HMS Flamborough Head underway in coastal waters | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Beachy Head class |
Builders | Burrard Dry Dock, Vancouver |
Operators | |
Planned | 21 |
Completed | 16 |
Retired | 16 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Maintenance ship |
Displacement | 8,580 long tons (8,718 t) standard |
Length | |
Beam | 57 ft (17.4 m) |
Draught | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
Propulsion | Oil-fired triple expansion steam engines, 2 boilers, 1 shaft, 2,500 ihp (1,864 kW) |
Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
Complement | 270 |
Armament | 16 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannons |
The Beachy Head-class repair ships were a class of 21 depot, maintenance and repair ships constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. All of the ships in the class were constructed in Canada of which only five served in British waters during the war. Based on a modified mercantile design, five of the class were completed as merchant vessels after the war's end. Following the war, the majority were converted for mercantile use, with a further two ships ending up in service with the Royal Canadian Navy and another with the Royal Air Force.
Following setbacks in the Pacific theatre of operations which led to the loss of naval bases, the Royal Navy required more depot and repair ships for the fleet to replace shore facilities. [1] As part of the war construction programme, the Royal Navy ordered a series of vessels based on standard mercantile designs and modified them to fit their expected roles. [2] Repair and maintenance vessels were ordered from Canadian shipyards with the escort maintenance ships intended to service smaller types of warships, such as frigates and corvettes. [1] The Beachy Head class, ordered from a series of Canadian shipbuilders, was based on the Fort ship, but of the "Victory" type layout. [3]
The ships of the class had a standard displacement of 8,550 long tons (8,687 t) and 11,270 long tons (11,451 t) fully loaded. They were 441 feet 6 inches (134.6 m) long overall and 425 feet 0 inches (129.5 m) between perpendiculars with a beam of 57 feet (17.4 m) and a draught of 20 feet (6.1 m). [4] [5] The vessels were propelled by one shaft driven by a reciprocating triple expansion steam engine powered by steam from two Foster Wheeler water-tube boilers, creating 2,500 indicated horsepower (1,900 kW). This gave the vessels a maximum speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). [4] [5] Machinery was provided from three manufacturers; General Machinery Corporation of Hamilton, Ohio, Canadian Allis-Chalmers Ltd and Dominion Engineering Works of Montreal, Quebec. [6] The vessels had a complement of 270. [7] During the war, the vessels were armed with sixteen single-mounted 20 mm Oerlikon cannons. [5]
Pennant no. | Name | Builder | Launched | Purpose | Fate | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F02 | Beachy Head | Burrard Dry Dock | 27 September 1944 | Maintenance and repair ship | HNLMS Vulkaan (1946); HMCS Cape Scott (1954); scrapped Texas 1978 | |
F18 | Berry Head | Burrard Dry Dock | 21 October 1944 | Maintenance and repair ship | ||
F36 | Buchan Ness | West Coast Shipbuilders | 10 February 1945 | Depot ship | ||
F49 | Cape Wrath | West Coast Shipbuilders | 24 August 1945 | Maintenance and repair ship | ||
F19 | Dodman Point | Burrard Dry Dock | 14 April 1945 | Depot ship | ||
F58 | Duncansby Head | Burrard Dry Dock | 17 November 1944 | Maintenance and repair ship | ||
F46 | Dungeness | West Coast Shipbuilding | 15 March 1945 | Depot ship | ||
F29 | Fife Ness | Burrard Dry Dock | 30 April 1945 | Depot ship | ||
F88 | Flamborough Head | Burrard Dry Dock | 7 October 1944 | Maintenance and repair ship | HMCS Cape Breton (1954); sunk as artificial reef 20 October 2001 | |
F04 | Penlee Point | Burrard Dry Dock | 29 March 1945 | Depot ship | Built as Penlee Point, converted to a missile trials ship HMS Girdle Ness from 1953 | |
F25 | Hartland Point | Burrard Dry Dock | 4 November 1944 | Maintenance and repair ship | ||
F26 | Mull of Galloway (ex-Kinnaird Head) | North Vancouver Shipbuilding | 26 October 1944 | Maintenance and repair ship | ||
F86 | Mull Of Kintyre | North Vancouver Shipbuilding | 5 April 1945 | Maintenance and repair ship | ||
F96 | Mull of Oa (ex-Trevose Head) | North Vancouver Shipbuilding | 11 August 1945 | — | Completed as merchant vessel Turan (1946) | |
F67 | Orford Ness | West Coast Shipbuilders | 12 April 1945 | — | Completed as merchant vessel Rabaul (1951) | |
F34 | Rame Head | North Vancouver Shipbuilding | 22 November 1944 | Maintenance and repair ship | Scrapped 2010 | |
F73 | Rattray Head | North Vancouver Shipbuilding | 8 June 1945 | — | Completed as merchant vessel Iran (1951) | |
F54 | Selsey Bill | Burrard Dry Dock | 11 July 1945 | — | Completed as merchant vessel Waitemata (1946) | |
F42 | Spurn Point | Burrard Dry Dock | 8 June 1945 | Depot ship | ||
F84 | Tarbat Ness | West Coast Shipbuilders | 29 May 1945 | — | Completed as merchant vessel Lautoka (1946) | |
Of the sixteen vessels that completed before the end of the war, Fife Ness, Girdle Ness, Dodman Point, Dungeness and Spurn Point served in British waters around the United Kingdom. The remaining eleven vessels served either in the East Indies or in the Pacific. Following the war, Beachy Head was loaned to the Royal Netherlands Navy and renamed Vulkaan. The vessel returned to Royal Navy service in 1949 and was then sold to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed Cape Scott in 1954. Flamborough Head was also sold to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed Cape Breton in 1954. Fife Ness was transferred to the Royal Air Force and renamed Adastral in 1947. [8]
The stern of Cape Breton was scrapped at the North Vancouver, British Columbia waterfront in 2014 despite protests, [9] the rest of the ship having been sunk as an artificial reef. [3]
The Isles-class trawlers were a class of naval trawler used by the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II.
