assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force and subsequently for brief periods to Halifax Force, St. John's Local Defence Force, Gulf Escort Force, and Sydney Force.  In Jan 1943, she was assigned to WLEF, returning to Halifax Force in Jul 1943, and to Sydney Force once again in May 1944.  During this period she had the distinction of twice refitting at other than Atlantic coast ports: in May 1943, she underwent a six-week refit at Quebec City, and in Jul 1944, an eight-week refit at Charlottetown.  In Feb 1945, she was allocated to Newfoundland Force, based at St. John's, until the force was disbanded in Jun 1945, whereupon she went to Atlantic Coast Command. Gananoque was paid off at Sydney on 13 Oct 1945, and laid up at Shelburne.  Placed in strategic reserve at Sorel in 1946, she was re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 but not re-commissioned, and in Feb 1959, she was sold for scrap.

(USN Naval History and Heritage History Photo)

HMCS Gananoque (J259)

HMCS Georgian (J144)

(Paul Lake Photo)

HMCS Georgian (J144) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Toronto on 23 Sep 1941, HMCS Georgian arrived at Halifax on 13 Oct 1941.  On completing workups she was assigned to Sydney Force, but in Jan 1942, she joined Newfoundland Force and remained with it until Feb 1944.  Through a tragic error on 12 Jun 1942, she rammed and sank the British submarine P.514 off Newfoundland.  

It was just after midnight on 21 Jun 1942.  The tragedy took place off Cape Race when the path of the eastbound submarine & her corvette escort, which were heading for St. John's from Argentia, intercepted that of a westbound convoy CL.43 being escorted by the minesweeper.  Problems with one of the ships in CL.43 had delayed the start of the convoy & it was several hours behind schedule.  At the same time an eastbound convoy, SC.88, which had been blown north of its intended track, intercepted & passed through CL.43.  The situation was confusing & dangerous.  Visibility was poor & the night sky was overcast with frequent mist patches.  HMCS Georgian detected approaching diesel engine HE on her hydrophones & turned onto the bearing to investigate.  When the lookouts spotted the submarine the helm was immediately put over & she rammed P.514 amidships.  According to one testimony, the submarine's navigation lights flicked on, then off.  According to the CO of the corvette escorting P.514, her lights had been on for some time.  The bridge personnel in Georgian could look down into the bridge of the submarine & they observed that it was empty & the hatch was shut.  At 00:40 hours Atlantic Time, the submarine went down in 27 fathoms.  There were no survivors.  A lone body was spotted in the water at the time but sank before it could be recovered.  The body of ERA, N.C. Bennett came ashore near Ferrylands a month later.  He was interred in the local graveyard with full military honors.  At the enquiry, no blame was attached to anyone concerned.  It was NSHQ policy then, & throughout the war, to not inform escort forces of the movements of Allied submarines for fear they would hesitate in attacking U-boats.  The only measure of safety offered to Allied submarines passing through an operational area was the establishment of temporary no-attack zones for aircraft, but the submarines were always on their own when it came to both ships & aircraft.

Nominated for duties in connection with the invasion of Europe, she left Halifax on 18 Feb 1944,with HMCS Bayfield, HMCS Mulgrave and HMCS Thunder for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 07 Mar 1944. Assigned to a series of minesweeping flotillas, particularly the 14th, she was present on D-Day.  She returned to Canada in Jan 1945, for refit at Lunenburg, NS, then returned to the UK for service with the 31st Flotilla in Apr 1945.  That fall she sailed again for Canada, where she was paid off at Sydney on 23 Oct 1945 and laid up at Shelburne until sold for scrap.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Georgian (J144) (Bangor-class).

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524172)

HMCS Georgian (J144) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Goderich (J260)

(Rick Murray Photo)

HMCS Goderich (J260) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Toronto on 23 Nov 1941, HMCS Goderich arrived at Halifax on 6 Dec 1941. She spent her whole career based at Halifax as a member, alternately, of Halifax Local Defence Force and Halifax Force.  She was damaged on 18 Nov 1942, in a collision with the tanker Iocoma in Halifax harbour, which necessitated three weeks' repairs there.  HMCS Goderich saw almost continuous service service, undergoing only one major refit at Liverpool, NS, from 5 Mar to 15 May 1943.  On 29 Jan 1943, she rescued survivors from the after section of the U.S. tanker Brilliant, which had broken in half during a storm.  She was paid off at Halifax on 6 Nov 1945, and in 1946 placed in strategic reserve at Sorel.  In 1951 she was re-acquired by the RCN and underwent modernization at Lauzon (198).  Never re-commissioned, however, she lay in reserve at Sydney until sold in Feb 1959 for scrap.

(RCN Photo)

HMCS Goderich (J260) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Granby (J264)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Granby (J264) (Bangor-class).  Built at Levis, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 2 May 1942. Granby arrived at Halifax on 13 May 1942.  She completed working up and was assigned first to Sydney Force and then to Western Local defence Force.  In Jun 1943, when the latter was divided into escort groups, she became a member of EG W-3 until May 1944, when she returned to Sydney Force.  During this period she had an extensive refit at Lunenburg from Jun to Oct 1944, afterward proceeding to Bermuda to work up.  She returned in Nov 1944 and was assigned to Shelburne Force in Feb 1945.  In Apr 1945 she was transferred to Halifax Force and remained under repair at Halifax until paid off on 31 Jul 1945.  Although allocated to the marine section of the RCMP as Col. White, she was not actually taken over. She was re-commissioned on 23 May 1953 (180) for conversion to a deep-diving tender, and served as such until finally paid off on 15 Dec 1966, and sold.

