HMCS Snowberry
HMCS Snowberry in May 1943
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Snowberry |
Namesake | Snowberry |
Ordered | 22 January 1940 |
Builder | Lauzon |
Laid down | 24 February 1940 |
Launched | 8 August 1940 |
Commissioned | 26 November 1940 |
Out of service | loaned to Royal Canadian Navy 15 May 1941 |
Identification | Pennant number: K166 |
Fate | Returned from RCN June 1945. Scrapped in August 1947 at Middlesbrough. |
Canada | |
Name | Snowberry |
Acquired | loaned from Royal Navy |
Commissioned | 15 May 1941 |
Out of service | returned to Royal Navy 27 June 1945 |
Refit | Forecastle extended at Charleston on 14 May 1943. |
Identification | Pennant number: K166 |
Honours and awards | Atlantic 1941-44, Biscay 1943, English Channel 1945;[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944[2] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Flower-class corvette (original)[3] |
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 |
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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 |
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Armament |
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HMCS Snowberry was a Flower-class corvette that was originally built for the Royal Navy, but spent most of the war in service with the Royal Canadian Navy. She fought primarily as a convoy escort during the Second World War. She served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Background
Flower-class corvettes like Snowberry serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.
Construction
Snowberry was ordered by the Royal Navy (RN) 22 January 1940 as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down by
During her career Snowberry had three significant refits. The first took place at Charleston beginning in December 1941 and taking six weeks to complete. Her second overhaul took place again at Charleston from March 1943 until 14 May 1943. In late March 1944 she went to Baltimore, Maryland for a five-week refit.[11]
War service
After completing at Greenock and working up at
Upon her arrival in Newfoundland in June 1941 she joined Newfoundland Command as a convoy escort between St. John's and Iceland. From July to October 1941 she was deployed as such. She departed for a short refit and upon her return in February 1942 she was briefly deployed as an ocean escort once again.[11]
In March 1942 Snowberry transferred to Western Local Escort Force (WLEF). In June 1942, after the U-boats had begun attacking oil tankers sailing along the North American coast, she joined the newly formed Tanker Escort Force. In September 1942 she was placed under American control escorting convoys between Guantánamo and New York.[11]
She returned to service after her second major refit in August 1943, when she was assigned to Royal Navy controlled escort group EG 5.
On 20 November 1943 Snowberry, along with Nene and Calgary, depth charged and sank U-536 northeast of the Azores at 43° 50N, 19° 39W.[10]
When the group replaced its corvettes with frigates in March 1944, Snowberry departed for her final refit. After workups she was briefly assigned to WLEF again but transferred to Portsmouth Command in mid-September 1944. She remained with them until she was decommissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy.[11]
Post-war service
Snowberry was
Notes
- ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ^ "Royal Canadian Warships – The Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence – Second World War". Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ^ Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company. pp. 201, 212.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c "HMCS Snowberry (K 166)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
- ISBN 0-92027-783-7.
References
- The Naval Museum of Manitoba's page devoted to HMCS Snowberry Archived 7 February 2005 at the Wayback Machine.
- Uboat.net page devoted to HMCS Snowberry.
- HMCS Snowberry on the Arnold Hague database at convoyweb.org.uk.
External links
- HMCS SNOWBERRY Ship's Company February 1945 – Portsmouth, England Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine