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| Personnel preparing to fire depth charges as the destroyer HMCS Saguenay attacks a submarine contact at sea, 30 October 1941. |
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| Officers and ratings on the bridge of the destroyer HMCS Restigouche watching a torpedoed Greek merchant ship at sea, ca. 1941. |
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| Lieutenant-Commander Robert P. Welland addressing the ship's company upon relinquishing command of the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine, England, November 1944. |
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| The destroyer HMCS St. Francis, which is escorting a convoy, prepares to take on fuel from a tanker at sea, 7 November 1942. |
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| Officers of the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine, which sank the German submarine U-210 on 6 August 1942, St. John's, Newfoundland, 10 August 1942. |
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| Vice-Admiral Percy W. Nelles, Chief of the Naval Staff, addressing the Ship's Company of the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan, Plymouth, England, 14 April 1944. |
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| Commander Hugh F. Pullen, Commanding Officer, mending his minesweeper's mitts on the bridge of the destroyer HMCS Ottawa (2nd) at sea, 22 November 1943. |
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| Officers on the bridge of the destroyer HMCS Algonquin observing the results of their bombardment of German coastal fortifications in the Normandy beachhead, France, 7 June 1944. |
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| Gunners and their 4.7-inch (12 cm) cannon aboard the destroyer HMCS Algonquin stack the casings and clean the barrel with a swab after bombing German coastal defenses on the Normandy beachhead. |
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| Crew of "A" Gun of the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine, who took part in the sinking of the German submarine U-210 on 6 August 1942. St. John's, Newfoundland, 10 August 1942. |
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| Seamen 2nd Class William Ewasiuk and Harry Henderson at sea aboard the destroyer HMCS Iroquois. |
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| Carley raft aboard unidentified destroyer of the RCN. |
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| RCN corvette in drydock, Portsmouth, England, facing HMS Victory. |
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| Two sailors on the deck of a Tribal-class destroyer in front of a twin 4.7 " gun holding a painting of a similar destroyer. |
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| Ship's Company of the destroyer HMCS Huron, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 13 June 1945. |
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| Ship's Company of the destroyer HMCS St. Laurent, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 29 May 1945. |
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| Unidentified naval ratings painting the destroyer HMCS Restigouche, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, October 1940. |
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| Lieutenant A.D. Stanley, the Accounts Officer of the destroyer HMCS Algonquin, plotting on a chart, April 1944. |
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| Leading Seaman Norman Lee of the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1 November 1940. |
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| Signalmen Clark and Waters operating a signal projector aboard the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine at sea, 1940. |
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| Church service aboard the destroyer HMCS Algonquin, which is transporting the staff of 1st Canadian Army Headquarters to France, 18 June 1944. |
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| Cooks M.B. McLean and Patterson mixing rum into a Christmas pudding aboard the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, December 1940. |
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| Lieutenant-Commander Desmond W. Piers, Commanding Officer, on the bridge of the destroyer HMCS Restigouche, which is escorting Convoy SC-107 at sea, 21 April 1944. |
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| Delivery of mail to an unidentified River-class destroyer, possibly HMCS St Laurent, of the Royal Canadian Navy, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 1941. |
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| Lieutenant John H. Stubbs, who is using a sextant, on the bridge of the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, September 1940. |
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| Leading Stoker Henri LeClair (second from left) and other unidentified naval ratings writing letters aboard the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, November 1940. |
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| A 4.7-inch (12 cm) gun crew of the destroyer HMCS Algonquin piling shell cases and sponging out the gun after bombarding German shore defenses in the Normandy beachhead. |