(RCN Photo)

HMCS Granby (J264) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Grandmère (J258)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3554190)

HMCS Grandmère (J258) (Bangor-class).  Built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, Quebec.  HMCS Grandmere was commissioned at Montreal on 11 Dec 1941.  En route to Halifax she broke down in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on 21 Dec 1941, and was towed to Sydney by HMCS Kamsack.  Later that month, while alongside at Sydney undergoing repairs, she suffered serious damage to her No.2 boiler, and was taken to Pictou for repairs, which were not completed until May 1942.  She finally arrived at Halifax, her original destination, on 5 May 1942.  She served for varying periods with WLEF, Sydney Force, Halifax Force, and Halifax Local Defence Force.  On 14 Oct 1942, while with Sydney Force, she rescued 101 survivors of the passenger ferry Caribou, torpedoed in the Cabot Strait - 126 passengers and crew of the Caribou perished.  In July 1943, she had a seven-week refit at Louisbourg and underwent a second major refit at Sydney and Halifax in Sep 1944, following which she worked up in Bermuda in Feb 1945.  The ship was paid off at Sydney on 23 Oct 1945, and placed in reserve at Shelburne.  Sold in 1947, she operated as the yacht Elda.  In 1951, she was converted to a cargo vessel, 664 gt, and renamed Jack's Bay.  She operated under British registry out of Nassau, Bahamas ports between Florida and Cuba.  In 1961 she was renamed Proton.  In Oct 1968, she was broken up at Pinto Island Metals Co., Mobile, Alabama.

(Cathy Masters Photo)

HMCS Grandmère (J258), 20-mm Oerlikon AA gun, ca 1945.

HMCS Guysborough (J52)

 (DND Photo)

HMCS Guysborough (J52) (Bangor-class).  Built by North Vancouver Ship repairs Ltd, Vancouver for the RN she was transferred to the RCN for manning.  She was commissioned on 22 Apr 1942, and assigned to Esquimalt Force.  On 17 Mar 1943, she left for Halifax, arriving on 30 April 1943 . After brief service with WLEF, she joined Halifax Force.  In mid-Sep 1943 Guysborough underwent six weeks' refit at Baltimore, MD.  On 21 Feb 1944, with HMCS Canso, HMCS Kenora and HMCS Wasaga, she left Halifax for the Azores en route to Plymouth, where she arrived on 8 Mar 1944.  She was assigned to the 14th Minesweeping Flotilla and was present on D-Day.  In Dec 1944 she returned to Canada for refit at Lunenburg, after which, bound again for Plymouth, she was torpedoed and sunk with a loss of 53 of her crew.

At 18.50 hours on 17 Mar 1945, HMCS Guysborough (J 52) (T/Lt B.T.R. Russell, RCNR) was hit in the stern by a Gnat from U-868 about 210 miles north of Cape Finisterre in the Bay of Biscay.  Sailing alone the minesweeper towed a CAT gear against acoustic torpedoes but the Gnat nevertheless hit the stern, probably because the gear was streamed too close to the ship to confuse the warhead.  Settling by the destroyed stern with a slight list to port, the vessel did not sink and the U-boat fired a coup de grâce at 19.35 hours.  The torpedo hit on the starboard side amidships and caused the minesweeper to sink fast by the stern.  Two crew members had been killed in the explosions and the remaining men had to abandon ship on five Carley floats because the motor cutter and the whaler were unusable.  A first group of 48 survivors lashed four rafts together, while the fifth raft drifted away overcrowded by the remaining men.  They had managed to send a distress signal and several vessels were sent to their rescue, but it took HMS Inglis (K 570) (T/A/LCdr A.P. Cobbold, RNVR) around 19 hours to arrive.  In the meantime 49 of the survivors had died of injuries or exposure - 36 on the overcrowded raft.  Interestingly, a Spanish trawler with “a suspicious amount of electronic gear” and suspected of having played a part in HMCS Guysborough's sinking was chased out of the area by HMS Loring.  Obviously the trawler picked up the body of at least one Canadian sailor since GF Adam is buried in the British cemetery at Bilbao, Spain.

On 10 Apr 1945, U-878 was sunk west of St. Nazaire, France in position 47-35N, 10-33W, by depth charges from HMS Vanquisher and HMS Tintagel Castle.  Of her crew of 53, there were no survivors.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Guysborough (J52) (Bangor-class).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Guysborough (J52) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Ingonish (J69)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Ingonish (J69) (Bangor-class).  Built by North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd., Vancouver, BC, for the RN but transferred to the RCN for manning, HMCS Ingonish was commissioned on 8 May 1942.  She saw her first service with the Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Forces.  She left Esquimalt 17 Mar 1943, for Halifax where, after her arrival on 30 Apr 1943, she was allocated briefly to Western Local Defence Force and then, in Jun 1943, to Halifax Force.  In mid-Nov 1943 she had a nine-week refit at Baltimore, MD.  In May 1944, she was transferred to Sydney Force and in Feb 1945, back again to Halifax Force.  Following an extensive refit at Saint John she went in May 1945 to work up in Bermuda and in June sailed for the UK.  She was returned to the RN at Sheerness on 2 Jul 1945 and placed in reserve until taken to Dunston-on-Tyne for scrapping in 1948.

