HMCS Wolf
As Wenonah
| |
History | |
---|---|
Name |
|
Port of registry | United States |
Builder | Neponset, Massachusetts |
Completed | 1915 |
In service | 1915 |
Out of service | 1947 |
Fate |
|
United States | |
Name | Wenonah |
Commissioned | 8 June 1917 |
Decommissioned | 12 April 1919 |
Identification | SP-165 |
Fate | Sold for commercial use 1928 |
Canada | |
Name | Wolf |
Acquired | 1940 |
Commissioned | 2 October 1940 |
Decommissioned | 16 May 1945 |
Fate | Sold for commercial use 1946 |
General characteristics as Canadian armed yacht | |
Type | Armed yacht |
Displacement | 320 long tons (330 t) |
Length | 172 ft (52.4 m) |
Beam | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
Draught | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Complement | 43 |
Armament |
HMCS Wolf was an
With the onset of World War II, the Royal Canadian Navy sought vessels capable of patrol duties. However, a lack of Canadian ships led them to acquiring vessels from their southern neighbour. Blue Water was acquired in 1940 for service on the British Columbia coast and used a patrol vessel. Following the war, the ship was sold again to commercial ownership and renamed Gulfstream. Gulfstream was wrecked off Powell River, British Columbia on 11 October 1947.
Description
Wenonah measured 290
In Canadian service, the vessel measured 320 long tons (330 t), 172 feet (52.4 m) long with a beam of 23 feet (7.0 m) and a draught of 10 feet (3.0 m). The ship had a maximum speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and was armed with one QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun and one 2-pounder gun. Wolf had a complement of 5 officers and 38 ratings.[2]
Service history
As Wenonah
Wenonah was a yacht constructed in 1915 by
Wenonah departed
In March 1918, Wenonah was in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the escort of a 15-ship Gibraltar-to-Bizerte convoy also escorted by the Royal Navy warship HMS Jeannette II, the U.S. Navy gunboat USS Nashville, and two French naval trawlers. During the night of 25–26 March, an enemy submarine torpedoed one of the convoy's ships, and one of the trawlers dropped back to escort the damaged ship. At daybreak on 26 March, several of the convoy's ships reported a suspicious object to port; Wenonah's crew also sighted it and manned her guns, but determined that the object was not a submarine. Meanwhile, Jeannette II sighted a submarine on the surface ahead of the convoy. The submarine submerged, and Jeannette II dropped two depth charges, forcing it back to surface. Several ships in the convoy then opened fire on the submarine, as did Wenonah at a range of 1,000 yards (910 m). Wenonah fired twelve rounds, inflicting considerable damage on the submarine before the convoy overtook it, then ceased fire to avoid hitting ships in the convoy. Members of the submarine′s crew then appeared on deck and waved their arms, and the convoy′s escorts discovered that she was the French Navy submarine Watt. Jeannette II and one of the trawlers went to Watt's assistance. Under attack by Wenonah, Watt had suffered two dead — her commanding officer and a seaman — and four wounded. Jeannette II took off Watt's wounded, and the trawler escorted Watt into port. A joint court of inquiry into the friendly fire incident with one American, two British, and two French naval officers as members took place at Gibraltar and found no one to blame. Another joint court of inquiry consisting of two British and two French naval officers took place at Bizerte, and also found no one to blame, concluding that Watt had disobeyed orders governing submarines operating in the area.[5]
In July 1918, Wenonah escorted a convoy to Genoa, Italy. During this operation, one of the vessels she was escorting, SS Messidor, was torpedoed on 23 July. Wenonah recovered the survivors after dropping one depth charge on a suspected contact. The following day, 24 July, SS Rutherglen was torpedoed. Once again Wenonah dropped a depth charge, but this time it failed to detonate and the patrol ship turned to rescue work, recovering 38 of Rutherglen's crew. During the rest of the convoy's voyage Wenonah dropped several more depth charges and fired a 3-inch (76.2 mm) shell at suspected contacts, but no further engagement with the enemy was had before the end of the journey. Wenonah returned to Gibraltar–Bizerte convoys until the end of the war on 11 November 1918.[3]
Wenowah returned to the US in December 1918 and remained in naval service until 12 April 1919.
As Wolf
To augment the local sea defences of coastal ports, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) sought large, steel-hulled yachts to requisition. However, a significant lack of capable vessels were owned by Canadians. Canada turned to its southern neighbour for suitable ships, finding several that met the navy's requirements. However, US neutrality laws prevented their sale to belligerents in the war. In order to circumvent these laws, the RCN requisitioned the yachts of prominent Canadian yachtsmen and then sent them to the US to purchase the yachts that had been identified by the navy without the US government knowing they were working for the navy. The money to acquire the vessels was provided by the Canadian government through bank loans.[6]
While acquiring the yacht Breezin Thru for Clarence Wallace, Irving Keenleyside, an executive with the Burrard Dry Dock Company, spotted another yacht that fit the RCN's requirements. The yacht, Blue Water, was deemed acceptable after an investigation and Keenleyside sought the government's permission to purchase the vessel. He gave the name of his partner, E. A. Riddell, who was unaware of the program at the time of the call. The RCN then requisitioned Riddell's yacht upon approval in order to keep the real source of the funds secret.[7]
Conversion to an armed yacht involved removing most of the luxurious finery and installing naval hardware. The ship was armed with a 12-pounder gun, depth charges and machine guns. The ship was later given a 1-inch
The ship was purchased by Gulf Lines as a coastal ferry in 1946.[2][9] Renamed Gulfstream, she was wrecked off Powell River, British Columbia, Canada, on 11 October 1947.[2]
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d Silverstone 2006, p. 91.
- ^ a b c d e Macpherson & Barrie 2002, p. 212.
- ^ a b c d DANFS.
- ^ a b c McKee 1983, pp. 87–88.
- ^ Doughty, Leonard Jr. (December 1934). "Mistaken Attacks in the World War". Proceedings. 60 (382): 1729–1734.
- ^ McKee 1983, pp. 53, 63–64.
- ^ McKee 1983, pp. 63, 81.
- ^ McKee 1983, pp. 90, 109.
- ^ a b c McKee 1983, p. 110.
References
- "Wenonah I (S. P. 165)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- 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.
- McKee, Fraser (1983). The Armed Yachts of Canada. Erin, Ontario: The Boston Mills Press. ISBN 0-919822-55-X.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (2006). The New Navy 1883–1922. New York City: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-97871-8.