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| Lieutenant Michael M. Dean (centre) of the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit with personnel of the destroyer HMCS Algonquin, which is transporting the staff of 1st Canadian Army Headquarters to France, 18 June 1944. |
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| Design proof for the Canadian $1.00 stamp issue on July 1, 1942 featuring a Tribal class destroyer. During the early days of the Second World War Canadian Postal authorities believed that the stamps in use since 1938 should be replaced with a new issue featuring Canada's substantial contribution to war work. A new general issue to last for the duration of the hostilities was designed. Subjects depicting Canada's munitions, war supplies, shipbuilding, agriculture, her importance as a great air-training center, and as a source of food were chosen for the pictorial stamps. "Tribal Class" destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy was a ship from Canadian Shipyards. The destroyers bore names of Indian tribes as: HMCS Iroquois. Destroyers of the Tribal class had the important duties of convoying men and supplies to the different war fronts and the protection of Canada's coastline. Designed by Herman Herbert Schwartz. Picture engraved by Sydney F. Smith. Border engraved by T. Hartman. |
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| Color proof for the same stamp. |
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| The actual stamp. |
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| Original design sketch. |
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| Canadian troops boarding a destroyer after raid on Dieppe, France, 19 August 1942. |
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| Unidentified rating painting a fitting aboard an unidentified Town-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, March 1941. |
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| Naval ratings unloading a torpedo before the refit of an unidentified Town-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, March 1941. |
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| Unidentified naval ratings manning a two-pounder anti-aircraft gun aboard an unidentified River-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy which is escorting a convoy at sea, 1940. |
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| HMCS Restigouche, River Class Destroyer. May 1942. |
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| HMCS Restigouche, River Class Destroyer. May 1942. |
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| HMCS Restigouche, River Class Destroyer. |
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| Canadian destroyer refueling at sea from a tanker trailing a fuel line, ca. 1942-45. |
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| Landing craft carrying Canadian troops and Bren gun carrier alongside destroyer off Dieppe, France, 19 August 1942. |
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| A Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun crew on the destroyer HMCS Algonquin at action stations in Arctic waters. April 20, 1944. |
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| Lt. Cdr. Rayner, civilians, and Lt. Richardson on deck of a tribal-class destroyer. At this time Rayner commanded the HMCS Huron, ca. 1943-44. |
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| Lt. Cdr. Rayner, civilians, and Lt. Richardson on deck of a tribal-class destroyer. At this time Rayner commanded the HMCS Huron, ca. 1943-44. |
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| Fitting the machine gun turret structure of a motor torpedo boat under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Workers notching a frame of a motor torpedo boat under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Workers covering the hulls of motor torpedo boats under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company with linen fabric, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Workers attaching the superstructure to a motor torpedo boat under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Workers on the deck of a motor torpedo boat, under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Worker assembling the machine gun turret frame of a motor torpedo boat under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Workers preparing to install a Packard motor in a motor torpedo boat under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Workers ironing linen fabric onto the hull of a motor torpedo boat under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| Workers tuning up a Packard motor to be installed in a motor torpedo boat under construction at Canadian Power Boat Company, Montreal, Québec, Canada, 24 April 1941. |
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| HMCS St. Laurent H83, North Atlantic. |
