HMCS Swansea
Petty Officer G Ardy, of London, Ontario, standing by the gun-shield on which are painted symbols indicating Swansea's U-boat kills.
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History | |
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Canada | |
Name | Swansea |
Namesake | Swansea, Ontario |
Ordered | October 1941 |
Builder | Yarrows Ltd., Esquimalt |
Yard number | 83 |
Laid down | 15 July 1942 |
Launched | 19 December 1942 |
Commissioned | 4 October 1943 |
Decommissioned | 2 November 1945 |
Identification | Pennant number: K328 |
Recommissioned | 12 April 1948 |
Decommissioned | 14 October 1966 |
Reclassified | Prestonian-class frigate |
Identification | Pennant number: 328 |
Motto | Floreat Swansea (Let Swansea flourish)[1] |
Honours and awards | Atlantic 1943–44, Normandy 1944, English Channel 1944[1][2] |
Fate | Sold August 1967, broken up Savona, Italy 1967 |
Badge | Azure in a base barry wavy of four argent and azure out of which a swan with wings displayed argent and holding in its beak or a maple leaf gules.[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 Swansea was a Canadian
Swansea was ordered in October 1941 as part of the 1942–1943 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 improved accommodation, which was markedly better. The twin engines gave only three more knots of speed, but extended the range of the ship to nearly double that of a corvette (7,200 nautical miles [13,300 km] at 12 knots).[6] Among other lessons applied to the design was an armament package better designed to combat U-boats, including a twin 4-inch mount forward and 12-pounder aft.[5] 15 Canadian frigates were initially fitted with a single 4-inch gun forward, but with the exception of HMCS Valleyfield, all were eventually upgraded to the double mount.[6] For underwater targets, the River-class frigate was equipped with a Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar, depth charge rails aft, and four side-mounted throwers.[5]
River-class frigates were the first Royal Canadian Navy warships to carry the 147B Sword horizontal fan echo sonar transmitter in addition to the irregular
Canada originally ordered the construction of 33 frigates in October 1941.[5][6] The design was too big for the shipyards on the Great Lakes, so all the frigates built in Canada were constructed in dockyards along the west coast or along the St. Lawrence River.[6] In all, Canada ordered the construction of 60 frigates including ten for the Royal Navy, which transferred two to the United States Navy.[5]
Service history
Swansea arrived at Halifax on 16 November 1943 and worked up off
Swansea was then assigned to
Postwar service
After the war, Swansea was twice recommissioned between April 1948 and November 1953 for training cadets. In August–September 1949, Swansea sailed north to
From 1956 to 1957, Swansea underwent conversion to a Prestonian-class ocean escort. This meant a flush-decked appearance, with a larger bridge and taller funnel. Her hull forward was strengthened against ice and the
See also
- List of River class frigates
- German submarine U-448
- German submarine U-311
- German submarine U-247
References
Notes
- ^ ISBN 0-920852-49-1.
- ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMCS Swansea (K 328)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Fact Sheet No. 21 – Canadian River Class Frigates". Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0920277225.
- ^ a b "Swansea Goes North". The Crowsnest. Vol. 1, no. 11. King's Printer. September 1949. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Swansea Tows RCAF Vessel 1,200". The Crowsnest. Vol. 1, no. 12. King's Printer. October 1949. p. 3.
- ^ "R.C.N. News Review". The Crowsnest. Vol. 3, no. 8. King's Printer. June 1951. p. 2.
- ^ "R.C.N. News Review". The Crowsnest. Vol. 5, no. 3. Queen's Printer. January 1953. pp. 2–4.
- ^ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
- ^ "RCN to Take Part In Coronation, Review". The Crowsnest. Vol. 5, no. 4. Queen's Printer. February 1953. p. 2.
- ^ Raymond V.B. Blackman, ed. (1958). Jane's Fighting Ships 1958–59. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. p. 77.
- ^ "Ninth Escort Squadron". The Crowsnest. Vol. 13, no. 6. Queen's Printer. April 1961. pp. 19–20.
Sources
- Arbuckle, J. Graeme (1987). Badges of the Canadian Navy. Halifax, NS: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 0-920852-49-1.
- McKee, Fraser M. (2003). HMCS Swansea: The Life and Times of a Frigate. St. Catharines, ON: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 978-0920277898.
External links
- HMCS Swansea at ReadyAyeReady.com
- HMCS Swansea badge at ReadyAye Ready.com
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMCS Swansea". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.