(USN Naval History and Heritage Photo)

HMCS Ingonsih 6).

HMCS Kelowna (J261)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Kelowna (J261) (Bangor-class).  Built at Prince Rupert, BC, she was commissioned there on 5 Feb 1942.  HMCS Kelowna spent her entire career on the west coast, alternately a member of Prince Rupert Force and Esquimalt Force.  She was paid off at Esquimalt on 22 Oct 1945, and sold the following year for commercial purposes, first re-named Condor and later, in 1950, Hung Hsin.  Owned in Shanghai, she disappeared from Lloyd's Register after 1950.

HMCS Kenora (J281)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Kenora (J281) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned on 6 Aug 1942, at Port Arthur, she arrived at Halifax on 7 Sep 1942 and proceeded to Pictou for workups.  She was then assigned to WLEF and in Jun 1943, became a member of EG W-8.  She left Halifax on 21 Feb 1944 with HMCS Canso, HMCS Guysborough and HMCS Wasaga via the Azores for Plymouth, arriving on 8 Mar 1944.  HMCS Kenora was assigned to the 14th Minesweeping Flotilla, with which she was present on D-Day, and in October returned to Canada for a refit at Liverpool, NS.  She proceeded to the UK again in Feb 1945, and was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla until 4 Sep 1945, when she left Plymouth for Canada.  Kenora was paid off at Halifax on 6 Oct 1945, and placed in reserve at Shelburne.  In 1946, she went into strategic reserve at Sorel until re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 and moved to Sydney.  On 29 Nov 1957, she was transferred to the Turkish Navy as Bandirma.  She was removed from service in 1972.

(Virtual Museum Photo)

HMCS Kenora (J281) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Kentville (J312)

(Steve Hlasny Photo)

HMCS Kentville (J312) (Bangor-class).  Built at Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned there on 10 Oct 1942.  HMCS Kentville arrived at Halifax on 15 Nov 1942, having escorted a Quebec-Sydney convoy en route.  After working up, she was assigned to Halifax Force in Jan 1943.  With the exception of the period between May and Nov 1943, when she served with Sydney Force, she spent her entire career based at Halifax.  In May 1944, she underwent a refit at Charlottetown, on completion of which in Jul 1944 she proceeded to Bermuda for working up, returning to Halifax in mid-Aug 1944.  HMCS Kentville was paid off into reserve, first at Shelburne and then, in 1946, at Sorel.  She was re-acquired by the RCN in 1952, refitted and placed in reserve at Sydney, and was again commissioned (182) during the summer of 1954.  Transferred on 29 Nov 1957 to the Turkish Navy and renamed Bartin, she remained in service until 1972.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Kentville (182) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Lachine (J266)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Lachine (J266) (Bangor-class).  Built at Levis, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 20 June 1942,  HMCS Lachine arrived at Halifax on 4 Jul 1942 and, after repairs and workups, was assigned to Sydney Force in Sep 1942.  In Oct 1942 she was transferred to WLEF, and in Jun 1943, became a member of EG W-6, one of the force's newly created escort groups.  She served with Halifax Force from Jun 1944 until VE-Day, and on 31 Jul 1945, was paid off at Shelburne.  During the war she underwent two refits: the first, at Dalhousie, NB, from Oct to Nov 1943; the second, at Lunenburg, from Dec 1944 to Mar 1945, followed by workups in Bermuda.  An intended transfer to the marine section of the RCMP as Starnes did not materialize, and HMCS Lachine was sold in 1945 for conversion to a salvage tug.

HMCS Lockeport (J100)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Lockeport (J100) (Bangor-class).  Built for the RN by North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd., at Vancouver but transferred to the RCN for manning.  She was commissioned on 27 May 1942, and served with Esquimalt Force until 17 March 1943, when she left for Halifax.  On her arrival there on 30 Apr 1943 she was assigned briefly to WLEF and, in Jun 1943, to Halifax Force.  In Nov and Dec 1943, she was lent to Newfoundland Force but was withdrawn owing to engine trouble.  On 9 Jan 1944, while en route to Baltimore for refit, her engines broke down in a storm, and she made 190 miles under improvised sail before being towed the rest of the way to her destination.  

Upon her return to Halifax in Apr 1944, HMCS Lockeport was ordered to Bermuda to work up, and on the homeward journey she escorted the boats of the 78th Motor Launch Flotilla . Returning to Sydney Force in May 1944, she was frequently an escort to the Port-aux-Basques/Sydney ferry.  She left Canada on 27 May 1945, for the UK, and was returned to the RN at Sheerness on 2 Jul 1945, to be broken up three years later at Dorkin, Gateshead.

HMCS Lockeport (J100), a wartime minesweeper, literally "sailed" 200 miles after a violent storm put her engines out of commission in January 1944. The enterprising crew members sewed all the hammocks together and lashed them to the masts as a foresail and a mizzen. The ship made good progress despite a heavy list to port and was eventually towed safely into port.

 (DND Photo)

HMCS Lockeport (J100) (Bangor-class).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Lockeport (J100) (Bangor-class).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Lockeport (J100) (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).

(Jim Silvester 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 No 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.

