RCN Frigates (Prestonian Class): HMCS Antigonish 301/HMCS Beacon Hill 303/HMCS Buckingham 314/HMCS Cap de la Madeleine 317/HMCS Fort Erie 312/HMCS Inch Arran 308/HMCS Jonquiere 318/HMCS La Hulloise 305/HMCS Lanark 321/HMCS Lauzon 322

Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) 1942–1968, Frigates (Prestonian Class)

Frigates

Frigates were initially called "twin-screw corvettes" and were larger and more habitable than the standard corvettes.  They had twice the endurance rate, at 7,200 sea miles at 12 knots.  The RCN frigates were named for rivers, hence the name "River class".  60 frigates were built in Canada for the RCN in 1942/1943, and another ten were built for the United Kingdom on a lend-lease agreement with the USA.  In 1944 seven RN frigates were transferred to the RCN, along with three of the Loch class (a slightly larger model designed to be built from prefabricated parts).  Most of the RCN frigates were armed with twin 4-inch guns.

Prestonian Class Frigates

Some were retained after the Second World War, and between 1953 and 1958, 21 of the River class frigates were converted to flush-deck models and the quarterdeck was enclosed to house two Squid anti-submarine mortars.  The bridge was greatly enlarged and the funnel was heightened.  These modified warships were known as Prestonian class ocean escorts.  Most had been paid off by 1968.  HMCS Victoriaville was renamed HMCS Grandby in 1968 and became a diving tender.

Prestonian Class Frigates (Converted River Class Frigates)

HMCS Antigonish (301) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Buckingham (314) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (317) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Fort Erie (312) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Inch Arran (308) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Jonquiere (318) (Prestonian-class); HMCS La Hulloise (305) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Lanark (321) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Lauzon (322) (Prestonian-class); HMCS New Glasgow (315) (Prestonian-class); HMCS New Waterford (304) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Outremont (310) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Penetang (316) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Prestonian (307) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Ste. Thérèse (309) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Stettler (311) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Sussexvale (313) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Swansea (306) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Toronto (319) (Prestonian-class); HMCS Victoriaville (320) (Prestonian-class).

HMCS Antigonish (301)

(Judy Saunders Photo)

HMCS Antigonish (301) (Prestonian Class).  Commissioned at Victoria as (K661) on 4 Jul 1944, she arrived at Halifax on 22 Aug 1944, and, after undergoing minor repairs, sailed for Bermuda in mid-Oct 1944 to work up.  On her return to Halifax on 2 Nov 1944, she joined EG 16, transferring with the group to Londonderry in Mar, 1945.  During the next three months HMCS Antigonish was employed on patrol and support duty, including two round trips to Gibraltar.  She left Londonderry in mid-Jun 1945 and on 3 Jul 1945 began tropicalization refit at Pictou, completing 17 Nov 1945.  On 22 Dec 1945 she left for Esquimalt and there, on 5 Feb 1946, was paid off into reserve.  She re-commissioned for training on 26 Apr 1947, and was paid off on 15 Jan 1954.  The ship was converted in 1956-57, to a Prestonian class ocean escort, and again took up her training role until finally paid off on 30 Nov 1966.  She was broken up in Japan in 1968.

(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)

HMCS Antigonish (301) (Prestonian Class).

(CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum Photo)

HMCS Antigonish (301) (Prestonian Class).

(Michael Forshaw Photo)

HMCS Antigonish (301) (Prestonian Class), Esquimalt, part of the 4th Escort Squadron, circa 1961-1962.

HMCS Beacon Hill (303)

(RCN Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class).  Built by Yarrows Ltd., Esquimalt, BC, she was commissioned there on 16 May 1944.  HMCS Beacon Hill (K407) arrived at Halifax on 11 Jul 1944, having escorted HMS Puncher from New Orleans to New York en route, and proceeded to Bermuda to work up.  On her return to Halifax she left in Sep 1944 to join EG 26, an RCN support group based at Londonderry, but for varying periods was detached to Plymouth and Portsmouth.  She remained in UK waters for the balance of the European war, leaving Greenock for home on 28 May 1945.  Intended for Pacific service, she underwent tropicalization refit at Liverpool, NS, from Jun to Nov 1945, and sailed from Shelburne for Esquimalt on 22 Dec 1945.  She was paid off at Esquimalt on 06 Feb 1946, but re-commissioned in the summer of 1949 for cadet training.  She was again paid off in 1954 for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (303), was commissioned as such on 21 Dec 1957, and served on the west coast until finally paid off on 15 Sep 1967.  She was broken up in 1968 at Sakai, Japan.