HMCS Cape Breton was a Royal Canadian Navy Cape-class maintenance ship. Originally built for the Royal Navy as HMS Flamborough Head in 1944, she was transferred in 1952. Upon her commissioning she was the second ship to bear the name Cape Breton. She served operationally from 1953–1964, when she was laid up. She was used as a floating machine shop until the late-1990s, before being sold for use as an artificial reef off the coast of British Columbia.
The Cape class consists of two escort maintenance ships of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The ships were built in Canada as Beachy Head-class maintenance ships for the Royal Navy, but were acquired by Canada in 1952. They were commissioned into the RCN in 1959 as HMCS Cape Breton and HMCS Cape Scott. Cape Scott served on the east coast until 1972, after which the ship became a stationary repair vessel at Halifax, Nova Scotia until 1975. The vessel was broken up in 1978. Cape Breton served initially as a school ship on the east coast before transferring to the west coast of Canada in 1959. The maintenance ship remained in service until 1964, when she was laid up at Esquimalt, British Columbia as a maintenance facility. Cape Breton remained in this service until 1993. The vessel was then sold for use as an artificial reef and sunk off the coast of British Columbia.
HMCS Cape Scott was a Cape-class maintenance ship. She was built for the Royal Navy as HMS Beachy Head in 1944. She was loaned to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1947 as HNLMS Vulkaan and returned to the Royal Navy in 1950. She was sold to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1952 and served until 1975, used as an alongside repair depot after decommissioning.
Burrard Dry Dock Ltd. was a Canadian shipbuilding company headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Together with neighbouring North Van Ship Repair and Yarrows Ltd. of Esquimalt, which were both later purchased by the company, Burrard built and refitted over 450 ships, including many warships for the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy during the First and Second World Wars.
A depot ship is an auxiliary ship used as a mobile or fixed base for submarines, destroyers, minesweepers, fast attack craft, landing craft, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing and relaxation. Depot ships may be identified as tenders in American English. Depot ships may be specifically designed for their purpose or be converted from another purpose.
HMS Hever Castle was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the British Royal Navy in the Second World War. Transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy before completion, the ship was renamed HMCS Copper Cliff and saw service as a convoy escort for the remainder of the war. Following the war, the vessel was sold for mercantile use and renamed Ta Lung, operating under a Chinese flag. In 1949, the ship was taken over by the Communist Chinese government, rearmed and renamed Wan Lee.
HMCS Hespeler was a Castle-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy which served during the Second World War as a convoy escort that was originally ordered as HMS Guildford Castle for the British Royal Navy but before completion was transferred and renamed. Following the war, the ship was sold for mercantile use, renamed Chilcotin in 1946, Capri in 1958, Stella Maris in 1960, and Westar in 1965. The ship was destroyed by fire in 1966 while at Sarroch, Sardinia. The hulk was taken to La Spezia, Italy where Westar was broken up.
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HMCS Mahone was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the ship took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the Saint Lawrence as a convoy escort. Following the war, the minesweeper was decommissioned and placed in reserve. Reacquired during the Korean War, Mahone was never recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy and was instead sold to the Turkish Navy in 1958. Renamed Beylerbeyi, the minesweeper remained in service until 1972 when she was discarded.
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HMCS Outarde was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the ship spent the entire war on the West Coast of Canada. Following the end of the war, the vessel was sold in 1946 for mercantile conversion and renamed Psing Hsin. In 1950 the vessel was sold again and renamed Content and remained in service until broken up for scrap in 1951.
HMCS Quatsino was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the minesweeper spent the entire war on the West Coast of Canada. Following the war, the vessel was sold for mercantile conversion in 1947 and renamed Chen Hsin. In 1950 the merchant ship was sold and renamed Concord before being broken up for scrap in 1951.
HMCS Quinte was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. The ship entered service in 1941 and took part in the Battle of the Atlantic. On 30 November 1942, Quinte ran aground and sank off Cape Breton Island. The ship was re-floated and repaired and spent the rest of the war as a training ship. Following the war, the minesweeper was used for naval research until decommissioned in 1946. The vessel was sold for scrap and broken up in 1947.
HMCS Caraquet was a Bangor-class minesweeper initially constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, the vessel served on both coasts of Canada and took part in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort and the invasion of Normandy. Following the war, the minesweeper was returned to the United Kingdom who then sold the ship to the Portuguese Navy in 1946. Renamed Almirante Lacerda, the vessel was used as a survey ship until 1975 when it was discarded.
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