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HMCS Timmins

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HMCS Timmins.jpg
HMCS Timmins about 1943
History
Canada
NameTimmins
NamesakeTimmins, Ontario
BuilderYarrow Shipbuilders, Esquimalt, British Columbia
Cost$600,000 CAN
Laid down14 December 1940
Launched26 June 1941
Commissioned10 February 1942
Decommissioned15 July 1945
IdentificationPennant number: K223
Honours and
awards
Atlantic 1942–45[1]
FateSold in 1948 as mercantile ship named Guayaquil. Lost on 3 August 1960
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-class corvette (original)[2]
Displacement950 long tons (970 t; 1,060 short tons)
Length205 ft 1 in (62.51 m)o/a
Beam33 ft 1 in (10.08 m)
Draught13 ft 5 in (4.09 m)
Propulsion
  • single shaft
  • 2 × Scotch marine boilers
  • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 kn (30 km/h)
Range3,450 nautical miles at 12 knots (6,390 km at 22 km/h)
Complement85 (6 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A (ASDIC) or Type 127DV sonar
Armament
  • 1 × BL 4 in (102 mm) Mk.IX single gun
  • 1 × 2-pounder (pom-pom)
  • 2 × 0.5 (50 cal) machine guns
  • 4 × Mk.II depth charge throwers
  • 2 × depth charge rails with 40 depth charges
Notes1940–1941 Short Forecastle Program[3]

HMCS Timmins was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy that served during the battle of the Atlantic from 1942 to 1945. She was ordered from Yarrows Ltd. in Esquimalt, British Columbia and laid down on 14 December 1940. She was launched on 26 June 1941 and commissioned on 10 February 1942. She was named after the community of Timmins, Ontario.

She was lightly armed with a 4-inch gun and a 2-pounder naval gun. She used depth charges for anti-submarine warfare. She was crewed by a complement of 85 sailors and 6 officers. Her unofficial badge was a smug cat clutching a U-boat in its paw.

For the first six months she performed coastal defense duties on the west coast. In October 1942 she was ordered to the east coast travelling via the Panama Canal. From November 1942 to July 1945 she escorted convoys with the Western Local Escort Force which operated from New York City to St. John's, Newfoundland. In November 1942, Timmins was assigned to escort convoy ON145. On 21 November the convoy was attacked by U-518. The U-boat torpedoed and sank the British merchant Empire Sailor. Timmins along with HMCS Minas rescued 42 survivors from the ship. She was decommissioned on 15 July 1945. In 1948 she was sold off and turned into a mercantile freighter called Guayaquil. She was reported lost on 3 August 1960.

Discover more about HMCS Timmins related topics

Flower-class corvette

Flower-class corvette

The Flower-class corvette was a British class of 294 corvettes used during World War II by the Allied navies particularly as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the Battle of the Atlantic. Royal Navy ships of this class were named after flowers.

Corvette

Corvette

A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop-of-war.

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.

Timmins

Timmins

Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource extraction, and is supported by industries related to lumbering, and to the mining of gold, zinc, copper, nickel and silver. Timmins serves as a regional service and distribution centre. The city has a large Francophone community, with more than 50% bilingual in French and English.

Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. Located in Central Canada, it is Canada's most populous province, with 38.3 percent of the country's population, and is the second-largest province by total area. Ontario is Canada's fourth-largest jurisdiction in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto, which is Ontario's provincial capital.

QF 2-pounder naval gun

QF 2-pounder naval gun

The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 40 mm (1.6 in) British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing. This QF 2-pounder was not the same gun as the Ordnance QF 2-pounder, used by the British Army as an anti-tank gun and a tank gun, although they both fired 2 lb (0.91 kg), 40 mm (1.6 in) projectiles.

Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82 km (51 mi) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduces the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan and the even less popular route through the Arctic Archipelago and the Bering Strait.

New York City

New York City

New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2), New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States and more than twice as populous as Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city. New York City is located at the southern tip of New York State. It constitutes the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by both population and urban area. With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York is one of the world's most populous megacities, and over 58 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of the city. New York City is a global cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center with a significant influence on commerce, health care and life sciences, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy, and is sometimes described as the capital of the world.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland.

German submarine U-518

German submarine U-518

German submarine U-518 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She saw considerable success from her launch on 11 February 1942 until she was sunk on 22 April 1945. The U-boat was laid down at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg as yard number 314 on 12 June 1941, and commissioned on 25 April 1942 with Fregattenkapitän Hans-Günther Brachmann in command. He was replaced on 19 August 1942 by Kapitänleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann. She sank nine ships and damaged three more in seven active patrols. U-518 had a crew of 56, and was by then commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Werner Offermann from 13 January 1944.

U-boat

U-boat

U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic-warfare role and enforcing a naval blockade against enemy shipping. The primary targets of the U-boat campaigns in both wars were the merchant convoys bringing supplies from Canada and other parts of the British Empire, and from the United States, to the United Kingdom and to the Soviet Union and the Allied territories in the Mediterranean. German submarines also targeted Brazilian merchant ships during both World Wars and, twice over, precipitated Brazil's decision to give up its neutral stance and declare war on Germany.

