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HMCS Brockville

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History
Canada
NameBrockville
NamesakeBrockville, Ontario
BuilderMarine Industries Limited, Sorel
Laid down9 December 1940
Launched20 June 1941
Commissioned19 September 1942
Decommissioned28 August 1945
IdentificationPennant number: J270
Recommissioned5 April 1951
Decommissioned31 October 1958
IdentificationPennant number: 283
Honours and
awards		Atlantic 1943–45,[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944.[2]
FateBroken up 1961
BadgeArgent, a lion passant guardant gules, holding in his dexter paw a fleur-de-lis azure[1]
General characteristics
Class and type Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement592 long tons (601 t)
Length162 ft (49.4 m)
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught8.25 ft (2.51 m)
Propulsion2 shafts, 9-cylinder diesel, 2,000 bhp (1,500 kW)
Speed16.5 knots (31 km/h)
Complement83
Armament

HMCS Brockville was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She was used as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence. Following the war, the vessel was transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and renamed Macleod. After five years service with them, the ship was reacquired the Royal Canadian Navy and recommissioned. She remained in service until 1958.

Discover more about HMCS Brockville related topics

Bangor-class minesweeper

Bangor-class minesweeper

The Bangor-class minesweepers were a class of warships operated by the Royal Navy (RN), Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and Royal Indian Navy (RIN) during the Second World War.

Minesweeper

Minesweeper

A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submarines, 12 coastal defence vessels, eight patrol class training vessels, two offshore patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. The RCN consists of 8,570 Regular Force and 4,111 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the current commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and chief of the Naval Staff.

Battle of the Atlantic

Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany's subsequent counter-blockade. The campaign peaked from mid-1940 through to the end of 1943.

Battle of the St. Lawrence

Battle of the St. Lawrence

The Battle of the St. Lawrence involved marine and anti-submarine actions throughout the lower St. Lawrence River and the entire Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Strait of Belle Isle, Anticosti Island and Cabot Strait from May–October 1942, September 1943, and again in October–November 1944. During this time, German U-boats sank over 20 merchant ships and four Canadian warships. There were several near-shore actions involving the drop of German spies, or the attempted pickup of escaping prisoners of war. Despite the 23 ships lost, this battle marked a strategic victory for Canadian forces as ultimately they managed to disrupt U-boat activity, protect Canadian and Allied convoys, and intercept all attempted shore operations. This marked the first time that a foreign power had inflicted casualties in Canadian inland waters since the US incursions in the War of 1812.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, commonly known in English as the Mounties is the federal and national police service of Canada. As police services are the constitutional responsibility of provinces and territories of Canada, the RCMP's primary responsibility is the enforcement of federal criminal law, and sworn members of the RCMP have jurisdiction as a peace officer in all provinces and territories of Canada. However, the service also provides police services under contract to eight of Canada's provinces, all three of Canada's territories, more than 150 municipalities, and 600 Indigenous communities. In addition to enforcing federal legislation and delivering local police services under contract, the RCMP is responsible for border integrity; overseeing Canadian peacekeeping missions involving police; managing the Canadian Firearms Program, which licenses and registers firearms and their owners; and the Canadian Police College, which provides police training to Canadian and international police services.

Design and construction

Design

The Bangor class was initially to be a scaled down minesweeper design of the Halcyon class in Royal Navy service.[3][4] However, due to the difficulty procuring diesel engines led to the small number of the diesel version being completed.[4] The ships displaced 592 long tons (601 t) standard and 690 long tons (700 t) fully loaded. They were 162 feet (49.4 m) long with a beam of 28 feet (8.5 m) and a draught of 8 feet 3 inches (2.51 m).[4][5] However, the size of the ship led to criticisms of their being too cramped for magnetic or acoustic minesweeping gear.[4] This may have been due to all the additions made during the war with the installation of ASDIC, radar and depth charges.[3]

The Bangor class came in two versions. Brockville was of the diesel-powered version, being equipped with a 9-cylinder diesel engine driving two shafts that produced 2,000 brake horsepower (1,500 kW). This gave the ship a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h). The vessels carried 65 long tons (66 t) of oil.[4] The vessels had a complement of 6 officers and 77 ratings.[5]

The Canadian diesel-powered Bangors were armed with a single quick-firing (QF) 12-pounder 12 cwt gun mounted forward.[4][5][a] Initially the design called for a 4-inch (102 mm) gun, however these were replaced with 12-pounder guns. The ships were also fitted with a QF 2-pounder Mark VIII gun aft and were eventually fitted with single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns on the bridge wings.[6] For those ships assigned to convoy duty, they were armed with two depth charge launchers and two chutes to launch the 40 depth charges they carried.[4][6]

Order and construction

Initially, Canada intended to produce more Fundy-class minesweepers, however, upon learning of the Bangor design from the Royal Navy, chose to build them instead. This decision was based on the Bangors oil-burning engines and their larger size and speed.[7] However the lack of diesel manufacturing led to smaller numbers being built[4] and delays in the acquisition of diesel engines led to delays between launching and completion.[6]

Brockville was ordered as part of the 1940–41 Bangor-class program.[5] The ship was laid down on 9 December 1940 by Marine Industries Limited at Sorel and launched 20 June 1941.[8] She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 19 September 1942 at Sorel.[5][8] She was named for the town of Brockville, Ontario.

