HMCS Strathroy

HMCS Strathroy
History
Canada
NameHMCS Strathroy
NamesakeStrathroy-Caradoc, Ontario
OrderedJune 1942
BuilderMidland Shipyards Ltd., Midland
Laid down18 November 1943
Launched15 June 1944
Commissioned20 November 1944
Decommissioned12 July 1945
IdentificationPennant number: K455
Honours and
awards		Atlantic 1945[1]
FateSold to Chilean navy
Chile
NameChipana
Acquired18 March 1946
Commissioned12 April 1946
Decommissioned30 September 1966
FateScrapped 1969
General characteristics
Class and typeModified Flower-class corvette
Displacement1,015 long tons (1,031 t; 1,137 short tons)
Length208 ft (63.4 m)o/a
Beam33 ft (10.1 m)
Draught11 ft (3.35 m)
Propulsion
  • single shaft
  • 2 × water tube boilers
  • 1 × 4-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement90
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × Type 271 SW2C radar
  • 1 × Type 144 sonar
Armament

HMCS Strathroy was a modified Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort. She was named for Strathroy-Caradoc, Ontario. After the war she was sold to the Chilean Navy.

Background

Main article: Flower-class corvette

Flower-class corvettes like Strathroy serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[2][3][4] The "corvette" designation was created by the French as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.[5] During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design.[6] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[7]

Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part, to better represent the people who took part in building them. This idea was put forth by Admiral Percy W. Nelles. Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named. Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts, while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas.[8]

Construction and career

Strathroy was ordered in June 1942 as part of the 1943–44 Increased Endurance Flower-class building program, which followed the main layout of the 1942–43 program. The only significant difference is that the majority of the 43–44 program replaced the 2-pounder Mk.VIII single "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun with 2 twin 20-mm and 2 single 20-mm anti-aircraft guns.[8] Strathroy was laid down by Midland Shipyards Ltd. at Midland, Ontario 18 November 1943 and launched 15 June 1944.[9][10] She was commissioned into the RCN 20 November 1944 at Midland.[11]

After arriving at Halifax in December, Strathroy was initially assigned as a local escort. She escorted convoy HF 147 to Saint John, New Brunswick. While there, she completed fitting out due to the freeze up on the St. Lawrence river. In April 1945 she rejoined Halifax Force as a local escort after workups in Bermuda. She remained as such until the end of the war.[11]

Strathroy was paid off 12 July 1945 at Sorel, Quebec and laid up. She was transferred to the War Assets Corporation and sold to the Chilean Navy in 1946.[11]

Chilean Navy

She arrived in Chile 12 April 1946 and was renamed Chipana. During the 1950s and 1960s, Chipana served as a survey vessel. She was decommissioned 30 September 1966.[12] She was sold for scrap and broken up in 1969.[9][10]

Notes

  1. ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  2. ^ Ossian, Robert. "Complete List of Sailing Vessels". The Pirate King. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  3. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 11. London: Phoebus. pp. 1137–1142.
  4. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. New Jersey: Random House. 1996. p. 68. ISBN 0-517-67963-9.
  5. ^ Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005). The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy. Stackpole Books. pp. 39–63. ISBN 0-8117-3275-4.
  6. ^ Chesneau, Roger; Gardiner, Robert (June 1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. Naval Institute Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-87021-913-8.
  7. ^ Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. pp. 117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226, 235, 285–291. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
  8. ^ a b Macpherson, Ken; Milner, Marc (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939–1945. St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 1-55125-052-7.
  9. ^ a b "HMCS Strathroy (K 455)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  10. ^ a b Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  11. ^ a b c Macpherson, Ken; Burgess, John (1981). The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910–1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships. Toronto: Collins. p. 103. ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
  12. ^ "Chipana, corbeta". Armada de Chile (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2013.