As HMCS Hespeler during the Second World War | |
History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Guildford Castle |
Namesake | Guildford Castle |
Ordered | 19 January 1943 |
Builder | Henry Robb Ltd, Leith |
Laid down | 25 May 1943 |
Launched | 13 November 1943 |
Identification | Pennant number: K378 |
Fate | Transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy |
Canada | |
Name | Hespeler |
Namesake | Hespeler, Ontario |
Acquired | 1943 |
Commissioned | 28 February 1944 |
Decommissioned | 15 November 1945 |
Identification | Pennant number: K489 |
Honours and awards | Atlantic 1944–45 [1] |
Fate | Sold for mercantile service |
Name |
|
Port of registry | |
In service | 1946 |
Out of service | 28 January 1966 |
Fate | Destroyed by fire 1966 |
General characteristics (as built) | |
Type | Castle-class corvette |
Displacement | 1,060 long tons (1,077 t) |
Length | 252 ft (77 m) |
Beam | 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m) |
Draught | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
Installed power |
|
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
Range | 6,200 nmi (11,500 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement | 120 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Armament |
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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.
The Castle class were an improved corvette design over their predecessor Flower class. The Flower class was not considered acceptable for mid-Atlantic sailing and was only used on Atlantic convoy duty out of need. Though the Admiralty would have preferred Loch-class frigates, the inability of many small shipyards to construct the larger ships required them to come up with a smaller vessel. The increased length of the Castle class over their predecessors [2] and their improved hull form gave the Castles better speed and performance on patrol in the North Atlantic and an acceptable replacement for the Flowers. [3] This, coupled with improved anti-submarine armament in the form of the Squid mortar led to a much more capable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessel. [2] However, the design did have criticisms, mainly in the way it handled at low speeds and that the class's maximum speed was already slower than the speeds of the new U-boats they would be facing. [4]
A Castle-class corvette was 252 feet (77 m) long with a beam of 36 feet 8 inches (11.18 m) and a draught of 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m) at deep load. [2] [note 1] The ships displaced 1,060 long tons (1,077 t) standard [2] and 1,580 long tons (1,605 t) deep load. [4] [note 2] The ships had a complement of 120. [2] [note 3]
The ships were powered by two Admiralty three-drum boilers which created 2,750 indicated horsepower (2,050 kW). This powered one vertical triple expansion engine that drove one shaft, giving the ships a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). [2] The ships carried 480 tons of oil giving them a range of 6,200 nautical miles (11,500 km; 7,100 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). [4]
The corvettes were armed with one QF 4-inch Mk XIX gun mounted forward. [2] [note 4] Anti-air armament varied from 4 to 10 [2] Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. [5] For ASW purposes, the ships were equipped with one three-barreled Squid anti-submarine mortar with 81 projectiles. The ships also had two depth charge throwers and one depth charge rail on the stern that came with 15 depth charges. [4]
The ships were equipped with Type 145 and Type 147B ASDIC. [4] The Type 147B was tied to the Squid anti-submarine mortar and would automatically set the depth on the fuses of the projectiles until the moment of firing. A single Squid-launched attack had a success rate of 25%. [6] The class was also provided with HF/DF and Type 277 radar. [5]
Guildford Castle, named for Guildford Castle in Surrey, was ordered on 19 January 1943. [7] The ship was laid down on 25 May 1943 at Henry Robb Ltd in Leith and launched on 13 November 1943. [8] At some point during 1943, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy. [9] The corvette was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 28 February 1944 as Hespeler with the pennant number K489. [8] The ship was named for Hespeler, Ontario, a community in southern Ontario.
