Characteristics:
|
Original 1939-1940 Programme
|
Original 1940-1941 Programme
|
Final
|
| Displacement |
950 tons |
| Dimensions |
62.5 x 10.0 x 3.5
meters (205 x 33 x 11.5 feet) |
| Propulsion |
Single
shaft;
2 fire tube Scotch boilers;
1 4-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, 2750 hp.;
16 knots |
Single
shaft;
2 water tube boilers;
1 4-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, 2750 hp.;
16 knots |
No
change from original installation.
|
| Range |
3500 nm. at 12 knots
|
| Crew |
85 |
95 |
| Radar |
SW1C or 2C (later) |
Type
271 surface/air, SW2C or 2CP air warning |
| Sonar |
Type 123A, later Type
127DV |
Type
145 |
| Fire Control |
none |
| EW |
|
| Armament |
1 4" BL Mk.IX single
2 .50 cal mg twin
2 Lewis .303 cal mg twin
2 Mk.II depth charge throwers
2 depth charge rails with 40 depth charges.
Originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed.
|
1 4"
BL Mk.IX single
1 2 Pdr. Mk.VIII single pom-pom
2 20mm Oerlikon single
1 Hedgehog ASW mortar (many)
4 MK.II depth charge throwers
2 depth charge rails with 70 depth charges.
|
Ships assigned to Operations Torch and Neptune gained an extra
two 20mm singles.
Ships:
|
Name
|
Pendant
|
Commissioned
|
Fo'c's'le Ext.
|
Paid Off
|
Notes
|
| 1939-1940
Programme |
| AGASSIZ |
K129 |
23/1/41 |
4/3/44 |
14/6/45 |
|
| ALBERNI |
K103 |
4/2/41 |
|
21/8/44 |
Sunk 21/8/44 |
| ALGOMA |
K127 |
11/7/41 |
15/4/44 |
6/7/45 |
Venezuelan CONSTITUCION 1945-1962 |
| AMHERST |
K148 |
5/8/41 |
1/11/43 |
16/7/45 |
Wrecked 1945 under tow. |
| ARROWHEAD |
K145 |
15/5/41 |
25/5/44 |
27/6/45 |
Southern Larkspur 1947-1959 |
| ARVIDA |
K113 |
22/5/41 |
8/4/44 |
14/\6/45 |
Spanish La Ceiba 1950 |
| BADDECK |
K147 |
18/5/41 |
15/11/43 |
4/7/45 |
Lost as Greek Evi, 1946 |
| BARRIE |
K138 |
12/5/41 |
17/7/44 |
26/6/45 |
Argentine Gasestado 1947,
CAPITAN CANEPA 1957-1972 |
| BATTLEFORD |
K165 |
31/7/41 |
31/7/44 |
18/7/45 |
Venezuelan LIBERTAD 1945-1949 |
| BITTERSWEET |
K182 |
15/5/41 |
9/11/43 |
22/6/45 |
|
| BRANDON |
K149 |
22/7/41 |
16/10/43 |
22/6/45 |
|
| BUCTOUCHE |
K179 |
5/6/41 |
29/1/44 |
15/6/45 |
|
| CAMROSE |
K154 |
30/6/41 |
15/10/43 |
22/7/45 |
|
| CHAMBLY |
K116 |
18/12/40 |
11/3/44 |
20/6/45 |
Dutch Sonja Vinke 1946-1966 |
| CHICOUTIMI |
K156 |
12/5/41 |
|
16/6/45 |
|
| CHILLIWACK |
K131 |
8/4/41 |
10/10/43 |
17/7/45 |
|
| COBALT |
K124 |
25/11/40 |
20/7/44 |
17/6/45 |
Dutch Johanna W. Vinke 1953-1961 |
| COLLINGWOOD |
K180 |
9/11/40 |
14/12/43 |
23/7/45 |
|
| DAUPHIN |
K157 |
17/5/41 |
5/9/43 |
20/6/45 |
Honduran Cortes 1949,
