HMCS Buckingham
History | |
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Name | Buckingham |
Namesake | Buckingham, Quebec |
Ordered | 1 February 1943 |
Builder | Lauzon |
Yard number | 558 |
Laid down | 11 November 1943 |
Launched | 28 April 1944 |
Commissioned | 2 November 1944 |
Decommissioned | 16 November 1945 |
Identification | Pennant number: K 685 |
Recommissioned | 25 June 1954 |
Reclassified | Prestonian-class frigate 1954 |
Decommissioned | 23 March 1965 |
Identification | pennant number: FFE 314 |
Honours and awards | Atlantic 1945[1] |
Fate | Sold, scrapped 1966 |
Badge | Gules, a swan, wings displayed argent gorged with coronet of Canada, or[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | River-class frigate |
Displacement |
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Length | |
Beam | 36.5 ft (11.13 m) |
Draught | 9 ft (2.74 m); 13 ft (3.96 m) (deep load) |
Propulsion | 2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) |
Speed |
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Range | 646 long tons (656 t; 724 short tons) oil fuel; 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h) |
Complement | 157 |
Armament |
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HMCS Buckingham was a
Buckingham was ordered 1 February 1943 as part of the 1943–1944 River-class building program.
Background
The River-class frigate was designed by William Reed of Smith's Dock Company of South Bank-on-Tees. Originally called a "twin-screw corvette", its purpose was to improve on the convoy escort classes in service with the
Improvements over the corvette design included markedly better accommodation. The twin engines gave only three more knots of speed but extended the range of the ship to nearly double that of a corvette at 7,200 nautical miles (13,300 km) at 12 knots.
River-class frigates were the first Royal Canadian Navy warships to carry the 147B Sword horizontal fan echo sonar transmitter in addition to the regular
Canada originally ordered the construction of 33 frigates in October 1941.[6][7] The design was too big for the shipyards on the Great Lakes so all the frigates built in Canada were built in dockyards along the west coast or along the St. Lawrence River.[7] In all Canada ordered the construction of 60 frigates including ten for the Royal Navy that in turn transferred two to the United States Navy.[6]
Service history
Buckingham returned to Halifax after working up at Bermuda in January 1945 and was assigned to the convoy escort group EG 28. She remained with this unit until the end of hostilities in Europe performing local escort duties for coastal convoys along the eastern coast of Canada.[3]
On 10 May, U-889 was spotted south of Newfoundland by a RCAF airplane, steaming at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and flying a black flag of surrender. The RCAF plane radioed to nearby Western Escort Force W-6 who intercepted the submarine an hour later. U-889 was ordered to head to Bay Bulls, Newfoundland. 24 hours later U-889 was turned over to the frigates Buckingham and Inch Arran who escorted her to Shelburne Harbour where she was boarded.[8]
In June 1945, Buckingham began a tropicalization refit at Liverpool, Nova Scotia in preparation for service in the Pacific Ocean. She moved to Shelburne to complete it however it was suspended before the work was done due to the Surrender of Japan. She was paid off 16 November 1945 at Sydney and placed in reserve.[3][4]
Postwar service
Buckingham was sold to Marine Industries Ltd. in 1946. She was reacquired by the RCN to undergo conversion to a Prestonian-class ocean escort from 1953–1954.[3] This meant a flush-decked appearance aft, with a larger bridge and taller funnel. Her hull forward was strengthened against ice and the quarterdeck was enclosed to contain two Squid anti-submarine mortars.[9] Buckingham recommissioned at Montreal on 25 June 1954 with the pennant number 314.[10]
Upon return to service, Buckingham was used for training purposes and assigned to
Buckingham served until
References
Notes
- ^ a b Arbuckle, p.17
- ^ Thomas, Doug (Spring 2010). "Significant Canadian Warships" (PDF). Canadian Naval Review. p. 43. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
- ^ a b "HMCS Buckingham (K 685)". uboat.net. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J. (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. New York: Doubleday and Company Inc. p. 231.
- ^ a b c d e f "Fact Sheet No. 21 – Canadian River Class Frigates". Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0920277225.
- ISBN 1550022172.
- ^ Raymond V.B. Blackman, ed. (1958). Jane's Fighting Ships 1958–59. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. p. 77.
- ^ a b "Buckingham to Train New Entries". The Crowsnest. Vol. 6, no. 10. Queen's Printer. August 1954. p. 2.
- ISBN 978-0802096043.
- ^ Orr, John (Summer 2013). "Perseverance: Some Reflections on 50 Years of the Canadian Sea King" (PDF). Canadian Naval Review. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ "Ninth Escort Squadron". The Crowsnest. Vol. 13, no. 6. Queen's Printer. April 1961. pp. 19–20.
- ^ "Eight Ships Will Tour Great Lakes". The Crowsnest. Vol. 13, no. 7. Queen's Printer. May 1961. pp. 2–3.
References
- Arbuckle, J. Graeme (1987). Badges of the Canadian Navy. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 0-920852-49-1.
- Macpherson, Ken; Burgess, John. The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910–1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships. Collins: Toronto, 1981. ISBN 0-00216-856-1