Description

Timmins was laid down by Yarrows Ltd. on 14 December 1940 and completed 6 months and 12 days later on 26 June 1941. Total cost for construction was about $600,000 CAN. She was commissioned for active duty on 11 September 1941.[4]

Design

Timmins was part of a second order of corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy. After the crisis of 1940 six additional ships were ordered. She was identical to the original corvettes except that she had no minesweeping gear and her bridge wings were extended. She had an overall length of 205 ft 1 in (62.51 m) and was 33 ft 1 in (10.08 m) at her widest point. She had a draught of 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m) and weighed 950 long tons (970 t; 1,060 short tons).

She was powered by a pair of Scotch marine boilers and was driven by a single screw, triple expansion reciprocating engine of 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW) which gave her a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h). She had a capacity of 230 tons of fuel which gave her a maximum range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km) cruising at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h).

Like most corvettes, Timmins was installed with a Type 123A ASDIC detection system. This technology was designed in 1934 for armed trawlers and minesweepers of the Royal Navy. The system was outdated but was the best system available to the Canadian Navy at the time. Type 123A could detect the distance to underwater sounds but could not determine the depth.[5]

Armament

Timmins was armed with one 4-inch (102 mm) gun forward and a 2-pounder pom-pom gun mounted aft. Twin 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Vickers machine guns were mounted in the aft gun tub for air defence. Depth charges were used for anti-submarine warfare which were rolled from the stern through two ports or thrown from four launchers near the stern.[6]

Crew

Timmins was built for a crew of 85 including 6 officers and the commanding officer. She was commanded by eight different officers, one of whom was J.H.S. MacDonald who also commanded HMCS Windflower and HMCS Fredericton.[7][8]

Badge

Many Canadian naval ships of World War II adopted an unofficial coat of arms. The badge that Timmins chose was displayed on the front of the bridge and was a stylized smug cat clutching a U-boat in its paw.[9]

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Canadian dollar

Canadian dollar

The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $. There is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviations Can$, CA$ and C$ are frequently used for distinction from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is divided into 100 cents (¢).

Long ton

Long ton

The long ton, also known as the imperial ton or displacement ton, is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois system of weights or Imperial system of measurements. It was standardised in the 13th century. It is used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth of Nations countries alongside the mass-based metric tonne defined in 1799, as well as in the United States for bulk commodities.

Scotch marine boiler

Scotch marine boiler

A "Scotch" marine boiler is a design of steam boiler best known for its use on ships.

Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service.

QF 2-pounder naval gun

QF 2-pounder naval gun

The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 40 mm (1.6 in) British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing. This QF 2-pounder was not the same gun as the Ordnance QF 2-pounder, used by the British Army as an anti-tank gun and a tank gun, although they both fired 2 lb (0.91 kg), 40 mm (1.6 in) projectiles.

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.

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typically carried out to protect friendly shipping and coastal facilities from submarine attacks and to overcome blockades.

HMCS Fredericton (K245)

HMCS Fredericton (K245)

HMCS Fredericton was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy. She was ordered from Marine Industries Ltd. in Sorel, Quebec and laid down on 22 March 1941. She was launched on 2 September 1941 and commissioned on 8 December 1941. She was named after the community of Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon, surcoat, or tabard. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its whole consists of a shield, supporters, a crest, and a motto. A coat of arms is traditionally unique to the armiger. The term itself of 'coat of arms' describing in modern times just the heraldic design, originates from the description of the entire medieval chainmail 'surcoat' garment used in combat or preparation for the latter.

Service

Timmins was launched in February 1942 and was initially assigned to the Pacific Coast Command based in Esquimalt, BC. In October 1942 she along with five other corvettes were transferred to the east coast travelling via the Panama Canal. Seaman Robert MacDonald who was travelling with the group on HMCS Dundas reported that wireless transmission picked up significantly which was a far cry from the relative quiet on the west coast and it took a while to become accustomed to the increased chatter.[10]

After arriving on the East Coast in November 1942, Timmins was assigned to the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) where she escorted convoys between New York City and Halifax, Nova Scotia as far as St. John's, Newfoundland. On 21 November 1942 while escorting Convoy ON 145 off the south coast of Newfoundland, the convoy was attacked by German submarine U-518. The U-boat torpedoed and sunk the British merchant Empire Sailor. Timmins along with HMCS Minas rescued 42 survivors from the ship.[11]

In July 1944 she underwent a four-month refit where her forecastle was extended. After the refit she continued operations with WLEF until the end of the war. She was decommissioned in July 1945 and anchored at Sorel, Quebec for disposal.