HMCS Port Hope (J280)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Port Hope (J280) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Toronto on 30 Jul 1942, HMCS Port Hope arrived at Halifax on 29 Aug 1942 and on completion of workshops, joined Halifax Force.  In May 1943, owing to U-boat activity in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, she was transferred to Gaspé Force, but returned to Halifax Force in Nov 1943.  In Jan 1944, she was transferred to Newfoundland Force.  In Oct 1944 she underwent an extensive refit at Saint John and Halifax, on completion of which she went to Bermuda to work up.  Returning, HMCS Port Hope served a short further stint with Halifax Force from Apr to Jun 1945, then performed miscellaneous duties on the east coast until paid off at Sydney on 13 Oct 1945.  She lay in strategic reserve at Sorel until 1952, when the RCN re-acquired her (183).  She was was not re-commissioned, and was sold in February, 1959, for breaking up at Sorel.

HMCS Quatsino (J152)

(Linda Carleton Photo)

HMCS Quatsino (J152) (Bangor-class).  Named for Quatsino Sound, Vancouver Island, she was built by Prince Rupert Dry Dock & Shipyards Co., Prince Rupert, BC and commissioned on 3 Nov 1941.  HMCS Quatsino spent her entire service life on the west coast, alternately a member of the Prince Rupert and Esquimalt Force.  She was paid off at Esquimalt on 26 Nov 1945, and converted for commercial purposes in 1947, to be re-named Chen Hsin and domiciled at Shanghai.  Sold again in 1949, she was renamed Concord.  She was last listed in Lloyd's Register in 1950

HMCS Quinte (J166)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Quinte (J166) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Vancouver on 30 Aug 1941, HMCS Quinte left Esquimalt 10 Oct 1941 for Halifax, arriving on 14 Nov 1941.  She was assigned at first to WLEF, and then, in Jun 1942, to Halifax Force.  On 28 Nov 1942, after completing a six-week refit at Lunenburg, she grounded, causing extensive damage to her bottom and had to be beached.  In the memoirs of L/Tel George Crewe, the CO had him send a message requesting permission to enter Halifax to oil as the ship was low on oil.  Permission was denied and HMCS Quinte was ordered to proceed without stopping at Halifax.  As a result, she ran out of fuel oil, drifted and was driven ashore in a storm, grounding on 28 Nov 1942 on Horse Head Shoal and was beached near St. Peter’s, Cape Breton.  Quinte was re-floated ten days later and moved to the wall at St. Peter’s Canal to continue pumping operations.  The next day she took an unexpected list, rolling on her side and sank making her the only ship in the RCN to sink twice in 10 days.  

Salvage work continued throughout most of the winter, and on 25 Apr 1943, she arrived at Pictou in tow for repairs, which were not completed until Jun 1944.  She was then sent to HMCS Cornwallis as a training ship, arriving at Digby on 21 Aug 1944, and remained there until the end of 1945.  In 1946 she was employed with the Naval Research Establishment at Halifax until paid off on 25 Oct 1946.  In August 1947, HMCS Quinte sold to the Steel Co. of Canada, Hamilton, Ontario, and was broken up at Sydney, NS, later that year.

(Catherine Crewe Photo)

HMCS Quinte (J166) (Bangor-class).

(Catherine Crewe Photo)

HMCS Quinte (J166) (Bangor-class), twin AA machine guns.

(Walter Gregory Photo)

HMCS Quinte (J166), being salvaged by the Foundation Maritime Ltd’s ship Foundation Aranmore in November 1942, Cape Breton, NS.

HMCS Red Deer (J255)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Red Deer (J255) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Montreal on 24 Nov 1941, HMCS Red Deer arrived at Halifax on 3 Dec 1941.  She was assigned to WLEF, later serving at various times with Halifax Local Defence Force, Gulf Escort Force, and Sydney Force.  On 12 Jan 1942, she rescued survivors from the British SS Cyclops, which was torpedoed 125 miles southeast of Cape Sable, the first victim of the epic U-boat campaign off the US east coast.  In May 1944, she began a refit at Liverpool, NS, and was sent to Bermuda to work up late in July.  In Feb 1944, she had been allocated to Newfoundland Force, and she continued a member of this force until VE-Day.  She was paid off at Halifax on 30 Oct 1945, and laid up at Shelburne, later being placed in strategic reserve at Sorel.  Re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 (196), she was never re-commissioned, and was sold in Feb 1959, for breaking up at Sorel.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3203178)

HMCS Red Deer (J255) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Sarnia (J309)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Sarnia (J309) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Toronto on 13 Aug 1942, HMCS Sarnia arrived at Halifax on 22 Sep 1942, having escorted a Quebec-Sydney convoy en route, and was assigned to Newfoundland Force.  In Sep 1944, she underwent a major refit at Lunenburg, and on completion went to Bermuda in Nov 1944 to work up.  On her return to Canada she was assigned to Halifax Force and, later, to Halifax Local Defence Force until Jun 1945.  On 16 Apr 1945, she rescued survivors of HMCS Esquimalt, torpedoed outside Halifax.  She then performed miscellaneous duties until paid off on 28 Oct 1945, at Sydney and laid up at Shelburne.  In 1946 she was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel and in 1951 re-acquired by the RCN and extensively refitted (190).  She did not re-commission, however, and on 29 Mar 1958 was transferred to the Turkish navy to serve until 1972 as Buyukdere.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Sarnia (J309) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Stratford (J310)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Stratford (J310) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Toronto on 29 Aug 1942, HMCS Stratford and arrived at Halifax on 22 Sep 1942, where she was assigned to Newfoundland Force.  She remained with this force as a convoy escort throughout her wartime career, and saw continuous service.  She did not require a major refit until Dec 1944, when this was done at Dartmouth, NS.  On its completion she carried out workups in Bermuda from 15 Feb to 08 Mar 1945.  Returning from Bermuda, she was involved in a collision with HMCS Ottawa in the Halifax approaches on 11 Mar 1945, receiving extensive damage to her fo'c's'le.  Though inactive thereafter, she was not paid off until 4 Jan 1946, and was then sold for scrap.