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(DND Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class).

(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class), 9 May 1959.

(Gary Robertson Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class).

(Gary Robertson Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class).

(DND/RCN Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class).

(Gary Robertson Photo)

HMCS Beacon Hill (303) (Prestonian-class).

HMCS Buckingham (314)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Buckingham (314), Lunenburg, ca 1963.

Laid down as HMCS Royalmount, she was renamed HMCS Buckingham K685 on 5 Apr 1944.  Commissioned on 2 Nov 1944, at Quebec City, she proceeded to the east coast and sailed from Halifax on 18 Dec 1944 for Bermuda to work up.  She returned in mid-Jan 1945, and in Feb 1945 was assigned to EG 28, as a member of which she carried out escort and patrol duty out of Halifax until VE-Day.  In May she arrived at Shelburne, escorting the surrendered U-889.  In Jun 1945 she began a tropicalization refit at Liverpool, NS, continuing it at Shelburne until 20 Aug 1945, when it was suspended.  HMCS Buckingham was paid off on 16 Nov 1945 at Sydney and placed in reserve at Shelburne until 1946, when she was sold to Marine Industries Ltd.  Re-acquired by the RCN, she was converted to a Prestonian class ocean escort (304), 1953-54, and re-commissioned for training purposes.  Further modified by the addition of a helicopter landing deck aft, she carried out, Oct-Dec 1956, trials preliminary to the design of the destroyer helicopter carriers.  On 13 Feb 1959, HMCS Fort Erie, HMCS Buckingham, HMCS Swansea and HMCS La Hulloise returned to Halifax after a 5 week exercise in southern waters that included a port visit to Kingston, Jamaica.  In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, HMCS Algonquin, Micmac, Cayuga, St. Croix, Terra Nova, Kootenay, Swansea, La Hulloise, Buckingham, Cape Scott, CNAV Bluethroat and CNAV St. Charles, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics.  She was paid off for the last time on 23 Mar 1965.  On 22 Mar 1966, Buckingham left Halifax under tow and arrived at Le Spezia on 11 Apr 1966 for scrapping.  One of her 4-inch/45 QF Mk. XVI* Twin Gun turrets is preserved in the village of Buckingham, Quebec.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Buckingham (314), with Sikorsky HO4S-3 Sea Horse helicopter on the rear deck.

(Author Photo)

HMCS Buckingham (314) (Prestonian-class).  4-inch/45 QF Mk. XVI* Twin Guns  (Serial No. S/14556), L, left, and (Serial No. S/covered with paint), R, right, on a Mk. XIX High Angle mounting, from HMCS Buckingham.  Buckingham, Quebec.

HMCS Buckingham (K685) was a river-class frigate, re-commissioned in the 1950s and modernized as a Prestonian-class escort, and was further modified as a platform to test the helicopter carrying concept.  This dual 4-inch gun would have been the bow gun (technically in a "B" gun position) and came to the community after the vessel was decommissioned and sold for scrap to an Italian firm in 1965.

(USN Official Naval Archives Photos)

HMCS Buckingham (314) (Prestonian-class).

HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (K663)

(DND Photo)

HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (317) (Prestonian-class).  HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (K663), was built at Quebec city, she was commissioned there on 30 Sep 1944.  She arrived at Halifax 20 Oct 1944, and soon afterward sailed for Bermuda to work up.  Returning in Dec 1944, she was allocated to EG C-7, MOEF, based at St. John's.  She left that port 28 Dec 1944, to accompany convoy HX.328 eastward, but was detached on 03 Jan 1945 to the westbound convoy ONS.39, as she had to return for repairs.  These were carried out successively at St. John's, Halifax and Quebec, and completed on 07 May 1945.  She then began tropicalization refit at Lauzon, but this was cancelled in Aug 1945 owing to termination of hostilities, and the ship was paid off 25 Nov 1945 at Shelburne, NS.  She was sold to Marine Industries Ltd., but later re-acquired by the RCN and converted to a Prestonian class unit (317).  Re-commissioned on 7 Dec 1954, she served on the east coast until paid off on 15 May 1965.  She was broken up the following year at La Spezia, Italy.

(DND Photo)

A de Haviland Otter from RCAF Station Goose Bay's Station Flight wizzes by the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Cap de la Madeleine (317) (Prestonian-class, near Goose Bay, Labrador.

