HMCS Port Arthur

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HMCS Port Arthur
History
Canada
NamePort Arthur
NamesakePort Arthur, Ontario
Builder
Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co., Port Arthur
Laid down28 April 1941
Launched18 September 1941
Commissioned26 May 1942
Decommissioned11 July 1945
IdentificationPennant number: K233
Honours and
awards		Atlantic 1942-1944, Normandy 1944, English Channel 1945;[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence[2]
FateScrapped 1948 at Hamilton
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-class corvette (revised)
Displacement925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught11.5 ft (3.51 m)
Propulsion
  • Single shaft
  • 2 × water-tube boilers
  • 1 × double-acting triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement85
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament

HMCS Port Arthur 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 Port Arthur, Ontario.

Background

Main article: Flower-class corvette

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

whaling ship design.[7] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[8]

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, exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas.[9]

Construction

Port Arthur was ordered as part of the Revised 1940-41 Flower-class building program. This revised program 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

anti-aircraft guns carried on the extended bridge wings. All this led to an increase in displacement, draught and length.[9]

HMCS Port Arthur at commissioning 1942.

Port Arthur was laid down as Fredericton

Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. at Port Arthur, Ontario, on 28 April 1941 and launched on 18 September of that year. She was commissioned into the RCN on 28 April 1942 at Montreal, Quebec.[11] During her career, Port Arthur had two refits. The first took place at Liverpool, Nova Scotia, from August to 31 December 1943. The second major overhaul took from March until June 1945 at Liverpool again.[12]

Service history

After arriving at

Bougie, Algeria.[11]

Port Arthur returned to Canada at the end of March 1943 and joined the Western Support Force operating out of St. John's. In August she departed for a refit which was completed in December. After resuming service she returned to WLEF as part of escort group W-9. She remained with the group until April 1944.[12]

In April 1944, Port Arthur was assigned to

invasion of Normandy. In September 1944, she transferred to Portsmouth Command as a local escort, protecting coastal convoys. She returned to Canada in February 1945 to begin a refit in March. She never returned to active service before the end of the war.[12]

After the cessation of hostilities, Port Arthur was

Sorel, Quebec, 11 July 1945. She was transferred to the War Assets Corporation and sold for disposal 23 October 1945.[11] She was broken up at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1948.[10][12]

Notes

  1. ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Royal Canadian Warships - The Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence - Second World War". Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  3. ^ Ossian, Robert. "Complete List of Sailing Vessels". The Pirate King. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  4. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 11. London: Phoebus. pp. 1137–1142.
  5. ISBN 0-517-67963-9
    .
  6. ISBN 0-8117-3275-4
    .
  7. ISBN 0-87021-913-8
    .
  8. ISBN 0-87021-450-0
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 1-55125-052-7
    .
  10. ^ a b "Port Arthur (6113990)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  11. ^ a b c "HMCS Port Arthur (K 233)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  12. ^
    ISBN 0-00216-856-1
    .

External links

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