HMCS Swift Current (J254)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Swift Current (J254) (Bangor-class).  Built at Montreal, she was commissioned there on  11 Nov 1941. She arrived at Halifax on 24 Nov 1941 and was based there for A/S training.  In May 1942, HMCS Swift Current was moved to Pictou in the same capacity, and continued in this role until Feb 1943, when she was transferred to Halifax Force.  She went to Gaspé Force in Jun 1943, but returned to Halifax Force in Nov 1943.  In Feb 1944, following a major refit at Lunenburg, she was transferred to Newfoundland Force, remaining there until Jun 1945.  Miscellaneous duties occupied her until she was paid off at Sydney on 23 Oct 1945, and laid up at Shelburne.  HMCS Swift Current was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel the following year, but re-acquired by the RCN in 1951 (185), owing to the Korean emergency.  However, she was not re-commissioned and was handed over to the Turkish Navy on 29 Mar 1958.  Re-named Bozcaada, she remained in Turkish service until 1971.

HMCS Thunder (J156)

(Fred Ambrose Photo)

HMCS Thunder (J156) (Bangor-class).  Built at Toronto, she was commissioned there on 14 Oct 1941.  HMCS Thunder arrived at Halifax 30 Oct 1941.  After working up, she joined Sydney Force, but in Jan 1942, was transferred to WLEF and subsequently to Halifax Local Defence Force, Shelburne Force, Halifax Force, and back to Sydney Force.  She sailed with HMCS Bayfield, HMCS Georgian and HMCS Mulgrave from Halifax on 18 Feb 1944, for Plymouth via the Azores.  Arriving on 13 Mar 1944, she was allocated to the 32nd Minesweeping Flotilla as Senior Officer's ship but was later transferred to the 4th Flotilla, and was present on D-Day.  HMCS Thunder returned to Canada in Aug 1944, to refit at Sydney but was back at Plymouth in late November, assigned to the 31st Flotilla.  In May 1945, in the Bay of Biscay, she accepted the surrender of the German auxiliary minesweeper FGi07.  She sailed for Canada in Sep 1945, to be paid off on 4 Oct 1945 at Halifax, and was broken up at Sorel in 1947.

HMCS Transcona (J271)

(Ryan Lee Photo)

HMCS Transcona (J271) (Bangor-class).  Built at Sorel and commissioned there on 25 Nov 1942, HMCS Transcona was the last Bangor class minesweeper to join the RCN.  She arrived at Halifax on 19 Dec 1942, having escorted HMCS Provider en route, and remained in shipyard hands there from 22 Dec 1942 to 6 Mar 1943, owing to engine defects.  Following workups at Halifax, she was assigned in Apr 1943, to WLEF and, in June, to newly created EG W-2.  In May 1944, she joined Halifax Force, remaining until Jun 1945, after which she performed various local tasks until she was paid off at Sydney on 12 Jun 1945.  On 1 Sep 1945, HMCS Transcona was transferred to the marine section of the RCMP and renamed French.  She was sold for scrap at La Have, NS, in 1961.

(US Naval History and Heritage Photo)

HMCS Transcona (J271).

HMCS Trois-Rivières (J269)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Trois-Rivières (J269) (Bangor-class).  Built at Sorel and commissioned there on 12 Aug 1942, she arrived at Halifax on 29 Aug 1942 and, after working up at Pictou, was assigned to WLEF.  In Nov 1942, she was transferred to the Newfoundland Force, serving until the Command was disbanded in Jun 1945.  She was under repair at Dalhousie, NB, Halifax and Saint John between Oct 1943 and Jan 1944, and had a major refit at Lunenburg from Feb to May 1945, followed by workups in Bermuda.  HMCS Trois-Rivieres was paid off on 31 Jul 1945, and handed over later that year to serve the RCMP as MacBrien MP 92.  She was sold for scrap in 1960.

HMCS Truro (J268)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Truro (J268) (Bangor-class).  Built at Levis, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 27 Aug 1942 and arrived at Halifax on 15 Sep 1942.  Initially allocated to WLEF, she became a member of newly created EG W-4 in Jun 1943.  In May 1944, she was transferred to Sydney Force, and from Dec 1944 to Feb 1945, underwent a major refit at Lunenburg.  HMCS Truro was then assigned briefly to Halifax Force before returning to Sydney Force until Jun 1945.  Paid off on 31 Jul 1945 at Sydney, she was handed over to the RCMP on 3 Aug 1945 and renamed Herchmer.  She was never commissioned and was paid off on 6 Aug 1946.  She was converted to the commercial vessel Gulf Mariner in 1947.  Abandoned ashore in the Fraser River after plans to convert her to a suction dredge had fallen though, she was broken up in 1964.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3554375)

HMCS Truro, Bangor class minesweeper.  The caption indicates it belongs to Canada Steamship Lines so most likely post war, as it is flying their flag.