Ecuadorean San Antonio 1955-1988 |
| DAWSON |
K104 |
6/10/41 |
29/1/44 |
19/6/45 |
|
| DRUMHELLER |
K167 |
13/9/41 |
15/1/44 |
11/7/45 |
|
| DUNVEGAN |
K177 |
9/9/41 |
27/12/43 |
3/7/45 |
Venezuelan INDEPENCIA 1945-1953 |
| EDMUNDSTON |
K106 |
21/10/41 |
3/6/43 |
16/6/45 |
Liberian Amapala 1948-1962 |
| EYEBRIGHT |
K150 |
15/5/41 |
21/8/43 |
17/6/45 |
Dutch Albert W. Vinke 1950-1964 |
| FENNEL |
K194 |
15/5/41 |
6/9/43 |
12/6/45 |
Norwegian Milliam Kihl 1948-1966 |
| GALT |
K163 |
15/5/41 |
8/5/44 |
21/6/45 |
|
| HEPATICA |
K159 |
15/5/41 |
8/6/44 |
27/6/45 |
|
| KAMLOOPS |
K176 |
17/3/41 |
25/4/44 |
27/6/45 |
|
| KAMSACK |
K171 |
4/10/41 |
14/3/44 |
22/7/45 |
Venezuelan FEDERACION 1945-1956 |
| KENOGAMI |
K125 |
29/6/41 |
1/10/44 |
9/7/45 |
|
| LETHBRIDGE |
K160 |
26/6/41 |
27/3/44 |
23/7/45 |
Dutch Nicolaas Vinke 1955-1966 |
| LEVIS |
K115 |
16/5/41 |
|
19/9/41 |
Sunk 19/9/41 |
| LOUISBURG |
K143 |
2/10/41 |
|
6/2/43 |
Sunk 6/2/43 |
| LUNENBURG |
K151 |
4/12/41 |
17/8/43 |
23/7/45 |
|
| MATAPEDIA |
K112 |
9/5/41 |
3/2/44 |
16/6/45 |
|
| MAYFLOWER |
K191 |
15/5/41 |
14/2/44 |
31/5/45 |
|
| MONCTON |
K139 |
24/4/42 |
7/7/44 |
12/12/45 |
Dutch Willem Vinke 1955-1966 |
| MOOSE JAW |
K164 |
19/6/41 |
23/3/44 |
8/7/45 |
|
| MORDEN |
K170 |
6/9/41 |
29/1/44 |
29/6/45 |
|
| NANAIMO |
K101 |
26/4/41 |
|
28/9/45 |
Dutch Rene W. Vinke 1953-1966 |
| NAPANEE |
K118 |
12/5/41 |
19/10/43 |
12/7/45 |
|
| OAKVILLE |
K178 |
18/11/41 |
29/3/44 |
20/7/45 |
Venezuelan PATRIA 1945-1962 |
| ORILLIA |
K119 |
25/11/40 |
3/5/44 |
2/7/45 |
|
| PICTOU |
K146 |
29/4/41 |
31/3/44 |
12/7/45 |
Honduran Olympic Chaser 1950,
Otori Maru No. 7 1956-1963 |
| PRESCOTT |
K161 |
26/6/41 |
27/10/43 |
20/7/45 |
|
| QUESNEL |
K133 |
23/5/41 |
23/12/43 |
3/7/45 |
|
| RIMOUSKI |
K121 |
26/4/41 |
24/8/43 |
24/7/45 |
|
| ROSTHERN |
K169 |
17/6/41 |
|
19/7/45 |
|
| SACKVILLE |
K181 |
30/12/41 |
7/5/44 |
8/4/46 |
Research ship, 1953-1982
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic 1982- |
| SASKATOON |
K158 |
9/6/41 |
1/4/44 |
25/6/45 |
Tra Los Montes 1948,
Olympic Fighter 1950,
Otori Maru No. 6 1956,
Kyo Maru No. 20 1961-1979 |
| SHAWINIGAN |
K136 |
19/9/41 |
16/6/44 |
25/11/44 |
Sunk 25/11/44 |
| SHEDIAC |
K110 |
8/7/41 |
18/8/44 |
28/8/45 |
Dutch Jooske W. Vinke 1954-1965 |
| SHERBROOKE |
K152 |
5/6/41 |
22/8/44 |
28/6/45 |
|
| SNOWBERRY |
K166 |
15/5/41 |
14/5/43 |
8/6/45 |
|
| SOREL |
K153 |
19/8/41 |
5/12/42 |
22/6/45 |
|
| SPIKENARD |
K198 |
15/5/41 |
|
10/2/42 |
Sunk 10/2/42 |
| SUDBURY |
K162 |
15/10/41 |
10/5/44 |
28/8/45 |
