RCN Corvettes (Flower Class): HMCS St. Lambert K343/HMCS Sackville K181/HMCS Saskatoon K158/HMCS Shawinigan K136/HMCS Shediac K110/HMCS Sherbrooke K152/HMCS Smiths Falls K345/HMCS Snowberry K166/HMCS Sorel K153/HMCS Spikenard K198/HMCS Stellarton K457
Royal Canadian Navy Corvettes (Flower Class), Part 4
HMCS Sackville (K181)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class). Built by Saint John Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Saint John, NB, she was launched on 15 May 1941. Commissioned on 30 Dec 1941, at Saint John, N.B., HMCS Sackville arrived at Halifax on 12 Jan 1942. She joined NEF after working up, and on 26 May 1942 left St. John's to escort HX.191 as part of the newly formed EG C-3. In Apr 1943, she transferred to C-1, and in Sep 1943 briefly joined EG 9 in support of the beleaguered combined convoy ONS.18 / ON.202, which lost six merchant vessels and three escorts. In Oct 1943 HMCS Sackville transferred to C-2 for the balance of her war career. She underwent two major refits: at Liverpool, NS, and Halifax, from 14 Jan to 02 May 1943; and at Galveston, Texas, from late Feb to 7 May 1944, when her fo'c's'le was extended. Upon her return from working up in Bermuda, in Jun 1944, she made a crossing to Londonderry. Soon after leaving for the westward journey she split a boiler and had to return to 'Derry for repairs. She left again on 11 Aug 1944, to limp home as escort to ONS.248, refitted at Halifax and, in Sep 1944, briefly became a training ship at HMCS Kings. In Oct 1944 she began, at Halifax, refit and reconstruction to a loop-laying vessel, and work was still in progress by VE-Day. The ship was paid off on 8 Apr 1946, but re-commissioned 4 Aug 1950, as a depot ship, reserve fleet. She was refitted in 1950 but remained inactive until 1953, when, as a Canadian Naval Auxiliary Vessel (CNAV), she began a survey of the Gulf of St. Lawrence that was to last several years. She also carried out a number of cruises to the Baffin Island-Greenland area. Extensive modification in 1968 reflected HMCS Sackville's new status as a research vessel, and she was operated by the Department of National defence on behalf of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. In 1983, as the sole surviving corvette, she was transferred to the Canadian Naval Corvette Trust (now Canadian Naval Memorial Trust) and restored to her wartime appearance.
(Johnny Forget Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class), summer 1942.
(Gary Medford Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class). Photo taken from HMCS Kamloops K176 while convoy escort for ONS.18 & ON.202, Sep 1943.
(Gary Medford Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class).
(Gary Medford Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class).
(Gary Medford Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) as CNAV Sackville (113). As a Canadian Naval Auxiliary Vessel (CNAV) (113), she began a survey of the Gulf of St. Lawrence that was to last several years. She also carried out a number of cruises to the Baffin Island-Greenland area. Extensive modification in 1968 reflected HMCS Sackville's new status as a research vessel operated by the Department of National defence on behalf of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. In 1983, as the sole surviving corvette, she was transferred to the Canadian Naval Corvette Trust (now Canadian Naval Memorial Trust) and restored to her wartime appearance.
(Author Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class), alongside in Halifax Harbour, 2005.
(Author Photos)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class), alongside in Halifax Harbour, 2005.
(Author Photos)
QF 4-inch/45 Gun Mk IX, mounted on the forward deck in a gun turret, HMCS Sackville.
(Author Photos)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class), Hedgehog Anti-Submarine projector/mortars, 40-mm Bofors Light Anti-Aircraft Gun Mk. VIII on AA mount.
Author with HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class), Halifax.
(USN Naval History and Heritage Photo)
HMCS Sackville (K181) (Flower-class).
HMCS Saskatoon (K158)
(Naval Museum of Manitoba Photo)
HMCS Saskatoon (K158) (Flower-class). Commissioned at Montreal on 9 Jun 1941, HMCS Saskatoon arrived at Halifax on 22 Jun 1941. She joined Halifax Force after working up and in Aug 1941 made a trip to the Bahamas, returning at the end of Sep 1941. She remained on local escort duty until Mar 1942, then joined WLEF on its formation. She served with this force on the "triangle run" until the end of the war, becoming a member of EG W-8 when it was established in Jun 1943, and transferring to W-6 in Apr 1944. During her career she had two major refits: at Halifax from 11 Aug to 17 Nov 1942; and at Pictou from mid-Dec 1943 to 01 Apr 1944. Following the latter, which included fo'c's'le extension, she worked up for three weeks at Pictou and another three in Bermuda. She was paid off on 25 June 1945 at Sorel and soon afterward sold for conversion to a merchant vessel. Renamed Tra los Montes, she served as a whaler from 1948. Renamed Olympic Fighter (1950), Otori Maru No. 6 (1956), and Kyo Maru No. 20 (1961). Last in Lloyd's Register for 1978.