HMCS Ungava (J149)

(Rod Henderson Photo)

HMCS Ungava (J149) (Bangor-class).  Built by North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd., she was commissioned at Vancouver on 05 Sep 1941.  HMCS Ungava left Esquimalt on 10 Oct 1941 for Halifax, arriving on 14 Nov 1941.  Initially assigned to Halifax Force, she was transferred in May 1943, to Gaspé Force, then back to Halifax Force in Dec 1943.  In May 1944, she joined Sydney Force, returning again to Halifax Force in Feb 1945.  Following a refit from Apr to May 1945, at Liverpool, NS, she went to Bermuda to work up, and on her return after VE-Day she was assigned miscellaneous duties until paid off at Halifax on 3 Apr 1946.  She was sold in 1946 to T. Harris, of Barber, New Jersey to be broken up.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205781)

HMCS Ungava (149), 20 September 1941.

HMCS Vegreville (J257)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3554189)

HMCS Vegreville (J257) (Bangor-class).  Built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, she was commissioned at Montreal on 10 Dec 1941.  HMCS Vegreville arrived at Halifax on 18 Dec 1941 and was assigned to WLEF.  She was re-assigned to Gulf Escort Force in Jun 1942, and transferred in Sep 1942 to Newfoundland Force.  In Jan 1944, she was assigned to invasion duties, and sailed on 19 Feb 1944 from Halifax for Plymouth via the Azores, in company with HMCS Caraquet, HMCS Cowichan, and HMCS Malpeque.  Arriving at Plymouth on 13 Mar 1944, HMCS Vegreville was assigned successively to the 32nd, 14th and 31st Minesweeping Flotillas, and was present on D-Day as part of the 14th.  In Sep 1944, she proceeded to Canada to refit at Sydney, returning to Plymouth on 4 Feb 1945.  On 23 Apr 1945, while operating off the French coast, she was damaged by a mine and sustained severe damage to her port engine.  Dockyard survey at Devonport indicated that she was not worth repairing at that stage of the war, and she was laid up at Falmouth in Jun 1945.  Paid off on 06 Jun 1945, she was broken up at Hayle, UK, in 1947.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Vegreville (J257) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Wasaga (J162)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Wasaga (J162) (Bangor-class).  The first of the RCN Bangors, HMCS Wasaga was commissioned at Vancouver on 30 Jun 1941.  She left Esquimalt on 06 Aug 1941 for Halifax, arriving on 10 Sep 1941.  Sent to Bermuda for working-up, she was assigned to Halifax Force on her return.  In Mar 1942, she was transferred to Newfoundland Force and, in Jan 1944, to Sydney Force.  Ordered to the UK for invasion duties, she sailed from Halifax on 21 Feb 1944, for Plymouth via the Azores, in company with HMCS Canso, HMCS Guysborough and HMCS Kenora.  Arriving at Plymouth early in Mar 1944, she was assigned at first to the 32nd and then to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, and was on hand on D-Day.  She sailed for Canada on 30 Sep 1944, to refit at Charlottetown, returning to Plymouth on 4 Feb 1945.  On 11 Apr 1945 HMCS Wasaga was hit by HMS Sursay.   HMS Sursay struck HMCS Wasaga in the seaman's mess.  The crew managed to shore up the ship and she made it to port for repairs.  In Sep 1945 she returned to Canada and was paid off at Halifax on 6 Oct 1945, to be laid up at Shelburne until sold for scrap in 1947.

HMCS Westmount (J318)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Westmount (J318) (Bangor-class).  Built at Lauzon, Quebec, she was commissioned at Toronto on 15 Sep 1942.  HMCS Westmount arrived at Halifax on 10 Oct 1942 and proceeded to Pictou to work up.  Following this, she underwent engine repairs at Halifax from 20 Nov 1942 to 02 Feb 1943.  She was then assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force and, later, to Halifax Force.  In May 1943, she was transferred to Sydney Force, but returned to Halifax Force in Jan 1944.  In Feb 1945, she commenced a major refit at Lunenburg and, after this completed late in Apr 1945, proceeded to Bermuda to work up.  Upon her return to Halifax on 30 May 1945 she was assigned to miscellaneous duties until paid off at Sydney on 13 Oct 1945, and laid up at Shelburne.  In 1946 she was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel until re-acquired by the RCN in 1951 (187).  On 29 Mar 1958, she was transferred to the Turkish Navy, and served as Bornova until 1972.

Minesweepers (Fundy-class)

The Fundy-class minesweepers included four minesweepers operated by the RCN during the Second World War.  All four ships entered service in 1938 and the class was discarded in 1945, sold for mercantile service.  Three ended up sold to Chinese interests, while one remained active in Canada until 1987.  The class derived its name from the lead ship, HMCS Fundy, and are all named after bays in Canada.  The Fundy-class minesweepers were modified versions of the British Basset-class trawler mineseepers.  The Canadian ships were given extra strengthening for ice conditions.  Two were initially assigned to the west coast and two, including HMCS Fundy, to the east coast.