Salvage Tug
1949-1967. |
| SUMMERSIDE |
K141 |
11/9/41 |
25/9/43 |
6/7/45 |
|
| THE PAS |
K168 |
21/10/41 |
|
24/7/45 |
|
| TRAIL |
K174 |
30/4/41 |
23/10/44 |
17/7/45 |
|
| TRILLIUM |
K172 |
15/5/41 |
10/6/43 |
27/6/45 |
Honduran Olympic Runner 1950,
Japanese Otori Maru No. 10 1956,
Kyo Maru No. 16 1959-1973 |
| WETASKIWIN |
K175 |
17/22/40 |
6/3/44 |
19/6/45 |
Venezuelan VICTORIA 1945-1962 |
| WEYBURN |
K173 |
26/11/41 |
|
22/2/43 |
Sunk 22/2/43 |
| WINDFLOWER |
K155 |
15/5/41 |
|
7/12/41 |
Sunk 7/12/41 |
| 1940-1941
Programme |
| BRANTFORD |
K218 |
15/5/42 |
|
17/8/45 |
Honduran Olympic Arrow 1950,
Japanese Otori Maru No. 11 1956,
Kyo Maru No. 21 1961-1973 |
| DUNDAS |
K229 |
1/4/42 |
19/11/43 |
17/7/45 |
|
| MIDLAND |
K220 |
17/11/41 |
19/11/43 |
15/7/45 |
|
| NEW WESTMINSTER |
K228 |
31/1/42 |
10/12/44 |
21/6/45 |
Bahamian Azua 1954-1966 |
| TIMMINS |
K223 |
10/2/42 |
16/10/44 |
15/7/45 |
Honduran Guayaquil 1948-1960 |
| VANCOUVER |
K240 |
20/3/42 |
16/9/43 |
26/6/45 |
|
Notes:
Primarily designed to be a coastal escort, the Corvettes ended
up shouldering the
brunt of the escorting of Trans-Atlantic convoys. They were very wet
ships
to begin with, due to the short fo'c's'les that ended just short of the
bridge,
although the later ships were finished with an extended fo'c's'le and
the
original ships were mostly refitted as such (shown above). They were
also
extremely 'lively' ships in a heavy sea, and would "roll on wet grass".
As
small as they were, they were able to negotiate the waterways leading
to
the Great Lakes, and many were built there.
When built, they were fitted with magnetic compasses, and did
not have an electrical system capable of supporting gyro compasses,
which were much more reliable when the ship was being thrown about
either due to wave action or the ship's own depth charges. These were
later fitted to most ships.
They also had an obsolete sonar with a fixed transducer, which meant
that
when the ship passed over the submarine to drop depth charges, sonar
contact
with the sub was lost. This was fixed with the Hedgehog ASW mortar,
added
to most ships later in the war, which allowed the ship to stand off
while
firing the mortar bombs and retain sonar contact with the sub. When
built,
early Canadian corvettes had no radar. They were later fitted with the
SW1C
radar, which was not all that useful, though better than nothing. The
SW1C
was later replaced with the SW2C and 2CP, which was only retained for
aircraft
detection after the British Type 271 was introduced into the RCN.