HMCS Fort Erie (312)

Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199811)

HMCS Fort Erie (K670), River Class Frigate, 19 March 1945.

(Bruce Edwards Photo)

HMCS Fort Erie (312) (Prestonian-class).  HMCS Fort Erie (K670) (River-class).  Built by George T. Davie & Sons Lts., at Lauzon, Quebec, she was laid down as HMCS La Tuque, but was renamed HMCS Fort Erie in Mar 1944.  Commissioned at Quebec City on 27 Oct 1944, she did not arrive at Halifax until Dec 1944.  She worked up in Bermuda in mid-Jan 1945 and, on her return to Halifax, was assigned to EG 28, an RCN support group based on Halifax, for the duration of the European war.  Tropicalization refit, begun 2 Jun 1945, at Pictou, NS, was cancelled on 20 Aug 1945 and HMCS Fort Erie was paid off on 22 Nov 1945, to be laid up at Shelburne, NS.  She was sold in 1946 to Marine Industries Ltd., but re-acquired by the RCN and rebuilt in 1954 and 1955 as a Prestonian class ocean escort (312).  Re-commissioned 17 Apr1956, she was generally in service as a training ship.  On 13 Feb 1959, HMCS Fort Erie, HMCS Buckingham, HMCS Swansea and HMCS La Hulloise returned to Halifax after a 5 week exercise in southern waters that included a port visit to Kingston, Jamaica.  HMCS Fort Erie was paid off on 26 Mar 1965 at Halifax.  She was broken up at La Spezia, Italy, in 1966.

(Robb Corrigan Photo)

HMCS Fort Erie (312) (Prestonian-class).

HMCS Inch Arran (308)

(David Cooke Photo)

HMCS Inch Arran (308) (Prestonian-class).  Built at Lauzon, Quebec, she was commissioned on 18 Nov 1944, at Quebec City.  HMCS Inch Arran K667 left for Halifax on 3 Dec 1944, visiting Dalhousie en route.  In Jan 1945 she proceeded to Bermuda to work up, and on her return to Halifax on 4 Feb 1945, she was assigned to EG 28.  She served for the rest of the war on A/S and supported duties out of Halifax, and on 13 May 1945 escorted the surrendered U-889 into Shelburne, NS.  Tropicalization refit, commenced on 6 Jun 1945 at Sydney, was suspended on 20 Aug 1945, and the ship was paid off on 28 Nov 1945.  Placed in reserve at Shelburne, she was sold in 1946 to Marine Industries Ltd., but re-acquired in 1951 by the RCN for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (308) at Saint John, NB.  She was re-commissioned on 23 Aug 1954, serving on the east coast as a training ship until finally paid off on 23 June 1965.  She was then acquired by the Kingston Mariners' Association for conversion to a nautical museum and youth club, but was eventually scrapped in 1970.

(Robert Cooke Photo)

HMCS Inch Arran (308) (Prestonian-class).

(John Rochon Photo)

HMCS Inch Arran (308) (Prestonian-class).

(John Rochon Photo)

HMCS Inch Arran (308) (Prestonian-class).

HMCS Jonquiere (318)

(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)

HMCS Jonquiere (318)  (Prestonian-class).  Commissioned at Quebec City on 10 May 1944, she arrived at Halifax on 5 Jun 1944 and proceeded from there to Bermuda to work up.  Returning in Aug 1944, HMCS Jonquiere K318 was assigned to EG C-2 and after three Atlantic crossings was transferred to EG 26 at Londonderry.  She was also based from time to time at Portsmouth and Plymouth, remaining in UK waters on A/S patrol until 27 May 1945, when she sailed with 305, on the last westbound convoy.  She was paid off 4 Dec 1945 at Shelburne, NS, and later taken to Lauzon for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (318), re-commissioning 20 Sep 1954.  Paid off on 12 Sep 1966, she was purchased by Capital Iron and Metal, Victoria, BC, in 1967 to be broken up.  Shortly after purchased the price of scrap metal plummeted and she was not broken until up late 1971, early 1972.

(City of Vancouver Archives Photo)

HMCS Jonquiere (318) (Prestonian-class).

(DND Photo)

HMCS Jonquiere (318) (Prestonian-class).