(Ron Bell Photo)
HMCS Saskatoon (K158) (Flower-class).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Saskatoon (K158) (Flower-class).
HMCS Shawinigan (K136)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Shawinigan (K136) (Flower-class). Built by George T. Davie & Sons Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec. Commissioned on 19 Sep 1941, at Quebec City, HMCS Shawinigan arrived at Halifax on 27 Oct 1941. She joined Sydney Force in November but on 13 Jan 1942, arrived at St. John's to join Newfoundland Command. She left 25 Jan 1942 to escort convoy SC.66 to Londonderry, the first of three round trips. In mid-May 1942 she left 'Derry for the last time, and in Jun 1942 was assigned to Halifax Force as escort to Quebec-Labrador convoys. She joined WLEF that November, almost immediately commencing a refit at Liverpool, NS. This refit was completed in mid-Mar 1943, and in Jun 1943 Shawinigan joined the recently established EG W-3. In Apr 1944, while undergoing another refit at Liverpool, during which she had her fo'c's'le extended, she was transferred to W-2 and, on completion of the refit on 16 Jun 1944, proceeded to Bermuda to work up. At 0230 hours on 25 Nov 1944, while on independent A/S patrol out of Sydney, she was torpedoed in the Cabot Strait by U-1228 (Oberleutnant zur See Friedrich-Wilhelm Marienfeld). She exploded and sank immediately with all hands. A memorial dedicated to the 91 lost was erected at Shawinigan, Quebec.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Shawinigan (K136) (Flower-class).
HMCS Shediac (K110)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3554094)
HMCS Shediac (K110) (Flower-class). Built at Lauzon, Quebec, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 08 Jul 1941. HMCS Shediac arrived at Halifax on 18 Jul 1941. She served briefly with Halifax Force and Sydney Force before joining Newfoundland Command in Oct 1941, leaving Sydney 5 Oct 1941 to escort convoy SC.48 to Iceland. After three round trips there, she accompanied SC.67 to Londonderry in Jan 1942, again the first of three return trips. Following a six-week refit at Liverpool, NS, she joined WLEF in Jul 1941, returning in Oct 1941 to the "Newfie-Derry" run as a member of EG C-1. She took part in two major convoy battles: ONS.92 (May 1942); and ONS.154 (Dec 1942). On 4 Mar1943, while escorting KMS.10, a UK-Gibraltar convoy, she assisted in the destruction of U-87 west of the Azores. She left Londonderry for the last time on 28 Mar 1943, underwent refit at Liverpool, NS, from 27 Apr to 1 Jul 1943, then joined WLEF's EG W-8. Transferred to the west coast, she left Halifax 3 Apr 1944, and arrived at Esquimalt 10 May 1044. She refitted at Vancouver from mid-Jun to mid-Aug 1944, in the process receiving her extended fo'c's'le. She was paid off at Esquimalt on 28 Aug 1945 and sold in 1951 for conversion to a whale-catcher, entering service as the Dutch-flag Jooske W. Vinke in 1954. She was broken up at Santander, Spain, in 1965.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Shediac (K110) (Flower-class).
HMCS Sherbrooke (K152)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Sherbrooke (K152) (Flower-class). Commissioned at Sorel on 05 Jun 1941, HMCS Sherbrooke arrived at Halifax on 12 Jun 1941. She joined Halifax Force later that month but transferred in Sep 1941 to Newfoundland Command and left Sydney on 29 Sep 1941 to escort convoy SC.47 as far as Iceland. After two round trips to Iceland, she left St. John's on 14 Jan 1942, to join SC.64, the first "Newfie-Derry" convoy, and was thereafter employed as an ocean escort on that run principally with EG C-4. She took part in two particularly hard-fought convoy battles: ON.127 (Aug 1942); and HX.229 (Mar 1943). Her westbound trip after the latter convoy was her last; after a major refit at Lunenburg from Apr to Jun 1943, and work-ups at Pictou, she joined EG W-2 of WLEF, transferring in Apr 1944, to W-7 and in Oct 1944, to W-1. Late in May 1944, she underwent a refit at Liverpool, NS, that included fo'c's'le extension, followed by a month's repairs at Halifax and three weeks' workups in Bermuda in Oct 1944. She was paid off at Sorel on 28 Jun 1945, and broken up at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1947.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Sherbrooke (K152) (Flower-class).
