RCN Minesweepers (Bangor Class): HMCS Bayfield J08/HMCS Bellechasse J170/HMCS Blairmore J314/HMCS Brockville J270/HMCS Burlington J250/HMCS Canso J21/HMCS Caraquet J38/HMCS Chedabucto J168/HMCS Chignecto J160/HMCS Clayoquot J174/HMCS Courtenay J262

Royal Canadian Navy Minesweepers (Bangor Class)

HMCS Bayfield (J08) (Bangor-class); HMCS Bellechasse (J170) (Bangor-class); HMCS Blairmore (J314) (Bangor-class); HMCS Brockville (J270) (Bangor-class); HMCS Burlington (J250) (Bangor-class); HMCS Canso (J21) (Bangor-class); HMCS Caraquet (J38) (Bangor-class); HMCS Chedabucto (J168) (Bangor-class); HMCS Chignecto (J160) (Bangor-class); HMCS Clayoquot (J174) (Bangor-class); HMCS Courtenay (J262) (Bangor-class); HMCS Cowichan (J146) (Bangor-class); HMCS Digby (J267) (Bangor-class); HMCS Drummondville (J253) (Bangor-class); HMCS Esquimalt (J272) (Bangor-class); HMCS Fort William (J311) (Bangor-class); HMCS Gananoque (J259) (Bangor-class); HMCS Georgian (J144) (Bangor-class); HMCS Goderich (J260) (Bangor-class); HMCS Granby (J264) (Bangor-class); HMCS Grandmère (J258) (Bangor-class); HMCS Guysborough (J52) (Bangor-class); HMCS Ingonish (J69) (Bangor-class); HMCS Kelowna (J261) (Bangor-class); HMCS Kenora (J281) (Bangor-class); HMCS Kentville (J312) (Bangor-class); HMCS Lachine (J266) (Bangor-class); HMCS Lockeport (J100) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Bayfield (J08)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Bayfield (J08) (Bangor-class).  Named for the village of Bayfield, NS, she was built at Vancouver for the RN but transferred to the RCN for manning, and commissioned on 26 Feb 1942.  After working up, Bayfield joined Esquimalt Force in May 1942 but was transferred to Prince Rupert Force in Nov 1942, returning to Esquimalt in Mar 1943, for re-assignment to the east coast.  She left Esquimalt on 18 Mar 1943, arriving at Halifax on 30 Apr 1943 and, after a major refit at Baltimore, MD, joined Halifax force until ordered to the UK for invasion duties.  On 18 Feb 1944, with HMCS Georgian, HMCS Mulgrave and HMCS Thunder, she left Halifax for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 7 Mar 1944.  Allocated to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla on 7 Mar 1944, her CO, Lt, Pierce was the SO of the flotilla.  She was present on D-Day, and she remained with Plymouth Command until paid off on 24 Sep 1945.  Returned to the RN, she was placed in reserve at Sheerness until 1948, when she was broken up at Gateshead.

(Laureen Duerksen Photo)

HMCS Bayfield (J08) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Bellechasse (J170)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Bellechasse (J170) (Bangor-class).  Named for a county in Quebec, HMCS Bellechasse was built at Vancouver and commissioned there 23 Dec 1941.  She spent her entire career on the west coast, alternating between Prince Rupert Force and Esquimalt Force . Paid off on 23 Oct 1945, at Esquimalt, she was sold the following year to the Union Steamship Co., Vancouver, but her intended conversion for mercantile service was not carried out.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199013)

HMCS Bellechasse (J170) (Bangor-class Minesweeper), 30 November 1944.

HMCS Blairmore (J314)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Blairmore (J314) (Bangor-class).  Built at Port Arthur, Ontario, she was commissioned there on 17 Nov 1942.  She arrived at Halifax on 24 Dec 1942, and after working up was assigned to WLEF.  Upon the division of the forces into escort groups in Jun 1943, she became a member of EG W-4 and remained with the group until Feb 1944.  Transferred to the UK for invasion duties, she left Halifax on 20 Feb 1944 in company with HMCS Fort William, HMCS Milltown and HMCS Minas for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 08 Mar 1944 . Assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, she was present on D-Day and continued with Plymouth Command until 21 Sep 1945, when she sailed for Canada . During this period she returned to Canada for a refit at Halifax in Apr 1945, returning to Plymouth in Jul 1945.  HMCS Blairmore was paid off at Sydney, NS, on 16 Oct 1945, sold to Marine Industries Ltd., and placed in strategic reserve at Sorel in 1946.  She was re-acquired by the RCN in Jul 1951, owing to the Korean crisis, and converted to a "coastal escort" (193).  Again placed in reserve at Sydney, she was transferred to the Turkish Navy as Beycoz on 29 Mar 1958, remaining in service until 1971.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Blairmore (J314) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Brockville (J270)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Brockville (J270) (Bangor-class), (178).  Built at Sorel, Quebec, she was commissioned there on 19 Sep 1942.  She arrived at Halifax on 20 Oct 1942 in need of two weeks' repairs, having grounded at Rimouski in en route.  After working up, she was assigned briefly to WLEF and then to Halifax Force.  In Mar 1943 she was transferred back to WLEF and when that force was divided into escort groups in Jun 1943, she became a member of EG W-3.  In May 1944, Brockville returned to Sydney Force, remaining with it until Jun 1945.  She had two wartime refits: one at Dalhousie, NB, lasting seven weeks in Aug and Sep 1943; the other a three-month refit at Lunenburg at the end of 1944, followed by workups in Bermuda in Mar 1945.  On 28 Sep 1945, she was paid off at Halifax, transferred to the marine section of the RCMP and renamed Macleod.  HMCS Brockville was re-acquired by the RCN in 1950 and re-commissioned on 05 Apr 1951. After modernization at Lauzon in 1952 (178) she was assigned to Point Edward naval base at Sydney and later transferred to the west coast.  She was paid off into reserve at Esquimalt on 31 Oct 1958, and broken up three years later.

