HMCS Westmount
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| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Westmount |
| Namesake | Westmount, Quebec |
| Builder | Lauzon |
| Laid down | 28 October 1941 |
| Launched | 14 March 1942 |
| Commissioned | 15 September 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 13 October 1945 |
| Identification | Pennant number: J318 |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1944,[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence,[2] 1944 |
| Fate | Transferred to Turkish Navy 1958 |
 Turkey | |
| Name | Bornova |
| Acquired | 29 March 1958 |
| Fate | Discarded 1972 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Bangor-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 672 long tons (683 t) |
| Length | 180 ft (54.9 m) oa |
| Beam | 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft 9 in (3.0 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 Admiralty 3-drum water tube boilers, 2 shafts, vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engines, 2,400 ihp (1,790 kW) |
| Speed | 16.5 knots (31 km/h) |
| Complement | 83 |
| Armament |
|
HMCS Westmount (
Turkish Navy
in 1958. Renamed Bornova (also spelled Bor Nova), the minesweeper was discarded in 1972.
Design and description
A British design, the Bangor-class minesweepers were smaller than the preceding Halcyon-class minesweepers in British service, but larger than the Fundy class in Canadian service.[3][4] They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines.[3] Westmount was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. The minesweeper was 180 feet (54.9 m) long overall, had a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 9 feet 9 inches (3.0 m).[3][5] Westmount had a displacement of 672 long tons (683 t). She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted.[5]
Westmount had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two
Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The minesweeper could carry a maximum of 150 long tons (152 t) of fuel oil.[3]
Westmount was armed with a single
QF 2-pounder Mark VIII aft and were eventually fitted with single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns on the bridge wings.[7] Those ships assigned to convoy duty had two depth charge launchers and four chutes to deploy the 40 depth charges they carried.[3][6] Westmount was equipped with LL and SA minesweeping gear to clear both magnetic and acoustic naval mines.[6]
Operational history
The minesweeper was ordered as part of the 1941–1942 construction programme.
While working up off
Pictou, Nova Scotia, the ship developed engine issues that kept her at Halifax, Nova Scotia from 20 November 1942 to 2 February 1943. Following the minesweeper's return to service, Westmount was assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force and then Halifax Force, the escort and patrol force based at Halifax. In May 1943, the ship transferred to Sydney Force, the escort and patrol group based at Sydney, Nova Scotia and remained with the unit until January 1944. That month, the minesweeper rejoined Halifax Force. Other than a refit at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia that took from February to April 1945, Westmount remained on the Atlantic Canada coast for the remainder of the war.[8]
The minesweeper was
Turkish Navy.[8][10] Renamed Bornova (also spelled Bor Nova) by the Turkish Navy, the vessel remained in service until 1972 when it was discarded.[8] The vessel was broken up in Turkey in 1972.[11]
References
Notes
- ^ "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
Citations
- ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Royal Canadian Warships that Participated in the Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence". Veterans Affairs Canada. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Chesneau, p. 64
- ^ Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 167
- ^ a b Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 180
- ^ a b c d Macpherson (1997), p. 70
- ^ Macpherson (1997), p. 58
- ^ a b c d e Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 194
- ^ Blackman, p. 99
- ^ Colledge, p. 682
- ^ "Westmount (6114506)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
Sources
- Blackman, Raymond V.B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. OCLC 913556389.
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Macpherson, Ken (1997). Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy 1938–1945. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-920277-55-1.
- Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002 (Third ed.). St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 1-55125-072-1.
External links
- "Bangor Class". Canadian Navy of Yesterday and Today. Hazegray.org.