(USN Naval History and Heritage Photos)

HMCS Jonquiere (318)

HMCS La Hulloise (305)

(DND Photo)

HMCS La Hulloise (305) (Prestonian-class).  Commissioned at Montreal on 20 May 1944, HMCS La Hulloise K668arrived at Halifax in Jun 1944.  She proceeded to Bermuda in Jul 1944 to work up, and on returning was assigned to EG 16 at Halifax.  In Oct 1944 she was re-assigned to EG 25, and transferred with it to Londonderry in Nov 1944.  She spent the remainder of the war in UK waters, based variously at 'Derry and Rosyth.  On 7 Mar 1945, with HMCS Strathadam and HMCS Thetford Mines, she took part in sinking U-1302 in St. George's Channel.  Late in May 1945 she sailed for Canada to undergo tropicalization refit at Saint John, NB.  Work was completed on 19 Oct 1945, but the Pacific war had ended and she was paid off at Halifax on 6 Dec 1945.  When she was re-commissioned for cadet and new entry training in 1949 her CO, LCdr Jette, was also SO Reserve Fleet East Coast.  On  23 Nov 1953 HMCS La Hulloise was paid off for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (305). She was commissioned as such on 9 Oct 1957.  On 13 Feb 1959, HMCS Fort Erie, HMCS Buckingham, HMCS Swansea and HMCS La Hulloise returned to Halifax after a 5 week exercise in southern waters that included a port visit to Kingston, Jamaica.  In Apr 1963, 12 RCN ships, HMCS Algonquin, Micmac, Cayuga, St. Croix, Terra Nova, Kootenay, Swansea, La Hulloise, Buckingham, Cape Scott, CNAV Bluethroat and CNAV St. Charles, took part in NATO Exercise New Broom Eleven, an exercise designed to test convoy protection tactics.  La Hulloise was paid off on 16 Jul 1965 and broken up at La Spezia, Italy, in 1966.

(Angus Gillingham Photo via Peter Gillingham)

HMCS La Hulloise (305) (Prestonian-class), Autumn 1962, taken during the 9th Squadron's visit to Churchill, Manitoba.

(DND Photo)

HMCS La Hulloise (305) (Prestonian-class),

‍HMCS Lanark (321)

HMCS Lanark (321) (Prestonian-class).  Commissioned on 6 Jul 1944, at Montreal, HMCS Lanark K669 arrived at Halifax on 28 Jul 1944.  She carried out workups in Bermuda in September and, returning to Halifax in Oct 1944, was assigned to the newly formed EG C-7, Londonderry.  She spent the balance of the European war on convoy duty, most of that time as Senior Officer's ship, and early in Jun 1945, sailed for home.  In mid-Jul 1945 she began tropicalization refit at Liverpool, NS, but that was called off on 31 Aug 1945 and the ship was paid off at Sydney on 24 Oct 1945.  She was then placed in reserve at Shelburne, but was sold to Marine Industries Ltd., in 1946.  Later repurchased by the RCN, she was converted to a Prestonian class ocean escort (321), 1954-55, and on 26 Apr 1956, commissioned for training purposed on the east coast.  She was paid off the last time on 16 Mar 1965, and broken up at La Spezia, Italy in 1966.

(Gary Medford Photo)

HMCS Lanark (321) (Prestonian-class).

(Lewis ThibaultLewis Thibault Photo)

HMCS Lanark (321) (Prestonian-class).

HMCS Lauzon (322)

(Angus Gillingham Photo via Peter Gillingham)

HMCS Lauzon (322) (Prestonian-class), and HMCS Buckingham (314), Autumn 1962, taken during the 9th Squadron's visit to Churchill, Manitoba.

(DND Photo)

HMCS Lauzon (322) (Prestonian-class).  Built by George T. Davie & Sons Ltd., she was commissioned on 30 Aug 1944, at Quebec City.  HMCS Lauzon K671 arrived at Halifax in mid-Oct 1944 and in Nov 1944 spent three weeks' working up in Bermuda.  She arrived at St. John's, Newfoundland, 30 Nov 1944 to join EG C-6, and was continuously employed as a mid-ocean escort until VE-Day.  She left Londonderry 13 Jun 1945 for the last time, and that summer was employed as a troop-carrier between St. John's and Quebec City.  Paid off on 7 Nov 1945, she was laid up in reserve at Shelburne, NS, until purchased in 1946 by Marine Industries Ltd.  The RCN re-acquired her in 1951 for conversion to a Prestonian class ocean escort (322).  She was re-commissioned on 12 Dec 1953, and assumed a training role on the east coast until finally paid off on 24 May 1963.  She was sold the following year to a Toronto buyer, presumably for scrap.