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| Canadian Vickers Ltd., RCN Corvette just completed, Montréal, Quebec. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165. Built at Collingwood, Ont., she was launched on 15 Apr 1941. Commissioned at Montreal on 31 Jul 1941, she arrived at Halifax on 04 Aug 1941, remaining there for six weeks while undergoing repairs, radar installation, and workups. Briefly a member of Sydney Force, Battleford transferred to NEW and left Sydney on 28 Nov 1941 to escort convoy SC.57 to Iceland. Returning to Halifax on 07 Jan 1942, she went to Liverpool, N.S., for a refit that kept her idle until the end of Mar 1942. Arriving in the U.K. with a convoy early in May 1942, she completed further repairs at Cardiff in mid-Jun 1942, then carried out workups at Tobermory. From July 1942 to May 1943 she was a member of EG C-1. In Dec 1942 she was escort to convoy ONS.154, which was badly mauled, losing 14 ships. On 28 Dec, Battleford, while investigating a radar contact, found 4 U-boats on the surface preparing a concentrated attack on Convoy ONS-154. Assisted by HMCS Chilliwack, they attacked with gunfire, forcing U-664 & U-662 to lose contact with the convoy. She participated with other RCN escorts in the destruction of U 356 on 27 Dec 1942. Arriving at Halifax on 23 Apr 1943, with her last ocean convoy, ONS.2, she commenced a two-month refit at Liverpool, N.S., joining EG W-4 of WLEF in mid-Jun 1943. Early in Apr 1944, she commenced a long refit at Sydney, including fo'c's'le extension, which was completed 31 Jul 1944, following which she proceeded to Bermuda to work up. Returning to Halifax, she was employed for the balance of the war as a local escort with EG W-3 and was paid off at Sorel 18 Jul 1945. Sold to the Venezuelan Navy in 1946 and renamed Libertad, she was wrecked 12 Apr 1949. U-Boats Sunk: U-356 sunk on 27 Dec 1942 by HMCS St Laurent H83, HMCS Chilliwack K131, HMCS Battleford K165 and HMCS Napanee K118 in position 45-30 N, 25-40 W. |
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| HMCS Battleford off the U.S. east coast, 5 October 1943. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165. |
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| Fred Keegan manning Battleford's gun. |
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| German aircraft (probably Ju 88) flying towards HMCS Battleford K165. |
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| Sailors on HMCS Battleford K165 enjoying a beer or Christmas Day, Dec 1943. Note the gunshield art in the background. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165 at Sydney, Nova Scotia, for refit, Apr-Jul 1944. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165 at Sydney, Nova Scotia, for refit, Apr-Jul 1944. |
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| HMCS Battleford off the U.S. east coast, 5 Oct 1943. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165 gun shield art. |
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| HMCS Battleford K165 gun shield art. |
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HMCS Chicoutimi (K156). HMCS Chicoutimi was a Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as an ocean escort. She was named for Chicoutimi, Quebec. Flower-class corvettes like Chicoutimi serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes. The "corvette" designation was created by the French as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877. During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design. The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants. Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part, to better represent the people who took part in building them. This idea was put forth by Admiral Percy W. Nelles. Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named. Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts, while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas. Chicoutimi was ordered on 20 January 1940 as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down 5 July 1940 by Canadian Vickers Ltd. at Montreal, Quebec and launched 16 October later that year. On 12 May 1941, Chicoutimi was commissioned at Montreal. She was one of the few Flower-class corvettes not to have her fo'c'sle extended. After arriving at Halifax on 17 May 1941, she was initially assigned to Sydney Force. In September 1941 she joined Newfoundland Escort Force as a mid-ocean escort. She served the next five months escorting convoys across the Atlantic. In February 1942, Chicoutimi was reassigned to the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF). She served with WLEF until August 1944. Beginning in June 1943, she did so as part of escort group W-1. In August 1944, Chicoutimi was sent to join HMCS Cornwallis as a training ship. She remained so for the rest of the year and into early 1945. In April 1945, she rejoined Sydney Force and remained with that unit until the end of the war. She was paid off at Sorel, Quebec on 16 June 1945. The ship was sold in June 1946 and broken up at Hamilton. |
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| HMCS Chicoutimi. |