Following her commissioning, Hespeler worked up at Tobermory. The ship was then assigned to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force as a member of the convoy escort group C-5. From April 1944 until the end of the war, Hespeler performed convoy escort duties, taking part in the largest convoy of the war, HX 300. [8]
On 9 September 1944, while on patrol south of the Hebrides, Hespeler, in conjunction with the River-class frigate Dunver attacked and sank the German submarine U-484. [8] Spotted by a Short Sunderland from 423 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force which attacked the submarine using depth charges, the aircraft then directed three ships to U-484. Hespeler attacked the submarine using her Squid anti-submarine mortar, and after the explosions spotted large air bubbles coming to the surface. [10] The credit for the kill has been disputed by other sources, claiming that the attack was directed at non-submarine targets. [11]
In March 1945, Hespeler returned to Canada and began a refit upon arrival at Halifax. The refit was completed in July at Liverpool, Nova Scotia and following it, the corvette sailed for Esquimalt, British Columbia. Following her arrival, Hespeler was paid off into the reserve on 15 November. [8]
In 1946, Hespeler was sold for mercantile use to Union Steamships Ltd. of Vancouver. Converted into the passenger ship Chilcotin, Union Steamships paid $25,000 to purchase the vessel, and another $400,000 to convert ex-Hespeler into the passenger ship. [12] The converted ship had a gross register tonnage of 1,837 tons. [13] Chilcotin sailed between Alaska and Vancouver until 1957 when Chilcotin was sold to Sunline Inc. She underwent a refit in 1957 and began service as Capri in 1958 operating under a Liberian flag. [14] In 1960, her flag was transferred to Panama and the ship was renamed Stella Maris. [8] [note 5] Stella Maris was used to give round-trip cruises on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, starting from Montreal. [14]
In 1965, her flag returned to Liberia and the ship was renamed Westar. [8] [9] While en route from Greece to Vancouver, on 28 January 1966 the ship was refueling at Sarroch, Sardinia when a fire broke out in her engine room. The ship was beached and one Canadian and one British sailor were killed [15] and three others injured. [13] [16] Westar was taken to La Spezia, Italy to be scrapped on 30 April 1966. [8] [13]
The Castle-class corvette was an ocean going convoy escort developed by the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It was the follow-on to the Flower-class corvette, and designed to be built in shipyards that were producing the Flowers. The Castle-class was a general improvement over the smaller Flowers which were designed for coastal rather than open ocean use.
HMS Denbigh Castle (K696) was one of 44 Castle-class corvettes built for the Royal Navy during World War II. The ship was completed at the end of 1944 and was assigned to the 7th Escort Group at the beginning of 1945. While escorting her first and only Arctic convoy to Russia, she claimed to have shot down a German torpedo bomber. Denbigh Castle was torpedoed in early 1945 by the German submarine U-992, with the loss of 11 men, near the Soviet coast. The ship was beached in an effort to save her, but she was pulled off by the ebbing tide and capsized. Her wreck was declared a total loss.
HMS Alnwick Castle was one of 44 Castle-class corvettes built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was named after Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. Completed in late 1944, the ship served as a convoy escort until the end of the war, helping to sink one German submarine. The corvette was placed in reserve after the war and was sold for scrap in 1958.
HMS Berkeley Castle was a Castle-class corvette of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. Built and commissioned in 1943, she escorted convoys from 1944 to 1945. She later served as an air-sea rescue ship until being placed in reserve. Damaged beyond repair in the North Sea flood of 1953 while at a dry dock in Sheerness, she was scrapped a few years later. She was named after Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
HMS Hurst Castle (K416) was one of 44 Castle-class corvettes built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in June 1944, she began escorting convoys in August and was sunk by a German U-boat the following month.
HMS Rising Castle was a Castle-class corvette built for the Royal Navy in World War II. She was named for Castle Rising in Norfolk, England. Before she was commissioned she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed Arnprior and given a new pennant number. After the war she was sold to Uruguay and renamed Montevideo.
HMCS St. Thomas was a Castle-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy. She served during the Second World War in the Battle of the Atlantic, taking part in the sinking of the German U-boat U-877 in 1944. Initially ordered by the British Royal Navy as Sandgate Castle, the ship was transferred to Canada before completion. Following the war, the corvette was converted for mercantile use and renamed Camosun III, then Chilcotin and Yukon Star in 1958 before being broken up in Washington in 1974.