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Halcyon-class minesweeper

Halcyon-class minesweeper

The Halcyon class was a class of 21 oil-fired minesweepers built for the British Royal Navy between 1933 and 1939. They were given traditional small ship names used historically by the Royal Navy and served during World War II.

Displacement (ship)

Displacement (ship)

The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into weight. Traditionally, various measurement rules have been in use, giving various measures in long tons. Today, tonnes are more commonly used.

Length overall

Length overall

Length overall is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also used for calculating the cost of a marina berth.

Beam (nautical)

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at its widest point. The maximum beam (BMAX) is the distance between planes passing through the outer extremities of the ship, beam of the hull (BH) only includes permanently fixed parts of the hull, and beam at waterline (BWL) is the maximum width where the hull intersects the surface of the water.

Depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosive charges and a fuze set to detonate the charge, typically at a specific depth. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, and helicopters.

Knot (unit)

Knot (unit)

The knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h. The ISO standard symbol for the knot is kn. The same symbol is preferred by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), while kt is also common, especially in aviation, where it is the form recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The knot is a non-SI unit. The knot is used in meteorology, and in maritime and air navigation. A vessel travelling at 1 knot along a meridian travels approximately one minute of geographic latitude in one hour.

Quick-firing gun

Quick-firing gun

A quick-firing or rapid-firing gun is an artillery piece, typically a gun or howitzer, which has several characteristics which taken together mean the weapon can fire at a fast rate. Quick-firing was introduced worldwide in the 1880s and 1890s and had a marked impact on war both on land and at sea.

QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun

QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun

The QF 12-pounder 12-cwt gun (Quick-Firing) was a common, versatile 3-inch (76.2 mm) calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century. It was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick and used on Royal Navy warships, exported to allied countries, and used for land service. In British service "12-pounder" was the rounded value of the projectile weight, and "12 cwt (hundredweight)" was the weight of the barrel and breech, to differentiate it from other "12-pounder" guns.

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models employed by both Allied and Axis forces during World War II. Many versions of the cannon are still used today.

Bridge (nautical)

Bridge (nautical)

The bridge, also known as the pilothouse or wheelhouse, is a room or platform of a ship from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is under way, the bridge is manned by an officer of the watch aided usually by an able seaman acting as a lookout. During critical maneuvers the captain will be on the bridge, often supported by an officer of the watch, an able seaman on the wheel and sometimes a pilot, if required.

Fundy-class minesweeper

Fundy-class minesweeper

The Fundy-class minesweepers were a class of four minesweepers operated by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. All four ships entered service in 1938 and the class were discarded in 1945, sold for mercantile service. Three ended up sold to Chinese interests, while one remained active in Canada until 1987.

Keel laying

Keel laying

Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.

Service history

War service

On 20 October 1942, Brockville arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia. While en route to Halifax, the ship grounded near Rimouski, Quebec and required two weeks repairs upon arrival.[5] After working up, she was assigned to the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF), escorting convoys, before transferring to Halifax Force.[9]

In March 1943, Brockville returned to WLEF. In June 1943, the force was divided up into escort groups with Brockville joining group W-3. In August/September, the ship underwent a refit at Dalhousie, New Brunswick.[5] She remained with the group until May 1944, when the minesweeper was transferred to Sydney Force.[9] The vessel underwent a second refit at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 1944.[5] She would remain a part of this group until June 1945 when the ship was assigned to various tasks based out of Halifax.[9]

Postwar service

On 28 August 1945, Brockville was transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Marine Service. Upon transfer, the ship was renamed Macleod for former commissioner of the RCMP James Macleod. Macleod served on the east coast until 1 July 1950 when she was returned to the Royal Canadian Navy where she was returned to her old name.[10]

Brockville was recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 5 April 1951.[5][10] She underwent modernization at Lauzon, Quebec.[5] During her modernization, the 12-pounder gun was removed and replaced with a Bofors 40 mm gun and a Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar was installed.[6] In 1952, the ship was assigned to Sydney, Nova Scotia[5] as tender to HMCS Scotian[11] and was used for seasonal training exercises on the Great Lakes in 1954. In October 1954, Brockville transferred to Esquimalt, British Columbia with Digby and Jonquiere.[12] On 4 January 1955, Brockville, Digby and Cordova formed the Second Canadian Reserve Squadron for training purposes at Esquimalt.[13][14] On 12 December 1956, she was paid off into the reserve at Esquimalt. On 29 August 1958, the ship was recommissioned for passage to Halifax where it was planned to convert her to a mobile deperming vessel.[9] However this conversion was cancelled and she was paid off for the final time on 31 October 1958. She was sold for scrap and broken up in 1961.[5][9]

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Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. Halifax is one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, and as of 2022, it is estimated that the CMA population of Halifax was 480,582, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The regional municipality consists of four former municipalities that were amalgamated in 1996: Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, and Halifax County.