HMCS Comox (J64), HMCS Fundy (J88), HMCS Gaspé (J94), HMCS Nootka/Nanoose (J35)

HMCS Comox (J64)

(City of Vancouver Archives Photo, ca 1937)

HMCS Comox (J64) (Fundy-class).  Commissioned on 23 Nov 1938, HMCS Comox was stationed at Esquimalt at the outbreak of the war, and carried out local patrol duties until Mar 1940, when, with HMCS Nootka, she was ordered to the east coast.  Arriving at Halifax in Apr 1940, she spent the entire war on local minesweeping duties with Halifax Local Defence Force.  On 15 Jan 1945, with HMCS Fundy, she rescued survivors from the US liberty ship Martin van Buren, torpedoed off Halifax.  She was paid off 27 Jul 1945.  Sold for commercial use in 1946 she was converted to a tug and re-named the Sung Ming.

(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)

HMCS Comox (J64) (Fundy-class).

(Ron Bell Photo)

HMCS Comox (J64) (Fundy-class).

HMCS Fundy (J88)

 (DND Photo)

HMCS Fundy (J88) (Fundy-class).  Built at Collingwood, Ontario, she was commissioned there on 1 Sep 1938.  She was at Halifax when the war began, and served almost continuously as a member of Halifax Local defence Force on local minesweeping duties.  In Jul 1942, her one change of occupation occurred when she escorted on convoy to Boston and another back to Halifax.  On 15 Jan 1945, with HMCS Comox, she rescued survivors of the torpedoed US liberty ship Martin van Buren.  HMCS Fundy was paid off at Halifax on 27 Jul 1945.  She was sold in 1947 to Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, Quebec and converted to mercantile.  She became the coaster Aigle Marin and then the Anne R.D.  She was broken up at La Malbaie, Quebec in 1987.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Fundy (J88) (Fundy-class).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Fundy (J88) (Fundy-class).

HMCS Gaspé (J94)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Gaspé (J94) (Fundy-class).  Commissioned at Quebec on 21 Oct 1938, HMCS Gaspé was at Halifax when hostilities broke out.  Throughout the war she served with Halifax Local Defence Force on local minesweeping duties.  She was paid off at Halifax on 23 Jul 1945, and sold into mercantile service in 1946, becoming the Shanghai tug Sung Li.

HMCS Nootka/Nanoose (J35)

(DND Photo, HMCS Nootka)

HMCS Nanoose (J35) (Fundy-class).  Commissioned on 6 Dec 1938, at Esquimalt, HMCS Nootka was based there when the war began.  She performed local patrol duty until Mar 1940, when, with HMCS Comox, she was transferred to Halifax Local Defence Force with which she remained throughout the war.  On 1 Apr 1943, she was renamed HMCS Nanoose so that her original name could be allotted to a Tribal class destroyer.  She was paid off at Halifax on 29 Jul 1945, and, like two of her sisters, sold in 1946 to become a tug.  Her Chinese owners renamed her Sung Ling.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Nanoose (J35) (Fundy-class).

Minesweepers (Lake Class)

The Lake Class Minesweepers were copies of the Admiralty type, 126-foot wooden-hulled minesweepers, of which 24 were completed in east-coast yards for the RN.  Of the 16 for which orders were placed by the RCN, only 10 were completed as warships, VJ-Day having intervened, and these were transferred to the USSR.  The 3 on which work was stopped were completed for civilian use.  The remaining 3 were apparently never begun.  (Ken Macpherson and John Burgess, The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-1981, Collins, Toronto, 1982, p.135)

HMCS Alder Lake (J480) (Lake-class).  Transferred to USSR, 20 Sep1945 as T-196.

HMCS Ash Lake (J481) (Lake-class).  Transferred to the Department of Mines as Cartier.

HMCS Beech Lake (J482) (Lake-class).  Built at Vancouver Shipyards Ltd., she was launched on 31 May 1945.  Transferred to USSR, 5 February 1946 as T-200.  Re-named GRS-2 in 1956.

HMCS Birch Lake (J483) (Lake-class).  Completed as MV Aspy III.

HMCS Cedar Lake (J484) (Lake-class).  Transferred to USSR, 1 Nov 1945 as T-197.

HMCS Cherry Lake (J485) (Lake-class).  Cancelled 22 Oct 1945.

HMCS Elm Lake (J486) (Lake Class).  Transferred to USSR as T-193.

HMCS Fir Lake (J486) (Lake-class).  Completed as mission ship Regina Polaris.

HMCS Hickory Lake (J487) (Lake-class).  Transferred to USSR, 15 Aug 1945 as T-194.

HMCS Larch Lake (J488) (Lake-class).  Transferred to USSR, 1 Nov 1945 as T-198.

HMCS Maple Lake (J489) (Lake-class).   Ordered 4 May 1944, cancelled 18 Sep 1944.  This vessel completed but not as a warship.  It was sold to Norwegian whaling interests and eventually ended up in British Columbia.  It ended up as a floating home at Maple Ridge on the Fraser River but sank at its moorings.  (Brendan Coyle)

HMCS Oak Lake (J490) (Lake-class).  Ordered 4 May 1944, cancelled 18 Sep 1944.

HMCS Pine Lake (J491)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Pine Lake (J491) (Lake-class).  Transferred to USSR, 20 Sep 1945 as T-195.

