HMCS New Westminster

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HMCS New Westminster
History
Canada
NameNew Westminster
NamesakeNew Westminster, British Columbia
BuilderVictoria Machinery Depot Co. Ltd., Victoria
Laid down4 February 1941
Launched14 May 1941
Commissioned31 January 1942
Decommissioned21 June 1945
IdentificationPennant number: K228
Honours and
awards		Atlantic 1942–45[1]
FateSold for mercantile conversion, scrapped 1966
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-class corvette
Displacement950 long tons (970 t; 1,060 short tons)
Length203 ft (61.87 m)
Beam33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught13 ft (3.96 m)
Propulsion
  • single shaft
  • 2 × water tube boilers
  • 1 × double acting triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h)
Range3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement5 officers, 61 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament
  • 1 ×
    BL 4 in (102 mm) Mk.IX
    single gun
  • 1 × 2-pounder Mk.VIII single "pom-pom"
  • 4 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
  • 2 depth charge rails with 60 depth charges

HMCS New Westminster was a

Second World War. She saw action primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for New Westminster, British Columbia
.

Background

Main article: Flower-class corvette

Flower-class corvettes like New Westminster serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.

whaling ship design.[6] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[7]

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.[8]

Construction

New Westminster was ordered as part of the 1940–1941 Flower-class building program. She was identical to the 1939–1940 program except for a few changes. The 1940–41 program had water-tube boilers, which were less responsive but had more reliability in providing a consistent supply of steam. The second significant change was that no minesweeping gear was ever installed, as the role of the corvette had changed from coastal auxiliary to convoy escort.[8]

New Westminster was laid down 4 February 1941 by

fo'c'sle extended. Her second major refit took place at Saint John from January to March 1945.[10]

Service history

New Westminster was assigned to Esquimalt Force on the west coast after workups. However, later that year she was reassigned to the east coast to replace corvettes departing for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. She arrived at Halifax 13 October 1942 and was assigned to the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF).[10]

With the WLEF, New Westminster escorted convoys on what became known as the "Triangle Run", the route between New York City, Boston and St. John's. She remained with that force until departing for her first major refit in May 1943.[10]

After returning from workups, New Westminster was assigned to the

Mid-Ocean Escort Force, the escort force that protected the Trans-Atlantic convoys. She joined escort group C-5 and in July 1944, alongside them, escorted the largest convoy of the war, HX 300. She departed for another refit at the end of the year. When she returned to service in April 1945, she was assigned to Sydney Force until the end of the war.[10]

Upon cessation of hostilities, New Westminster was

Sorel, Quebec 21 June 1945. She was transferred to the War Assets Corporation who sold her for mercantile conversion in 1947.[10] In 1950 she reappeared as the merchant ship Elisa of 939 GRT.[11] In 1952 she was renamed the Portoviejo and Azura in 1954. She remained under that name until she was sold in 1966 to be stripped at Tampa, Florida before being broken up at Tampico, Florida.[9][10][11]

Notes

  1. ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  2. ^ Ossian, Robert. "Complete List of Sailing Vessels". The Pirate King. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  3. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 11. London: Phoebus. pp. 1137–1142.
  4. ISBN 0-517-67963-9
    .
  5. ISBN 0-8117-3275-4
    .
  6. ISBN 0-87021-913-8
    .
  7. ISBN 0-87021-450-0
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 1-55125-052-7
    .
  9. ^ a b "HMCS New Westminster (K 228)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  10. ^
    ISBN 0-00216-856-1
    .
  11. ^ a b "New Westminster (5032321)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 14 July 2016.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMCS_New_Westminster&oldid=1194723248"