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| HMCS Beauharnois (K540). Built at Quebec City, Beauharnois was commissioned there on 25 Sep 1944. She arrived at Halifax on 20 Oct 1944 and left for Bermuda on 06 Nov 1944 to work up. On 30 Nov 1944 she sailed from Bermuda for St. John's where she joined EG C-4, leaving on 09 Dec 1944 to pick up her first convoy, HX.324. She was employed on North Atlantic convoys for the next few months, the last one being ONS.45, for which she left Londonderry on 23 Mar 1945. Among her last duties was acting as escort to the cable vessel Lord Kelvin off Cape Race in May. She was paid off on 12 Jul 1945 and laid up at Sorel. Sold for mercantile purposes in 1946, she was renamed Colon, but became a warship again when she was acquired by the Israeli navy. Beauharnois was sold to the Israeli Navy in 1948. Commissioned as INS Wedgewoodk18 on 09 Jun 1948, she was later renamed INS Hashomer. She was paid off by the Israeli Navy in 1954 and broken up in Israel in 1956. |
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| HMCS Belleville (K332). Commissioned at Kingston on 19 Oct 1944, she visited the Ontario port for which she was named before leaving for Halifax, where she arrived early in Nov 1944. Belleville continued fitting out at Halifax until Mid-Jan 1945, then sailed to Bermuda for a month's working-up. Further repairs followed on her return, after which she was allocated to EG C-5, leaving St. John's on 28 Mar 1945 to join her first convoy, HX.346. She made three Atlantic crossing before the war's end, leaving Londonderry for the last time at the beginning of Jun 1945. She was paid off on 05 Jul 1945, and placed in reserve at Sorel until 1947, when she was sold to the Dominican Republic and re-named Juan Bautista Combiaso. She was broken up in 1972. |
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| HMCS Belleville (K332) passing the anti-submarine booms at McNabb's Island. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet (K182). Built at Sorel for the RN, she was launched on 12 Sep 1940. Bittersweet was towed to Liverpool, N.S. for completion so as not to be icebound. She was commissioned 23 Jan 1941 at Halifax as HMS Bittersweet K182. On 05 Mar 1941 left with convoy HX.113 for the Tyne. There, from 01 Apr 1941 to 06 Jun 1941, the finishing touches were carried out. During this refit, on 15 May 1941, she was transferred to the RCN and commissioned as HMCS Bittersweet K182. After working up at Tobermory she left for Iceland on 27 Jun 1941, having been assigned to Newfoundland Command. She was continuously employed as an ocean escort until 31 Dec 1941, when she arrived at Charleston, S.C., for refit, resuming her duties in Mar 1942. Bittersweet served with EG C-5 and C-3 until Oct 1943, one of her most strenuous convoys being ONS.192, which lost seven ships. She underwent refit at Baltimore, Md., from Oct 1943 to Nov 1943, which included the extension of her fo'c's'le, then proceeded to Pictou to work up. She then resumed her convoy duties, leaving Londonderry late in Oct 1944 to join her last convoy, ON.262. Upon arriving in Canada she went to Pictou to commence a refit that was completed at Halifax 10 Feb 1945. She was then assigned briefly to Halifax Force before transferring in April to Sydney Force, with which she remained until the end of the war. She was paid off and returned to the RN at Aberdeen on 22 Jun 1945, and broken up at Rosyth the following year. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet (K182). |
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| HMCS Bittersweet's gunshield art. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet preparing to be towed by HMCS Skeena, May 1943. The light line has just been passed in order to pass the heavy tow line. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet depth charge rails. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet's starboard depth charge throwers. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet's port depth charge throwers. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet, aft, looking forward. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet port side looking forward. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet leaving St. John's, Newfoundland. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet in the North Atlantic. Note the missile rack and hedgehog. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet in the North Atlantic, starboard side aft, looking forward. |
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| HMCS Bittersweet (K182), St. John's, Newfoundland. |
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| HMCS Brandon (K149). Built at Lauzon, Que, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 22 Jul 1941. Brandon arrived at Halifax on 1 Aug 1941. She joined Newfoundland Command in September after working up and left St. John's 26 Sep 1941 for her first convoy, SC.46. She served as an ocean escort to and from Iceland until Dec 1941, when she arrived in the U.K. for three months' repairs at South Shields. From mid-Mar 1942, after three weeks' workups at Tobermory, she served on the "Newfie-Derry" run almost continuously until Sep 1944. From Dec 1942, onward, she served with EG C-4, helping defend the hard-pressed convoy HX.224 in Feb 1943, and in the following month escorting convoys to and from Gibraltar. In Aug 1943, she had a three-month refit at Grimsby, England, including fo'c's'le extension. She left Londonderry 2 Sep 1944, to join her last transatlantic convoy, ONS.251, and, after two months' refit at Liverpool, N.S., worked up in Bermuda. On 5 Feb 1945, she arrived at S. John's to join EG W-5, Western Escort Force, in which she served until the end of the war. Paid off at Sorel on 22 Jun 1945, she was broken up at Hamilton, Ont. in 1945. |