(Mike O'Keefe Photo)

HMCS Burlington (J250)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4090375)

HMCS Burlington (J250).  Built by Dufferin Shipbuilding Co., Toronto, Ontario, she was commissioned at Toronto on 6 Sep 1941, and arrived at Halifax on 30 Sep 1941.  After working up, she made Halifax her base, and in Mar 1942, was assigned to WLEF, transferring in May to Gulf Escort Force.  Late in Dec 1942 she commenced refitting progressively at Halifax, Lunenburg and Dartmouth.  Following completion of the work in May 1943, she worked up at Pictou and was assigned in June to EG W-9 of WLEF.  In Feb 1944, she was transferred to Halifax Local Defence Force, and in Sep 1944 sent to Bermuda for a month's workup.  On her return she joined Newfoundland Force, based at St. John's and served there until the Command was disbanded.  On 4 Jan 1945, U-1232, commanded by Kapt. Kurt Dobratz, attacked convoy SH-194 off (what is today) Egg Island bell buoy.  After torpedoing several ships, the convoy's escort, aided by ships from Halifax, including HMCS Burlington, searched for the U-boat.  During the search, HMCS Burlington and ML Q116 collided - holing the Burlington's hull and severely damaging Q116s bow.  Following repairs in Halifax, HMCS Burlington continued to be employed on convoy escort duties.  She engaged in a hunt for another submarine in early March.  On 22 Apr 1945 she once again went for a short refit.  By the time it was finished the war with Germany had ended.  She then engaged in miscellaneous duties until she was paid off on 30 Oct 1945, and was sold in 1946 to T. Harris of New Jersey in 1946.  She was later broken up.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Burlington (J250).

HMCS Canso (J21)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Canso (J21) (Bangor-class).  Built for the RN at North Vancouver, she was laid down and launched as HMS Canso.  Transferred to the RCN on completion, she was commissioned at Vancouver on 6 Mar 1942 as HMCS Canso.  After working up, she was assigned to Esquimalt Force from May 1942 to Jul 1943, when nominated for service in the Atlantic.  She left Esquimalt on 8 Jul 1943, arriving at Halifax on 19 Aug 1943, and was allocated to Halifax Force.  On 21 Feb 1944, with HMCS Guysborough, HMCS Kenora, and HMCS Wasaga, she sailed from Halifax via the Azores for Plymouth, arriving on 8 Mar 1944.  She was allocated in turn to the 32nd, 16th and 31st Minesweeping Flotillas, and was on hand on D-Day as part of the 16th.  In Aug 1944 she returned briefly to Canada for a refit at Saint John, NB, and in November resumed her task of clearing German Minefields.  She was paid off on 24 Sep 1945, and returned to the RN at Sheerness, to be broken up at Sunderland in 1948.

HMCS Caraquet (J38)

(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)

HMCS Caraquet (J38) (Bangor-class).  Named for a New Brunswick bay, she was built for the RN but transferred to the RCN for manning and commissioned on 2 Apr 1942, at Vancouver.  In May 1942 she joined Esquimalt Force and in Sep 1942 was transferred to Prince Rupert Force, but she returned to Esquimalt in Mar 1943, with order to proceed to the east coast.  She left Esquimalt for Halifax on 17 Mar 1943 arriving on 2 May 1943 and was allocated to WLEF, transferring in Jul 1943 to Halifax Force and in Dec 1943 to Newfoundland Force.  During this period she underwent a six-week refit at Baltimore, MD, from mid-Jul 1943.  On 19 Feb 1944, with HMCS Cowichan, HMCS Malpeque and HMCS Vegreville, she left for Plymouth via the Azores, arriving on 13 Mar 1944.  She was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla for invasion duties and was present on D-Day.  HMCS Caraquet proceeded to Canada at the end of Sep 1944 to refit at Lunenburg, returning to Plymouth in Mar 1945, for further mine-clearance work.  She was paid off on 26 Sep 1945 and returned to the RN at Sheerness.  In 1946 she was sold to the Portuguese Navy and renamed Almirante Lacerda.  In 1975 she was sold to the navy of the Republic of Mozambique and remained in service till 1984.

