HMCS Oakville
![]() HMCS Oakville seen on 7 August 1943 near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, while on passage from Saint John, New Brunswick, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, as an escort to convoy FH-70
| |
History | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Name | Oakville |
Namesake | Oakville, Ontario |
Ordered | 1 February 1940 |
Builder | Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co., Port Arthur |
Laid down | 21 December 1940 |
Launched | 21 June 1941 |
Commissioned | 18 November 1941 |
Decommissioned | 20 July 1945 |
Identification | Pennant number: K178 |
Honours and awards | Atlantic 1942-45[1] |
Fate | Sold in 1946 to Venezuela as Patria. |
![]() | |
Name | Patria |
Acquired | purchased from Royal Canadian Navy |
Commissioned | 1946 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Flower-class corvette[2] |
Displacement | 925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons) |
Length | 205 ft (62.48 m)o/a |
Beam | 33 ft (10.06 m) |
Draught | 11.5 ft (3.51 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 16 knots (29.6 km/h) |
Range | 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h) |
Complement | 85 |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Armament |
|
HMCS Oakville was a
Background
Flower-class corvettes like Oakville serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.
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.[9]
Construction and career
Oakville was
Attempted capture and sinking of U-94
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Men_of_valor_-_They_fight_for_you.jpg/220px-Men_of_valor_-_They_fight_for_you.jpg)
On 28 August 1942, in the company of American warships and the corvettes Halifax and Snowberry, Oakville was escorting a convoy off Haïti when she attacked the German submarine U-94. The submarine, which had been on the point of attacking the convoy, was first spotted and bombarded by an American seaplane. Oakville dropped depth charges to force it to surface, and after bombarding it, rammed the submarine twice, sustaining minor damages to its hull. The submarine, struck by a depth charge on the surface, gave up the fight. A boarding party was dispatched to seize the vessel.
Eleven sailors, under the command of Commander Clarence King, including Sub Lieutenant Hal Lawrence, and Petty Officer A.J. Powell, leapt onto the deck of the crippled U-94 and rushed toward the conning tower, which was riddled by shellfire.[10] After clearing away the dead bodies covering the hatchway, Lawrence and Powell headed below. They were then surprised by two Germans who emerged from an escape hatch. After ordering them back inside, the Canadians opened fire on the two men, who were dashing toward them.
The German crew surrendered reluctantly.[11] Despite the danger of the U-boat sinking, Lawrence went searching for the Enigma machine and documents. But finding that U-94 had been scuttled, he retraced his steps, having to swim to the ladder which led to the conning tower. After giving the order to abandon ship, Lawrence leapt into the water just before the submarine went down. The Allied sailors and the 26 German survivors were recovered by Oakville and the American destroyer Lea.[12][13]
Post-war service
Oakville was paid off from the RCN and decommissioned on 20 July 1945. She was sold in 1946 to Venezuela as Patria.
References
Notes
- ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- ^ Ossian, Robert. "Complete List of Sailing Vessels". The Pirate King. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 11. London: Phoebus. pp. 1137–1142.
- ISBN 0-517-67963-9.
- ISBN 0-8117-3275-4.
- ISBN 0-87021-913-8.
- ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
- ISBN 1-55125-052-7.
- Toronto Evening Telegram. 10 November 1942. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "August 28 1942". The Maple Leaf. 28 August 1942. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "August 28, 1942". The Maple Leaf. 9 (29). 23 August 2006. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- Legion Magazine. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
References
- Livingston, Sean E. (2014). Oakville's Flower: The History of HMCS Oakville. Toronto: Dundurn Press.