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| HMCS Brandon is secured to a mooring buoy in the Bedford Basin, the town of Bedford can be seen in the back ground, and she appears to be "swinging her compass", hence the presence of the harbor craft. In this photo the ship has already had her bow extension which was done in Halifax. (Note the draft markings well back from the forepeak). As the mast has not as yet been relocated to aft the bridge, which was done during the South Shields England refit in Jan 1942, this photo would have had to be taken in 1941 prior to leaving for St. John's in Sept. 1941 for convoy duty. Note that she is also wearing Western Approaches paint scheme. |
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| HMCS Brandon K149. This photo was taken circa mid-1943. The ship is still painted in the classic Western Approaches scheme, but the colors are more now more pronounced. Note also the Type 291 air warning radar located aft of the funnel. This was a 1943 technical improvement. The other improvement of late 1943 was the Rocket Launcher attached to the side of her forward gun turret. |
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| Sailors working on the quarterdeck of an unknown corvette. In the background, left to right are HMCS Collingwood (K180), HMCS Brandon (K149), HMCS Orillia (K119), HMCS Chambly (K116). |
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| HMCS Brandon (K149) at HMC Dockyard St. John's, Newfoundland. As the ship is still "prim" and the gun art still in place, it is obvious that the photo was taken prior to her first Artic convoy. Also, the mast has not been relocated aft the bridge, done in Jan 1942 refit. The most probable date of photo would be around Sep 1941. Note the Brandon Bull on her gunshield and outboard of her the gunshield art of HMCS Drumheller (K167). |
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| HMCS Brandon circa 1945. Note the Western Approaches Admiralty Disruptive Paint Scheme. Also, the rocket launchers mounted on the gun turret housing are quite visible, as are the changes to the radar and communication aerials and the superstructure. This is how all the corvettes were meant to look. |
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HMCS Brantford (K218). HMCS Brantford was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. The corvette was named for Brantford, Ontario. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic until 1944 when the vessel became a training ship attached to HMCS Cornwallis. Following the war, the ship was converted into a whaling ship and renamed Olympic Arrow in 1950. In 1956, the ship was sold and renamed Otori Maru No.14 and again in 1961 as Kyo Maru No.21. In 1972, the vessel was converted to a tugboat and renamed Daito Maru No.71. The vessel was broken up for scrap in 1976. Flower-class corvettes such as Brantford serving with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes. The Flower-class corvettes originated from a need that arose in 1938 to expand the Royal Navy following the Munich Crisis. A design request went out for a small escort for coastal convoys. Based on a traditional whaler-type design, the initial Canadian ships of the Flower class had a standard displacement of 950 long tons (970 t). They were 205 feet 1 inch (62.51 m) long overall with a beam of 33 feet 1 inch (10.08 m) and a maximum draught of 13 feet 5 inches (4.09 m). The initial 1939–1940 corvettes were powered by a four-cylinder vertical triple expansion engine powered by steam from two Scotch boilers turning one three-bladed propeller rated at 2,800 indicated horsepower (2,100 kW). The Scotch boilers were replaced with water-tube boilers in later 1939–1940 and 1940–1941 Programme ships. The corvettes had a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). This gave them a range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The vessels were extremely wet. The Canadian Flower-class vessels were initially armed with a Mk IX BL 4-inch (102 mm) gun forward on a CP 1 mounting and carried 100 rounds per gun. The corvettes were also armed with a QF Vickers 2-pounder (40 mm, 1.6 in) gun on a bandstand aft, two single-mounted .303 Vickers machine guns or Browning 0.5-caliber machine guns for anti-aircraft defense and two twin-mounted .303 Lewis machine guns, usually sited on bridge wings. For anti-submarine warfare, they mounted two depth charge throwers and initially carried 25 depth charges. The corvettes were designed with a Type 123 ASDIC sonar set installed. The Flower-class ships had a complement of 47 officers and ratings. The Royal Canadian Navy initially ordered 54 corvettes in 1940 and these were fitted with Mark II Oropesa minesweeping gear used for destroying contact mines. Part of the depth charge rails were made portable so the minesweeping gear could be utilized. In Canadian service the vessels were altered due to experience with the design's deficiencies. The galley was moved further back in the ship and the mess and sleeping quarters combined. A wireless direction finding set was installed, and enlarged bilge keels were installed to reduce rolling. After the first 35–40 corvettes had been