HMCS Trillium
Officers on the open bridge of HMCS Trillium
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Trillium |
Namesake | flowering plant genus Trillium |
Ordered | 20 January 1940 |
Builder | Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal |
Laid down | 20 February 1940 |
Launched | 26 June 1940 |
Commissioned | 31 October 1940 |
Out of service | loaned to Royal Canadian Navy 15 May 1941 |
Identification | Pennant number: K172 |
Fate | Returned from RCN June 1945. Sold for civilian use, scrapped 1971 |
Canada | |
Name | Trillium |
Commissioned | 15 May 1941 |
Out of service | Returned to the Royal Navy 27 June 1945 |
Identification | Pennant number: K172 |
Honours and awards | Atlantic 1940-45[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Flower-class corvette (original)[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 |
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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 Trillium was a
Background
Flower-class corvettes like Trillium serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.
Construction
Trillium was ordered 20 January 1940 for the Royal Navy as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down by Canadian Vickers Ltd. at Montreal on 20 February 1940 and was launched on 26 June 1940.[9] She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 31 October 1940 at Montreal. She sailed for the United Kingdom and was fully fitted out at Greenock in March 1941.[10] Trillium was one of ten corvettes loaned to Canada on 15 May 1941. She could be told apart from other Canadian Flowers by her lack of minesweeping gear and the siting of the after gun tub amidships.[11]
During her career, Trillium had four significant refits. The first took place at
War service
After workups at Tobermory, Trillium was assigned to local escort group EG 4. She remained with this group until June 1941, when she left for Canada.[10]
After arriving in June 1941, Trillium was assigned to Newfoundland Command. She remained with this unit until March 1942. During her time with Newfoundland Command, she worked with escort groups 10N, 23N, N14 and N13.[10] On 21 April 1941 she picked up 24 survivors from the British merchant Empire Endurance that had been torpedoed and sunk the previous southwest of Rockall.[9]
In August 1942 she transferred to the
After working up and returning to service, she was assigned to MOEF escort group C-4. She remained with the group before departing again for refit. After workups in Bermuda and returning to service, Trillium was assigned to MOEF group C-3 in September 1944. While escorting convoy ON 278, she sank a coastal merchant in a collision. Trillium needed five weeks repairs afterwards. Afterwards she returned to escort duty with C-3 for the remainder of her time with the Royal Canadian Navy. She left Canada for the last time as an escort on the last HX convoy of the war.[10]
Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted
Convoy | Escort Group | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
SC 35 & HX 134 | 24 June – 4 July 1941[12][13] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
SC 39 & HX 142 | 4-12 Aug 1941[12][13] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
ON 8
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17-24 Aug 1941[14] | Iceland to Newfoundland | |
SC 59 | 12-21 Dec 1941[12] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
ON 50
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28 Dec 1941 – 3 Jan 1942[14] | Iceland to Newfoundland | |
SC 65 | 20-29 Jan 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
ON 62
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6-15 Feb 1942[14] | Iceland to Newfoundland | |
SC 72 | 7–16 March 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 78
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22 March – 3 April 1942[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
SC 95 | MOEF group A3
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8-18 Aug 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
ON 125
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MOEF group A3 | 29 Aug – 7 Sept 1942[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
SC 100 | MOEF group A3 | 15-28 Sept 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
ON 135
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MOEF group A3 | 3-15 Oct 1942[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
HX 212 | MOEF group A3 | 23 Oct – 1 Nov 1942[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
ON 145
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MOEF group A3 | 10-20 Nov 1942[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
SC 111 | MOEF group A3 | 1-17 Dec 1942[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
ON 156
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MOEF group A3 | 24 Dec 1942 – 8 Jan 1943[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
HX 223 | MOEF group A3 | 19-31 Jan 1943[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
Convoy ON 166 | MOEF group A3 | 12-25 Feb 1943[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
Convoy SC 121 | MOEF group A3 | 3–12 March 1943[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
ON 175
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MOEF group A3 | 25 March – 8 April 1943[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
ON 187
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15-22 Aug 1943[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 254 | 2-9 Sept 1943[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 203
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23 Sept – 3 Oct 1943[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 260 | 11-18 Oct 1943[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 209
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1-10 Nov 1943[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 266 | 18-26 Nov 1943[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 215
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10-22 Dec 1943[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 272 | 27 Dec 1943 – 5 Jan 1944[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 220
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16-28 Jan 1944[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
ONS 30
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28 Feb – 10 March 1944[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 283 | 19–28 March 1944[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 231
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8–17 April 1944[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
ON 253
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14-25 Sept 1944[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 311 | 3-12 Oct 1944[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 262
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26 Oct – 6 Nov 1944[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 319 | 14-25 Nov 1944[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 270
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5-15 Dec 1944[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 327 | 24 Dec 1944 – 2 Jan 1945[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 278
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13-14 Jan 1945[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
ONS 43
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27 Feb – 13 March 1945[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
SC 170 | 20–30 March 1945[12] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
ON 296
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12–27 April 1945[14] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
HX 358 | 25 May – 6 June 1945[13] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; the last HX convoy of the war |
Post-war service
Trillium was returned to the Royal Navy at
References
- ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company. pp. 201, 214.
- ^ 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 d e "HMCS Trillium (K 172)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
- ISBN 0-92027-783-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "SC convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "HX convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "ON convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Trillium (5199105)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 14 July 2016.