HMCS Poplar Lake (J492) (Lake-class).  Launched 10 May 1945.  Transferred to USSR, 9 Jan 1946 as T-199, re-named Termoskop in 1957, re-named LOTs-83 in 1957.

HMCS Spruce Lake (J493) (Lake-class).  Built by Star Shipyards Lt., New Westminster, BC.  Launched 10 Jul 1945. Displacement: 360 tons; Length: 140 feet; Beam 28 ft; Draught: 12.5 feet; Armament: 2-20mm.  Transferred to USSR 19 March 1946 as T-201, re-named Kashalot in 1955.

HMCS Willow Lake (J495) (Lake-class).  Built by Newcastle Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, Nanaimo, BC.  Launched 27 Jul 1945. Transferred to USSR, 11 March 1946 as T-202, re-named SBR-125 in 1956.

Minesweepers, Llewellyn Class

HMCS Coquitlam (J364) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Newcastle Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Nanaimo, BC, she was commission at Nanaimo on 25 Jul 1944.  She was employed out of Esquimalt on Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force until the end of the war.  Coquitlam was sold for civilian use in 1946 and re-named Wilcox.  She ran aground at Carleton Point, Anticosti Island in Jun 1954.

HMCS Cranbrook (J372)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Cranbrook (J372) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Star Shipyards Ltd., New Westminster, B.C., Cranbrook was commissioned at New Westminster on 12 May 1944. She served out of Esquimalt on Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force. She was sold in 1947.

HMCS Daerwood (J357)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Daerwood (J357) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Vancouver Shipyards Ltd., HMCS Daerwood was commissioned at Vancouver on 22 Apr 1944.  She served out of Esquimalt on Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force.  She was sold in 1947.

HMCS Kalamalka (J395)

(WWII in color Photo)

HMCS Kalamalka (J395) (Llewellyn-class).  Built by A.C. Benson Shipyard Ltd. of Vancouver, HMCS Kalamalka was commissioned in the Canadian Navy 4 Jul 1944.  She was assigned to the Local Defence Force and was continuously employed on precautionary sweeps of the approaches to Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Harbour.  Initially paid off in Nov 1945, she was reactivated and sent to Halifax where she served as a guard ship for the reserve fleet.  Paid off again, she was restored to service in the summer and fall of 1952 and 1953 for use as a tender at St. John’s and was finally paid off on 23 Oct 1953 and transferred to the Department of Indian Affairs.  Later sold she was reported to have sank in 1968.

HMCS Lavallee (J371) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at A.C. Benson Shipyard Ltd., Vancouver, she was commissioned at Vancouver on 21 Jun 1944.  She served out of Esquimalt on Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force.  After the war she was sold for civilian use as Lavalee and was destroyed by fire in 1968.

HMCS Llewellyn (J278)

(Dennis Messier Photo)

HMCS Llewellyn (J278) and HMCS Suderoy V (J05) seen from the sweep deck of HMCS Lloyd George (J279)

HMCS Llewellyn (J278) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Chantier Maritime de St. Laurent, Ile d'Orleans, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 24 Aug 1942.  She was assigned to Halifax Defence Force and spent her wartime career on precautionary sweeps of the Halifax approaches. After the war she served as guard ship for the reserve fleet at Halifax until paid off on 14 Jun 1946.  She was re-commissioned in 1949 for use as a tender at Saint John, and finally paid off on 31 Oct 1951. Sold in 1957 for commercial use, she foundered on 28 Oct 1960 while fishing off Cape Breton.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Llewellyn (J278)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Llewellyn (J278)

(Crowsnest Magazine Photo)

HMCS Llewellyn (J278), heading for her berth in HMC Dockyard, Halifax, after a 2,000-mile reserve training cruise around the coast of Newfoundland, 1949.

HMCS Lloyd George (J279)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Lloyd George (J279) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Chantier Maritime de St. Laurent, Ile d'Orleans, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 24 Aug 1942.  She was assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force, and spent her wartime career on precautionary sweeps of the Halifax approaches.  After the war she served as guard vessel  for the reserve fleet.  In May 1947 she was performing Bathythermographic duties.  Paid off on 16 Jul 1948, she was sold in 1949.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3393070)

Personnel handling the LL magnetic minsesweeping cable on board the minesweeper HMCS Lloyd George (J279) (Llewellyn-class), off Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1943.

HMCS Revelstoke (J373) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Star Shipyards Lt., New Westminster, BC, she was commissioned at New Westminster on 4 Jul 1944.  She spent her wartime service as part of Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force, being paid off on 2 Sep 1945.  HMCS Revelstoke was re-commissioned for passage to Halifax for a time.  She was re-commissioned in the summer and fall of 1952 and 1953 for use as a tender at St. John's, Newfoundland.  She was finally paid off on 23 Oct 1953, for transfer to the Department of Indian Affairs.  She was later sold in 1956.

HMCS Rossland (J358)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Rossland (J358) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Vancouver Shipyards Ltd., she was commissioned on 15 Jul 1944 at Vancouver.  She spent her wartime career with Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force, being paid off on 1 Nov 1945.  She was sold in 1946.

HMCS St. Joseph (J359)

(DND Photo)

HMCS St. Joseph (J359) (Llewellyn-class).  Built at Newcastle Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Nanaimo, BC, she was commissioned at Nanaimo on 24 May 1944.  She spent her wartime career on Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force, being paid off on 18 Jun 1945. She was sold in 1947.

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