constructed, the foremast was shifted aft of the bridge and the mainmast was eliminated. Corvettes were first fitted with basic SW-1 and SW-2 CQ surface warning radar, notable for their fishbone-like antenna and reputation for failure in poor weather or in the dark. The compass house was moved further aft and the open-type bridge was situated in front of it. The ASDIC hut was moved in front and to a lower position on the bridge. The improved Type 271 radar was placed aft, with some units receiving Type 291 radar for air search. The minesweeping gear, a feature of the first 54 corvettes, was removed. Most Canadian Flower-class corvettes had their forecastles extended which improved crew accommodation and seakeeping. However, Brantford was the only member of initial 1940–41 building program to not receive this modification during construction. Some of the corvettes were rearmed with Hedgehog anti-submarine mortars. The complements of the ships grew throughout the war rising from the initial 47 to as many as 104. Brantford was ordered as part of the 1940–1941 Flower-class building program. Brantford was laid down on 24 February 1941 by Midland Shipyards Ltd. at Midland, Ontario. The British Admiralty sought to improve the corvette design, incorporating new technologies and modifications to keep the ships in better operation. However, these plans were shared with Canada only in April 1941, after construction of Brantford has already begun. The vessel was launched on 6 September 1941 and named for the town of Brantford, Ontario. (The British named their ships after flowers and plants as a continuation of a class name from the First World War but Canada chose to name those ships not transferred to the Royal Navy after towns and villages.) She was commissioned on 15 May 1942 at Montreal, Quebec, and sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, arriving on 30 May. After working up, Brantford joined the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) in July 1942 as a convoy escort in western Atlantic waters. When WLEF reorganized into escort groups in June 1943 Brantford was assigned to group W-3. The corvette underwent her first refit in mid-1943 at Quebec City. In April 1944 she joined group W-2. In June 1944, Brantford was loaned to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force escort group C-3 for one round trip to the United Kingdom, protecting the convoys HX 294 and ONS 242. After completing her second refit at Sydney, Nova Scotia, in September 1944, Brantford was assigned to HMCS Cornwallis as a training ship. She remained in this capacity until the end of the war. For service in the Second World War, Brantford was awarded the battle honors "Atlantic 1942–45" and "Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942". Brantford was paid off 17 August 1945 at Sorel, Quebec. She sailed to Halifax and was handed over to the War Assets Corporation who in turn, sold her to George E. Irving of New Brunswick. She was sold for conversion to a whale catcher of 714 gross register tons (GRT) and reappeared in 1950 as Olympic Arrow, operating under the Honduran flag. In 1956 she was sold again and renamed Otori Maru No.14. In 1961 she was renamed Kyo Maru No.21. In 1972 the ship was converted to a tugboat of 724 tons and was renamed Daito Maru No.71. She last appeared on Lloyd's Register in 1972–73. The ship was broken up in 1976. |
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| HMCS Brantford (K218). |
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| HMCS Brantford (K218) at the CPR Dock Digby, Nova Scotia, May 1945. HMCS Collingwood is seen berthed astern. |
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HMCS Buctouche (K179). HMCS Buctouche was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. She served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic escorting merchant ship convoys. Constructed by Davie Shipbuilding at Lauzon, Quebec, the vessel was laid down 14 August 1940 and was launched on 20 November that year. The corvette was named for Bouctouche, New Brunswick and was commissioned on 5 June 1941. Buctouche successfully damaged a U-boat during an engagement off the Avalon Peninsula. In 1944, the vessel went aground at Hamilton Inlet, Labrador. Following the war, the ship was decommissioned on 23 October 1945 and was sold for scrap in 1949. Flower-class corvettes such as Buctouche serving with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes. The Flower-class corvettes originated from a need that arose in 1938 to expand the Royal Navy following the Munich Crisis. A design request went out for a small escort for coastal convoys. Based on a traditional whaler-type design, the initial Canadian ships of the Flower class had a standard displacement of 950 long tons (970 t). They were 205 feet 1 inch (62.51 m) long overall with a beam of 33 feet 1 inch (10.08 m) and a maximum draft of 13 feet 5 inches (4.09 m). The initial 1939–1940 corvettes were powered by a four-cylinder vertical triple expansion engine powered by steam from two Scotch boilers turning one three-bladed propeller rated at 2,800 indicated horsepower (2,100 kW). The Scotch boilers were replaced with water-tube boilers in later 1939–1940 and 1940–1941 Programme ships. The corvettes had