(Dennis Cardy Photo)

HMCS Caraquet (J38) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Chedabucto (J168)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Chedabucto (J168) (Bangor-class).  Built at Vancouver and commissioned there on 27 Sep 1941, HMCS Chedabucto left Esquimalt for the Atlantic on 11 Nov 1941, arriving at Halifax with a cargo of explosives.  Assigned briefly to WLEF, on 10 Apr 1942, HMCS Chedabucto J168, sank SS Trongate, whic was on fire, loaded with explosives, off Halifax.  She transferred in Jun 1942 to Gulf Escort Force, escorting convoys between Quebec City and Sydney.  In Sep 1942, she was assigned to Sydney Force and then, in Jan 1943, reassigned to WLEF.  Soon afterward she underwent a lengthy refit at Lunenburg and Halifax, on completion of which in Jun 1943, she worked up at Pictou and was allocated to Gaspé Force.  On 31 Oct 1943, Chedabucto was involved in a night collision with the cable vessel Lord Kelvin, and sank 30 miles from Rimouski with the loss of one officer.

HMCS Chignecto (J160)

HMCS Chignecto (J160) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Vancouver on 31 Oct 1941, HMCS Chignecto spent her whole career on the west coast, alternating between Esquimalt Force and Prince Rupert Force.  She was paid off on 3 Nov 1945, at Esquimalt and sold in 1946 to the Union Steamship Co., Vancouver, for conversion to a coastal merchant ship.  The conversion was not proceeded with, and in 1951 an offer to purchase her was received from a San Francisco firm.  She was later scrapped in 1957 at the Point Hope Shipyard, Victoria, British Columbia.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Chignecto (J160) (Bangor-class).

(Rob Stevens Photo)

HMCS Chignecto (J160) (Bangor-class).

HMCS Clayoquot (J174)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205783)

HMCS Pictou (K146) (Flower-class) Corvette.

(Catherine Crewe Photo)

HMCS Clayoquot (J174).  

Laid down as HMS Esperanza, she was renamed HMCS Clayoquot J174 in 1940.  Named after Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, she was commissioned at Prince Rupert on 2 Aug 1941.  After working up, she left Esquimalt on 10 Oct 1941 for Halifax, arriving 14 Nov 1941.  Initially assigned to Halifax Local Defence Force, she was transferred in Mar 1942, to WLEF and in May 1942 to Gulf Escort Force.  While serving with Gulf Escort Force she rescued 55 survivors of HMCS Charlottetown, torpedoed and sunk near Cap Chat on 11 Sep 1942.  In Oct 1942 HMCS Clayoquot joined Sydney Force.  She arrived at Halifax on 29 Dec 1942 for a major refit, which was progressively carried out there and at Liverpool and Pictou, NS.  Completing her refit in May 1943, she re-joined Sydney Force in Jul 1943 after working up.  In Jan 1944, she was transferred to HMCS Cornwallis for officers' training in A/S warfare, and in Oct 1944 was re-assigned to Halifax Force.  On 24 Dec 1944, while taking station on convoy XB.139, she was torpedoed and sunk three miles from Sambro Light Vessel by U- 806, losing eight of her crew.

The following is from McLean, Douglas M. (1994) "A Loss of the HMCS Clayoquot," Canadian Military History: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 4 - The torpedo struck without warning.  HMCS Clayoquot was returning from an anti-submarine sweep in the approaches to Halifax harbour when its stern rose into the air, mangled by the detonation of a German T-5 acoustic homing torpedo.  The men aboard felt two concussions, the second likely being depth charges stored on Clayoquot’s stern set off by the torpedo.  Whatever the details, the explosions were devastating for the small Bangor class minesweeper.  A grainy photograph of the doomed ship shows the stern blasted vertical, the ship listing to starboard. Clayoquot lasted barely ten minutes after being hit, just long enough for all but eight of her crew to escape.  The worst fate befell two young officers trapped in the port forward-cabin.  These men called out through a port hole for axes to chop their way to freedom, but all the axes were underwater.  The merciless sea closed around them as the ship vanished.

(David Hamilton Photo)

HMCS Clayoquot (J174).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Clayoquot (J174) offf the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 9 July 1941.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Clayoquot (J174) offf the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 9 July 1941.

HMCS Courtenay (J262)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Courtenay (J262) (Bangor-class).  Commissioned at Prince Rupert on 21 Mar 1942, HMCS Courtenay spent her whole career on the west coast, serving alternately with the Esquimalt and Prince Rupert Force.  She was paid off on 5 Nov 1945, at Esquimalt and sold in 1946 to the Union Steamship Co., Vancouver for use as a merchant ship.  However, she was not converted to this use, and has proved impossible to trace beyond 1951, when a purchase offer was made by a San Francisco firm.

‍