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3455882)
HMCS Sherbrooke (K152) (Flower-class), QF 4-inch gun firing, June 1945.
HMCS Smiths Falls (K345)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Smiths Falls (K345) (Flower-class). Commissioned at Kingston on 28 Nov 1944, she was the last RCN corvette to enter service. She arrived at Halifax late in Dec 1944 and remained there fitting out until 10 Feb 1945, then proceeded to Bermuda for work-ups. On her return Smiths Falls was assigned to EG C-2, Londonderry, and made her passage there as escort to convoy SC.171 early in Apr 1945, the first of three crossing before the end of hostilities. She left Londonderry early in Jun 1945 for the last time, and was paid off 08 Jul 1945 and placed in reserve at Sorel for disposal. Sold for conversion to a whale-catcher, she entered service in 1950 as the Honduran-flag Olympic Lightning, but was sold to Japanese owners in 1956 and renamed Otori Maru No. 16 then, Kyo Maru No. 23 from 1961 until 1978.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Smiths Falls (K345) (Flower-class).
HMCS Snowberry (K166)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Snowberry (K166) (Flower-class). Built for the RN, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 26 Nov 1940 as HMS Snowberry. She arrived at Halifax on 13 Dec 1940 for further work and sailed 09 Feb 1941, with convoy HX.108 for the UK. There she completed fitting out at Greenock, completing 3 Apr 1940, and worked up at Tobermory before joining Western Approaches Command, Greenock, in May. On 15 May 1941 she was transferred to the RCN and commissioned as HMCS Snowberry K166. She left Aultbea early in Jun 1941 to join convoy OB.332, arriving at Halifax on 23 Jun 1941 to join Newfoundland Command. From Jul to Oct 1941 she made three round trips to Iceland, and on 08 Dec 1941 arrived at Charleston, SC, for six weeks' refit. On 12 Feb 1942, she left St. John's to escort SC.69 to Londonderry. In Mar 1942 she joined the newly formed WLEF, shifting in June to Halifax Tanker Escort Force for one round trip to Trinidad and two round trips to Aruba with Tanker convoys. In Sep 1942 she was placed under US control, escorting New York-Guantanamo convoys until Mar 1943, when she arrived at Charleston, SC, for refit, including fo'c's'le extension. On completion in mid-May 1942, and after workups at Pictou, she joined the newly established EG 5 (later EG 6) and returned to UK waters in Aug 1942. While serving with this support force on 20 Nov 1943, as escort to a U.K.-Gibraltar/ Freetown convoy, she took part in the sinking of U-536 north of the Azores. When the group replaced its corvettes with frigates in Mar 1944, HMCS Snowberry proceeded to Baltimore, MD, for five weeks' refit, afterward returning to Halifax. She went to Bermuda to work up in July 1944, and on returning was briefly assigned to WLEF but left St. John's in mid-September for the UK. There she joined Portsmouth Command for the balance of the war. She was handed back to the RN at Rosyth on 8 Jun 1945, and sunk as a target vessel off Portsmouth in 1946. She was salvaged and broken up at Thornaby-on-Tees in 1947.
(Ron Bell Photo)
HMCS Snowberry (K166) (Flower-class).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Snowberry (K166) (Flower-class).
(USN Naval History and Heritage Photos)
HMCS Snowberry (K166)
HMCS Sorel (K153)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199119)
HMCS Sorel (K153) (Flower-class) during workups off Pictou, Nova Scotia, in July 1943.
Commissioned at Sorel on 19 Aug 1941, HMCS Sorel arrived at Halifax on 30 Aug 1941. She joined Sydney Force in Oct 1941 but transferred in Nov 1941 to Newfoundland Force, leaving St. John's on 18 Nov 1941 to escort convoy SC.55 to Iceland. On her next trip, mechanical defects forced her to go on to the UK, and she arrived at Leith, Scotland, 17 Jan 1942, for ten weeks' repairs. She left Londonderry on 23 Apr 1942 to join convoy ON.88, and in May 1942 joined WLEF. Between 19 Oct 1942, and Feb 1943, she underwent refit, including fo'c's'le extension, successively at Liverpool, NS, Pictou, and Halifax. In Feb 1943 she entered service as a training ship, first at Digby, then at St. Margaret's Bay, and at Pictou. In Sep 1943, she was temporarily allocated to EG C-3 for one round trip to Londonderry, and on her return underwent refit at Halifax and Dartmouth. This refit was completed on 31 Mar 1944, and she then proceeded to Bermuda for workups and on her return was assigned to WEF's EG W-4 for the rest of the war. Paid off on on 22 Jun 1945, she was sold to the Yugoslav Navy on 16 Nov 1945. While manned by a Yugoslav crew, she ran aground on the southern point of Henry Island on 13 Dec 1945.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Sorel (K153) (Flower-class).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Sorel (K153) (Flower-class).