a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). This gave them a range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The vessels were extremely wet. The Canadian Flower-class vessels were initially armed with a Mk IX BL 4-inch (102 mm) gun forward on a CP 1 mounting and carried 100 rounds per gun. The corvettes were also armed with a QF Vickers 2-pounder (40 mm, 1.6 in) gun on a bandstand aft, two single-mounted .303 Vickers machine guns or Browning 0.5-caliber machine guns for anti-aircraft defense and two twin-mounted .303 Lewis machine guns, usually sited on bridge wings. For anti-submarine warfare, they mounted two depth charge throwers and initially carried 25 depth charges. The corvettes were designed with a Type 123 ASDIC sonar set installed. The Flower-class ships had a complement of 47 officers and ratings. The Royal Canadian Navy initially ordered 54 corvettes in 1940 and these were fitted with Mark II Oropesa minesweeping gear used for destroying contact mines. Part of the depth charge rails were made portable so the minesweeping gear could be utilized. In Canadian service the vessels were altered due to experience with the design's deficiencies. The galley was moved further back in the ship and the mess and sleeping quarters combined. A wireless direction finding set was installed, and enlarged bilge keels were installed to reduce rolling. After the first 35–40 corvettes had been constructed, the foremast was shifted aft of the bridge and the mainmast was eliminated. Corvettes were first fitted with basic SW-1 and SW-2 CQ surface warning radar, notable for their fishbone-like antenna and reputation for failure in poor weather or in the dark. The compass house was moved further aft and the open-type bridge was situated in front of it. The ASDIC hut was moved in front and to a lower position on the bridge. The improved Type 271 radar was placed aft, with some units receiving Type 291 radar for air search. The minesweeping gear, a feature of the first 54 corvettes, was removed. Most Canadian Flower-class corvettes had their forecastles extended which improved crew accommodation and seakeeping. Furthermore, the sheer and flare of the bow was increased, which led to an enlarged bridge. This allowed for the installation of Oerlikon 20 mm (0.8 in) cannon, replacing the Browning and Vickers machine guns. Some of the corvettes were rearmed with Hedgehog anti-submarine mortars. The complements of the ships grew throughout the war rising from the initial 47 to as many as 104. The corvette was ordered as part of the 1939–1940 Flower-class building program. The vessel was laid down by Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd. at their yard in Lauzon, Quebec on 14 August 1940 and was launched on 20 November that year. Buctouche, named for the community in New Brunswick, was commissioned into the RCN on 5 June 1941 at Quebec City. After working up, Buctouche joined the Newfoundland Escort Force in July 1941. She escorted merchant ship convoys through the Battle of the Atlantic from St. John's to Iceland beginning August 1941 with Escort Group (EG) 21. On her first convoy mission with convoy SC 41, the group was rerouted around a German U-boat wolf pack. The following escort mission for the convoy ONS 36 went untroubled. However, SC 52, which departed Sydney, Nova Scotia on 29 October, which was escorted by Buctouche's escort group had to change course due to U-boat wolf packs before they had left North American coastal waters. The convoy was discovered by the wolf packs on 1 November and the first defense of the convoy began that night by the Free French corvette Aconit. The first merchant ship victims were sunk on 2 November. The number of attacks on the convoy before it had got to open sea forced the British Admiralty to turn the convoy back on 3 November, the only convoy to be forced to return to base in the entire war. Two more merchants were sunk and Buctouche and HMS Nasturtium recovered the crews of Empire Gemsbuck and Everoja. With the strength of the attacks worsening, the convoy commander ordered it to scatter and the battle ended with seven merchant ships lost and no U-boats. Buctouche's following convoy assignments, SC 58, ONS 48, SC 64, and ONS 60 went undisturbed by German attacks. In June 1942 Buctouche transferred to the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) escorting convoys mainly in North American waters.[14] In June 1943, new escort groups were formed and Buctouche was assigned to EG W-1. On 21 November 1943, Buctouche, now a part of EG W-2, was escorting the outbound convoy ON 145 off the Avalon Peninsula when it came under attack by U-boats. Three vessels were hit, but only one, Empire Sailor, sank. Buctouche attacked U-518 after the submarine had been spotted by the merchant ships. The corvette's attack seriously damaged the U-boat and forced U-518 to break off and return to base. Buctouche underwent a refit at the end of 1943 that was completed on 29 January 1944 that extended the ship's forecastle. In mid-1944 Buctouche was assigned to Quebec Force for two month. On 28 June 1944, the corvette went aground at Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, but was freed and sailed for Pictou, Nova Scotia where the vessel spent the next two months under repair. Buctouche was paid off on 23 October 1945 at Sorel, Quebec. The corvette was sold for scrap and broken up in 1949 at Hamilton. For service during the Second World War, the ship was given the battle honor "Atlantic 1939–45". |