In 1948 she was sold as a mercantile carrier and renamed Guayaquil. She was registered under a Honduran flag of convenience. She served in this capacity until 3 August 1960 when she foundered and sank off the coast of Ecuador.[12]

Convoy record summary

Description Time Period Convoys Escorted[13][note 1] Ports visited
Pacific Coast Command Feb. 1942 – Sep. 1942 Esquimalt, BC
Transit from West to East Coast Oct. 1942 Esquimalt, BC, Halifax, NS
Western Local Escort Force Nov. 1942 – June 1944 ON139, HX214, ON144, SC109, ON145, HX218, ON153, SC113, ON161, HX222, ON162, HX223, ON168, HX227, SC120, ON172, ON176, HX232, ON177, ON181, HX237, HX241, HX242, ON187, SC143, ONS20, SC144, XB80 ONS22, ONS24, SC146, XB84, ONS26, SC148, SC150, XB88, ON220, XB92, HX278, ON223, ON225, HX283, ON228, HX286, ON232, SC157, HX292, ON236, HX294, ON240 New York City, Halifax, St. John's
First refit July 1944 – Sept. 1944 Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Western Local Escort Force Oct. 1944 – May 1945 HX316, ONS36, HX326, ON272, HX330, ONS40, BX144, HX338, ON284, HX342, HX344, ONS44, XB154, BX154, HX349, HX353, ON295, ON298, ON301 New York City, Halifax, St. John's

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Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82 km (51 mi) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduces the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan and the even less popular route through the Arctic Archipelago and the Bering Strait.

New York City

New York City

New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2), New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States and more than twice as populous as Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city. New York City is located at the southern tip of New York State. It constitutes the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by both population and urban area. With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York is one of the world's most populous megacities, and over 58 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of the city. New York City is a global cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center with a significant influence on commerce, health care and life sciences, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy, and is sometimes described as the capital of the world.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".

German submarine U-518

German submarine U-518

German submarine U-518 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She saw considerable success from her launch on 11 February 1942 until she was sunk on 22 April 1945. The U-boat was laid down at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg as yard number 314 on 12 June 1941, and commissioned on 25 April 1942 with Fregattenkapitän Hans-Günther Brachmann in command. He was replaced on 19 August 1942 by Kapitänleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann. She sank nine ships and damaged three more in seven active patrols. U-518 had a crew of 56, and was by then commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Werner Offermann from 13 January 1944.

Forecastle

Forecastle

The forecastle is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase "before the mast" which denotes anything related to ordinary sailors, as opposed to a ship's officers.

Honduras

Honduras

Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa.

Flag of convenience

Flag of convenience

Flag of convenience (FOC) is a business practice whereby a ship's owners register a merchant ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ship's owners, and the ship flies the civil ensign of that country, called the flag state. The term is often used pejoratively, and although common, the practice is sometimes regarded as contentious.

Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (621 mi) west of the mainland. The country's capital and largest city is Quito.

Convoy ON 144

Convoy ON 144

Convoy ON 144 was a trade convoy of merchant ships during the Second World War. It was the 144th of the numbered series of ON convoys Outbound from the British Isles to North America. The ships departed Liverpool on 7 November 1942 and were joined on 8 November by Mid-Ocean Escort Force Group B-6 consisting of the Flower-class corvettes Vervain, Potentilla, Eglantine, Montbretia and Rose and the convoy rescue ship Perth. Group B-6 had sailed without the destroyers Fame and Viscount which had been damaged in the battle for eastbound convoy SC 104. The United States Coast Guard cutters Bibb, Duane, and Ingham accompanied the convoy from the Western Approaches with ships that detached for Iceland on 15 November.

Convoy HX 237

Convoy HX 237

HX 237 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was one of several convoy battles that occurred during the crisis month of May 1943.

Convoy SC 143

Convoy SC 143

SC 143 was a North Atlantic convoy of the SC series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the second battle in the Kriegsmarine's autumn offensive in the North Atlantic.

Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Liverpool is a Canadian community and former town located along the Atlantic Ocean of the Province of Nova Scotia's South Shore. It is situated within the Region of Queens Municipality which is the local governmental unit that comprises all of Queens County, Nova Scotia.

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

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References

Notes

  1. ^ Convoys are listed in chronological order.

Citations

  1. ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  2. ^ Lenton, p. 214.
  3. ^ Macpherson, Milner, pp. 127, 129.
  4. ^ Macpherson, Milner, p. 21.
  5. ^ Hackmann, pp. 214-5.
  6. ^ "HMCS Timmins: Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Ship Technical Information". Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  7. ^ Lynch, p.66.
  8. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMCS Fredericton (K245)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  9. ^ "The Badge Project". CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  10. ^ Johnston, pp. 163.
  11. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMCS Timmins (K 223)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  12. ^ Macpherson, Milner, p. 126.
  13. ^ "Arnold Hague Convoy Database". Arnold Hague. Retrieved 1 March 2012.

Works cited

  • Johnston, Mac. (2008). Corvettes Canada, Convoy Veterans of WWII Tell Their True Stories. Mississauga, ON:John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. ISBN 978-0470154298.
  • Lenton, H.T. and Colledge, J.J., eds. (1968). British and Dominion warships of World War II. New York, NY:Doubleday and Company.
  • Lynch, Thomas J. (1982). Canada's Flowers. Halifax, NS:Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 978-0920852156.
  • MacPherson, Ken and Milner, Marc. (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1939-1945. St. Catharines, ON:Vanwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0920277836.

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