Rimouski

Rimouski

Rimouski is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935. Rimouski is the site of Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), the Cégep de Rimouski and the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec. It is also the home of some ocean sciences research centres.

Dalhousie, New Brunswick

Dalhousie, New Brunswick

Dalhousie is an unincorporated community in the town of Heron Bay, New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023. New Brunswick's northernmost point of land is situated in Dalhousie, where the Restigouche River meets Chaleur Bay.

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Lunenburg is a port town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1753, the town was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia.

James Macleod

James Macleod

Lieutenant-Colonel James Farquharson Macleod, born in Drynoch, Isle of Skye, Scotland, was a militia officer, lawyer, North-West Mounted Police officer, magistrate, judge, and politician in Alberta. He served as the second full Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police, from July 22, 1876, to October 31, 1880. Fort Macleod and Macleod Trail, a major Calgary, Alberta thoroughfare, are named after him.

Lauzon, Quebec

Lauzon, Quebec

Lauzon is a former city in southern Quebec, Canada, located on the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lévis. Founded in 1867 as a village it became a town in 1910, Lauzon had a population of about 14,500 when it merged with Lévis in 1989. The then-amalgamated city had the name of Lévis-Lauzon for about one year in 1991, before merging again and changing its name for good to Lévis.

Hedgehog (weapon)

Hedgehog (weapon)

The Hedgehog was a forward-throwing anti-submarine weapon that was used primarily during the Second World War. The device, which was developed by the Royal Navy, fired up to 24 spigot mortars ahead of a ship when attacking a U-boat. It was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers and corvettes to supplement the depth charges.

Ship's tender

Ship's tender

A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship, used to service or support other boats or ships. This is generally done by transporting people or supplies to and from shore or another ship.

HMCS Scotian

HMCS Scotian

HMCS Scotian is a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Division (NRD) located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dubbed a stone frigate, HMCS Scotian is a land-based naval establishment for part-time sailors as well as a local recruitment centre for the Canadian Naval Reserve.

Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes, which are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario and are in general on or near the Canada–United States border. Hydrologically, lakes Michigan and Huron are a single body joined at the Straits of Mackinac. The Great Lakes Waterway enables modern travel and shipping by water among the lakes.

CFB Esquimalt

CFB Esquimalt

Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt is Canada's Pacific Coast naval base and home port to Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific Headquarters. As of 2018, 4,411 military personnel and 2,762 civilians work at CFB Esquimalt.

Ship breaking

Ship breaking

Ship-breaking is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or for the extraction of raw materials, chiefly scrap. Modern ships have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years before corrosion, metal fatigue and a lack of parts render them uneconomical to operate. Ship-breaking allows the materials from the ship, especially steel, to be recycled and made into new products. This lowers the demand for mined iron ore and reduces energy use in the steelmaking process. Fixtures and other equipment on board the vessels can also be reused. While ship-breaking is sustainable, there are concerns about the use by poorer countries without stringent environmental legislation. It is also labour-intensive, and considered one of the world's most dangerous industries.

Source: "HMCS Brockville", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 25th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Brockville.

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Further Reading

HMCS Esquimalt

HMCS Digby

HMCS Goderich

HMCS Caraquet
See also
References

Notes

  1. ^ "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.

Citations

  1. ^ a b Arbuckle (1987), p. 16
  2. ^ "Royal Canadian Warships that Participated in the Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence". Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. ^ a b Brown, p. 124
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Chesneau (1980), p. 61
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 185
  6. ^ a b c d Macpherson (1997), p. 58
  7. ^ Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 167
  8. ^ a b "HMCS Brockville (J 270)". uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e Macpherson (1997), p. 60
  10. ^ a b Haycock (2012), p. 178
  11. ^ "Quebec Being Refitted, Three Ships Commission". The Crowsnest. Vol. 3, no. 7. Ottawa: King's Printer. May 1951. p. 3.
  12. ^ "Three Ships Go to West Coast". The Crowsnest. Vol. 6, no. 12. Ottawa: Queen's Printer. October 1954. p. 2.
  13. ^ "Reserve Squadron Being Formed". The Crowsnest. Vol. 7, no. 2. Ottawa: Queen's Printer. December 1954. p. 3.
  14. ^ "Two New Squadrons for Pacific Command". The Crowsnest. Vol. 7, no. 4. Ottawa: Queen's Printer. February 1955. pp. 2–3.

Sources

  • Arbuckle, J. Graeme (1987). Badges of the Canadian Navy. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 0-920852-49-1.
  • Brown, D.K. (2000). Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923–1945. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1861761368.
  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Haycock, Kenneth John (2012). Vassilopoulos, Peter (ed.). The History of the RCMP Marine Services. Pacific Marine Publishing. ISBN 978-0-919317-47-5.
  • Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces, 1910–2002 (3 ed.). St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited. ISBN 1551250721.
  • Macpherson, Ken (1997). Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy 1938–1945. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 0-920277-55-1.
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