RCN River class Frigates: HMCS Lasalle (K519), HMCS Lauzon (K371), HMCS Orkney (K448), HMCS Outremont (K322)
HMCS Lasalle (K519)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Lasalle (K519) River class Frigate.
Laid down at Lauzon, Quebec, she was built by Davie Shipbuilding & Repair Co., Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec. Commissioned on 29 Jun 1944, at Quebec City, she arrived in Bermuda on 31 Aug 1944 to carry out working-up exercises. She left on 1 Oct 1944 for Halifax, there to become a member of the newly formed EG 27, and spent the remainder of the war in that area on A/S patrol and support duty . In Jun 1945, HMCS Lasalle sailed for Esquimalt via the Panama Canal and was paid off at Esquimalt on 17 Dec 1945. She was dismantled in 1947 and her hull expended as a breakwater in 1948 at Kelsey Bay, BC.
(RCN Photo via the Naval Museum of Halifax)
A depth charge exploding astern ofHMCS Lasalle (K519) River class Frigate.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Lasalle (K519) River class Frig
HMCS Lauzon (K371)
(DND Photo)
HMCS Lauzon (K671) River class Frigate, entering St. John’s Harbour, Newfoundland ca 1945. Built by George T. Davie & Sons Ltd., she was commissioned on 30 Aug 1944, at Quebec City. HMCS Lauzon arrived at Halifax in mid-Oct 1944 and in Nov 1944 spent three weeks’ working up in Bermuda. She arrived at St. John’s, Newfoundland, 30 Nov 1944 to join EG C-6, and was continuously employed as a mid-ocean escort until VE-Day. She left Londonderry 13 Jun 1945 for the last time, and that summer was employed as a troop-carrier between St. John’s and Quebec City. Paid off on 7 Nov 1945, she was laid up in reserve at Shelburne, NS, until purchased in 1946 by Marine Industries Ltd. The RCN re-acquired her in 1951 for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (322). She was re-commissioned on 12 Dec 1953, and assumed a training role on the east coast until finally paid off on 24 May 1963. She was sold the following year to a Toronto buyer, presumably for scrap.
HMCS Orkney (K448)
(Dennis Cardy Photo)
HMCS Orkney (K448) River class Frigate. Originally to be named HMCS Yorkton to commemorate Yorkton, Saskatchewan., she was named HMCS Orkney to avoid confusion with the USS Yorktown what was already in commission. Laid down in Esquimalt, she was built by Yarrows Ltd. Commissioned on 14 Apr 1944, at Victoria, Orkney arrived at Halifax 8 Jun 1944. After working up in Bermuda she returned to Halifax in Aug 1944 to join EG 16, but was transferred as Senior Officer’s ship to EG 25 at Londonderry, sailing late in Oct 1944 with eastbound convoy HX.317. She remained on duty in UK waters until 13 Feb 1945 when she collided with SS Blairnevis which sank with no loss of life. HMCS Orkney proceeded to Dunstaffnage, Scotland, for repairs. At the time of the accident, HMCS Orkney was part of Escort Group 25, which was engaged in escorting merchant shipping into Liverpool. The weather at the time of the accident was foul with heavy rain that further reduced visibility. SS Blairnevis was a new merchant ship, loaded with valuable bauxite. She had to be grounded to avoid her sinking and blocking the swept channel in the Mersey River estuary. Following the collision, HMCS Orkney‘s repairs lasted until Apr 1945. Following a week’s workups at Tobermory, HMCS Orkney returned briefly to ‘Derry, then sailed late in May 1945 for home and tropicalization refit at Louisbourg, NS. This was completed on 20 Oct 1945, after which she served locally until paid off 22 Jan 1946, to reserve in Bedford Basin. Following her service in the war, Orkney was disarmed and laid up in Bedford Basin. She was purchased in early 1947, and moved to a ship breaker’s yard in Brooklyn, NY, where she was stripped down to the upper deck. Refitted to carry as many passengers as possible and remamed Violette, she joined the sixty-two other vessels operated by “Haganah” to smuggle illegal Jewish immigrants to Palestine. With the creation of the state of Israel on 14 May 1948, Violette was was laid up. In 1952, she was re-acquired by the Israeli Navy, and re-armed as a warship. She was then re-commissioned as the Mitvach K28, and for some time afterward, with former HMCS Hallowell (Misnak) and HMCS Strathadam (Misgav), were the largest ships in the Israeli Navy. In 1959, Mitvach was sold to the then- Royal Ceylon Navy and served as Mahasena until 1964 when she was paid off and sold to a Hong Kong ship breaker on 31 May 1964.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Orkney (K448) River class Frigate.
(Robert Chasse Photo)
HMCS Orkney (K448) River class Frigate, depth charge, training on the West Coast of Canada ca May 1944.
(USN Naval History and Heritage Photo, 80-G-236636)
HMCS Orkney (K448)
(Robert Chasse Photo)
…and the reason it was necessary to hunt down and sink U-boats before they got to the convoys. Torpedoed British freighter sinking south of Newfoundland.
HMCS Outremont (K322)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Outremont (K322) River class Frigate, shown here at at Jetty Number 9, Sydney, Nova Scotia, 31 Aug 1945. Built at Quebec City, she was commissioned there on 27 Nov 1943. HMCS Outremont K322 arrived at Halifax on 13 Dec 1943 and carried out working-up exercises in St. Margaret’s Bay. She left St. John’s, Newfoundland, on 17 Feb 1944, to join EG 6, Londonderry, and served mainly on escort and patrol duties in UK waters. On 28 Apr 1944, HMCS Outremont, in company with HMCS Waskesiu K330, HMCS Grou K518 and HMCS Cape Breton K350 departed Kola Inlet with Convoy RA.59; arriving at Loch Ewe on 6 May 1944. HMCS Outremont was present off Normandy on D-Day. She left the UK on 30 Nov 1944 for tropicalization refit at Sydney, which kept her idle until 20 Aug 1945, only to be paid off on 5 Nov 1945 and sold to Marine Industries Ltd. Later re-acquired by the RCN and converted to a Prestonian class ocean escort (310), she was re-commissioned 2 Sep 1955, and served in a training role until finally paid off 7 Jun 1965, and arrived at La Spezia on 11 Apr 1966 for breaking up.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Outremont (K322) River class Frigate.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Outremont (K322) River class Frigate.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Outremont (K322) River class Frigate.