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| HMCS Buctouche (K179). |
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| HMCS Calgary (K231). HMCS Calgary was a Royal Canadian Navy revised Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War. She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Calgary, Alberta. Flower-class corvettes like Calgary serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes. The "corvette" designation was created by the French as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877. During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design. The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants. Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part, to better represent the people who took part in building them. This idea was put forth by Admiral Percy W. Nelles. Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named. Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts, while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas. Calgary was ordered 20 February 1941 as part of the Revised 1940-41 Flower class building program. This revised program radically changed the look of the Flower-class corvette. The ships of this program kept the water-tube boilers of the initial 1940-41 program, but now they were housed in separate compartments for safety. The fo'c'sle was extended, which allowed more space for berths for the crew, leading to an expansion of the crew. The bow had increased flare for better control in heavy seas. The revised Flowers of the RCN received an additional two depth charge throwers fitted amidships and more depth charges. They also came with heavier secondary armament with 20-mm anti-aircraft guns carried on the extended bridge wings. All this led to an increase in displacement, draft and length. Calgary was laid down by Marine Industries Ltd. at Sorel on 22 March 1941 and launched on 23 August of that year. She was commissioned into the RCN on 16 December 1941 at Sorel. During her career she had two significant refits. The first began in December 1942 after Calgary developed severe mechanical problems. She was forced to undergo a three-month refit at Cardiff which was only completed in March 1943. The second major overhaul took place between January and March 1944 at Liverpool, Nova Scotia. After arriving at Halifax 28 December 1941, she was initially assigned to the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF). She remained with that force until November 1942. During that period, on 30 July 1942 Calgary rescued 71 survivors from the crew of the British merchant ship Pacific Pioneer that was sunk by U-132 southwest of Sable Island. In November 1942 Calgary was deployed to assist in Operation Torch, the amphibious invasion of French North Africa as part of the North African campaign. However, after arrival in the United Kingdom she developed severe mechanical problems which led to an extensive refit. She only returned to service in April 1943, having never taken part in any duties connected to Operation Torch. Upon resumption of her duties she sailed back to Canada and rejoined WLEF in April 1943. In June 1943 she transferred to escort group 5, also known as the 5th Support Group, under Western Approaches Command. On 23 August 1943 Calgary, as part of the 5th Support Group, was deployed to relieve the 40th Escort Group which was undertaking a U-boat hunt off Cape Ortegal. The warships of both groups were attacked by 14 Dornier Do 217s and 7 Junkers Ju 87s that were carrying a new weapon, the Henschel Hs 293 anti-ship guided missile. Several sailors were killed and injured on HMS Bideford (40th EG) but Calgary escaped damage. Two days later, the 5th SG was relieved by the 1st Support Group and the warships of both groups were again attacked by 18 Dornier Do 217s also carrying Hs 293s. Athabaskan was heavily damaged and HMS Egret was sunk but Calgary again escaped damage. Later that year on 20 November 1943 Calgary, along with Nene and Snowberry, depth charged and sank U-536 northeast of the Azores at 43°50′N 19°39′W. In December 1943, she transferred to the 6th Support Group, before departing for refit in January 1944. In May 1944, Calgary, after completing workups was ordered to the United Kingdom and in June 1944 was deployed to assist in Operation Neptune, the amphibious invasion of Normandy, France known as D-Day (Operation Overlord). In September 1944, she was reassigned to Nore Command and remained with them for the remained of the war. On 29 December 1944 Calgary depth charged and sank U-322 in the English Channel south of Weymouth at 50°25′N 02°26′W. After the cessation of hostilities Calgary returned to Canada in May 1945 and was paid off from the RCN on 19 June 1945 at Sorel. She was sold for scrapping on 30 August 1946 and broken up in 1951 at Hamilton. |
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| HMCS Calgary (K231). |
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| HMCS Calgary (K231) gun shield artwork. |
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