HMCS Battleford was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy launched on 15 April 1940 and commissioned on 31 July 1941 during the Second World War. The corvette served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic, escorting convoys of merchant ships. After the war she was sold to the Venezuelan Navy and renamed Libertad. Libertad was wrecked on 12 April 1949.
HMS Oakham Castle was a Royal Navy corvette of the Castle class. Built as a convoy escort during the Second World War, it later became a weather ship before being scrapped in 1977.
HMS Nunney Castle was a Castle-class corvette ordered by the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. The ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy before completion and renamed HMCS Bowmanville. Bowmanville served with the Royal Canadian Navy in the final years of the war and was sold for mercantile use in 1946. Renamed Ta Shun, the ship sailed under a Chinese flag, later being renamed Yuan Pei. In 1949, the former corvette was taken over by the Communist-controlled government of China and rearmed and renamed Kuang Chou. Kuang Chou was listed until 1976 and was stricken in 1986.
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.
HMS Norham Castle, initially named Totnes Castle, was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, renamed HMCS Humberstone, and served the rest of the war as a convoy escort. Following the war, the corvette was sold for mercantile service, beginning as Taiwei in 1946 and ending as South Ocean in 1954. The ship was broken up in 1959.
HMS Woolvesey Castle, also spelled as Wolvesey Castle, was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and was renamed HMCS Huntsville. Huntsville spent the rest of the war as a convoy escort. Following the war, the ship was converted for mercantile use and entered service as SS Wellington Kent in 1947. In 1951, the ship was renamed Belle Isle II. In 1960, Belle Isle II was sunk in a collision.
HMS Tamworth Castle was a Castle-class corvette that was ordered for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS Kincardine, which used the corvette as a convoy escort for the rest of the war. Following the war, the ship was sold for mercantile use to French, then Moroccan interests and was renamed Saada in 1947.
HMS Walmer Castle was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS Leaside. The corvette was used as an ocean convoy escort during the war and was sold for mercantile use following it. The ship was purchased for use as a passenger ship and renamed Coquitlam, then in 1958, Glacier Queen. In 1970 Glacier Queen was acquired for use as a floating hotel in Alaska. The ship sank in 1978 and was raised and scuttled in Alaskan waters in 1979.
HMS Hedingham Castle was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before being completed, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, renamed HMCS Orangeville and used as a convoy escort for the rest of the war. Following the war, the ship was sold to Chinese interests for mercantile use and renamed Ta Tung in 1946. In 1947, the ship was renamed Hsi Lin before being taken over by Nationalist China in 1951, rearmed and renamed Te An. Te An remained in service until 1967.
HMS Sherborne Castle was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS Petrolia. During the war Petrolia saw service as a convoy escort. Following the war, the corvette was sold for mercantile use and renamed Maid of Athens in 1946 and in 1947, renamed Bharat Laxmi. The ship remained in service until 1965 when Bharat Laxmi was sold for breaking up.
HMS Pembroke Castle was a Castle-class corvette built for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS Tillsonburg. Tillsonburg saw service as a convoy escort during the Second World War in the Battle of the Atlantic. Following the war, the corvette was converted for merchant use and sold to Chinese interests. The ship was renamed Ta Ting in 1946, Chiu Chin in 1947 before being taken over the Nationalist Chinese government in 1951, rearmed and renamed Kao An. The ship remained in service with the Republic of China Navy until being discarded in 1963.
HMS Morpeth Castle was one of 44 Castle-class corvette built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was named after Morpeth Castle in Morpeth. Completed in 1943, she was used as a convoy escort during the war and was scrapped in August 1960.
HMS Tintagel Castle was one of 44 Castle-class corvette built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was named after Tintagel Castle in Tintagel. Completed in 1943, she was used as a convoy escort during the war and was scrapped in August 1960.