Few corvettes saw service in Canada after the war, although HMCS
SUDBURY was sold and converted into a
salvage tug . Others were sold foreign, either into other navies or
converted for merchant service as cargo carriers or whaling ships among
others.
Photos:
Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.
|
The Last Corvette -
HMCS SACKVILLE
|
|
Notes:
|
1. SACKVILLE under tow
in Halifax Harbour during the Battle of the
Atlantic memorial service on May 2, 2004. SACKVILLE is the last
remaining example of several hundred ships built during the Second
World War. Sandy McClearn photo.
2. SACKVILLE, as she appears today, at the Maritime
Museum of
the Atlantic on the Halifax waterfront. (2004)
3. SACKVILLE is shown berthed in the Dockyard in Halifax
during 1997.
4. A night photo of SACKVILLE. ('96)
5. Looking forward along the port side of SACKVILLE.
('96) |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
1939-1940 Programme
|
|
Notes:
|
1. HMCS BARRIE
illustrating why corvettes were known as
lively ships. In this photo, BARRIE has received her fo'c's'le extension.
DND photo, Courtesy of Bill Croshaw.
2. HMCS DAWSON after her fo'c's'le was extended. DND
photo, Courtesy of Dave Shirlaw.
3. NANAIMO is seen here at speed. When this photo was
taken, she still retained the short fo'c's'le with which she was built.
In fact, NANAIMO
was one of the few corvettes which never underwent the fo'c's'le
extension
refit. Photo courtesy of Trevor Patterson.
4. This photo was taken from CHAMBLY looking aft at the
1st Canadian Corvette Flotilla as they approached St. John's on May 23,
1941. Photo
courtesy of Corvus Publishing Group./Canada's Navy.
5. SUMMERSIDE. She is shown towards the end of the
war, with
the Type 271 radar and the fo'c's'le extension. Photo courtesy of James
Doiron.
6. WETASKIWIN was sold post-war and served
the Venezuelan Navy as VICTORIA until 1962. Roberto Perez Lecuna
collection, courtesy of Jorge Alvarez.
7. ALBERNI with a short foc'st'le. DND photo, courtesy RCL White Ensign.
8. ARROWHEAD. Courtesy Patrick Turner.
9. CAMROSE. DND photo, courtesy RCL White Ensign.
10. Probably CHILLIWACK. Courtesy Jim Allison.
11. KENOGAMI. Victor Borushynski photo.
12. LEVIS sinking, with her bow blown off by a torpedo. DND photo,
courtesy RCL White Ensign.
13. LOUISBURG. DND photo, courtesy RCL White Ensign.
14. SHAWINIGAN with a short foc'st'le. DND photo, courtesy RCL White
Ensign.
15. SPIKENARD with a short foc'st'le. DND photo, courtesy RCL White
Ensign.
16. WEYBURN with a short foc'st'le. DND photo, courtesy RCL White
Ensign.
17. WINDFLOWER with a short foc'st'le. DND photo, courtesy RCL White
Ensign.
|
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1
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2
|
3
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4
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5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
 |
 |
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|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
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|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
|
|
|
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1940-1941 Programme
|
|
Notes:
|
1. VANCOUVER. DND
photo, courtesy RCL White Ensign. |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sources:
Barrie, Ron and Macpherson, Ken. (2002). This Ships of
Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St.
Catherines, Ont.
Lynch, Thomas G. (1981). Canada's
Flowers - History of the Corvettes of Canada 1939-1945. Nimbus
Publishing Ltd. Halifax, NS.
Macpherson, Ken and Milner, Marc. (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian
Navy 1939-1945. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catherines, Ont.
Jane's Fighting Ships, Various Editions
Correspondence with Dr. Hal Smith (for radar and sonar fits).
|