HMCS Spikenard (K198)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MC-2975)
HMCS Spikenard (K198) (Flower-class). Built for the RN, she was commissioned on 06 Dec 1940, at Quebec City as HMS Spikenard. She arrived at Halifax five days later to complete fitting out and working up. She left Halifax on 21 Jan 1941, escorting convoy HX.104 to the UK, where she received her finishing touches at South Shields, Tyne, from 04 Feb to 21 Apr 1941. She arrived at Tobermory on 22 Apr 1941 to work up, and on 15 May 1941 she transferred to the RCN and was commissioned as HMCS Spikenard. On 10 June 1941 she left Aultbea to escort convoy OB.332. Arriving at Halifax on 25 Jun 1941, she joined Newfoundland Command, and between Jul 1941 and Jan 1942, made three round trips to Iceland as ocean escort. On 1 Feb 1942, she left St. John's for convoy SC.67 on the recently inaugurated "Newfie-Derry" run, and on 10 Feb 1942 HMCS Spikenard was torpedoed and sunk by U-136, (Type VIIC) about 465 nautical miles west of Malin Head, Ireland in position 56º10'N, 21º07'W, while escorting convoy SC-67.
Convoy SC.67 sailed early in Feb 1942 from St. John's bound for Londonderry. HMCS Spikenard K198 was the senior ship of the escort for SC.67. Other escorts included Corvettes HMCS Chilliwack K131, HMCS Shediac K110, HMCS Louisburg K143, HMCS Lethbridge K160 and HMCS Dauphin K157. Just before 2300 hrs on 10 Feb 1942, the convoy was due south of Iceland, when HMCS Chilliwack attacked a submerged contact on the port bow of the formation. Almost immediately thereafter, HMCS Louisburg at the rear of the convoy spotted the wake of a torpedo running down her port side. HMCS Spikenard had been zigzagging on the starboard wing of the convoy when another torpedo struck the nearby tanker, Heina. A few seconds later, a torpedo struck HMCS Spikenard, ripping out her forepeak and destroying the bridge and radio. HMCS Spikenard may have become aware of U-136 in the few minutes before, as action stations had been sounded and her speed increased just before she was hit. Within minutes, HMCS Spikenard sank by the fore and headed for the bottom. Only eight men survived, found by a westbound British ship the next day. HMCS Spikenard had been torpedoed at about the same time as the tanker, and sank so quickly, that the other escorts didn't realize she was gone until morning.
HMCS St. Lambert (K343)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS St. Lambert (K343) (Flower-class). Built at Quebec City, she was commissioned there on 27 May 1944. She arrived at Halifax on 19 Jun 1944 and in Jul 1944 sailed for Bermuda to work up. On her return in mid-Aug 1944, HMCS St. Lambert was assigned to EG C-6, Londonderry, and left St. John's 18 Sep 1944 to join convoy HXF.308 for her passage there. She served on North Atlantic convoys for the rest of her career, leaving St. John's on 27 May 1945, as escort to HX.358, the last HX convoy of the war. In mid-Jun 1945 she sailed for Londonderry on her final trip homeward and was paid off on 20 Jul 1945 and laid up at Sorel for disposal. Sold in 1946 for conversion to a merchant ship, she became the Panamanian Chrysi Hondroulis and, in 1955, the Greek-flag Loula, last noted in Lloyd's Register for 1957-58.
(DND Photo)
HMCS St. Lambert (K343) (Flower-class).
HMCS Stellarton (K457)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Stellarton (K457) (Flower-class). Built at Midland, Ontario, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 29 Sep 1944, HMCS Stellarton arrived at Halifax late in Oct 1944 and sailed for Bermuda early in Nov 1944 to work up. She left Bermuda on 4 Dec 1944 for St. John's, where she joined EG C-3 and on 4 Jan 1945, sailed to pick up her first convoy, HX.329. She was employed for the rest of the war as a mid-ocean escort, and left Londonderry for the last time on 21 May 1945 to join ON.304. On 1 Jul 1945 she was paid off and placed in reserve at Sorel until 1946, when she joined the Chilean navy as Casma. She was paid off in 1967 and broken up in 1969.
(DND Photo)
HMCS Stellarton (K457) (Flower-class).
(DND Photo)
HMCS Stellarton (K457) (Flower-class).
