HMCS Outarde

Last updated

History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgCanada
NameOutarde
Namesake Outarde Bay, Quebec
Builder North Van Ship Repair, North Vancouver
Laid down15 October 1940
Launched27 January 1941
Commissioned4 December 1941
Decommissioned24 November 1945
Identification Pennant number: J161
FateSold 1946 for mercantile conversion
General characteristics
Class and type Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement672 long tons (683 t)
Length180 ft (54.9 m) oa
Beam28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Draught9 ft 9 in (3.0 m)
Propulsion2 Admiralty 3-drum water tube boilers, 2 shafts, vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engines, 2,400 ihp (1,790 kW)
Speed16.5 knots (31 km/h)
Complement83
Armament

HMCS Outarde (pennant J161) 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.

Contents

Design and description

A British design, the Bangor-class minesweepers were smaller than the preceding Halcyon-class minesweepers in British service, but larger than the Fundy class in Canadian service. [1] [2] They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines. [1] Outarde was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. Outarde was 180 feet (54.9 m) long overall, had a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 9 feet 9 inches (3.0 m). [1] [3] The minesweeper had a displacement of 672 long tons (683 t). She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted. [3]

Outarde had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The minesweeper could carry a maximum of 150 long tons (152 t) of fuel oil. [1]

The minesweeper was armed initially with a single quick-firing (QF) 4-inch (102 mm)/40 caliber Mk IV gun mounted forward that was later replaced with a single QF 3-inch (76 mm) 20 cwt gun mounted forward. [1] [4] [lower-alpha 1] The ship was also fitted with a QF 2-pounder Mark VIII aft and was eventually fitted with single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns on the bridge wings. [5] Those ships assigned to convoy duty were armed with two depth charge launchers and four chutes to deploy their 40 depth charges. [1] [4]

Operational history

The minesweeper was ordered as part of the 1939–40 building programme. [4] The ship's keel was laid down by North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd. at their yard in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Named for a bay in Quebec, Outarde was launched on 27 January 1941 and commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Vancouver on 4 December 1941. [6]

Outarde spent the entirety of the Second World War on the West Coast of Canada. Assigned to the patrol units Esquimalt Force (operating out of Esquimalt, British Columbia) or Prince Rupert Force (operating out of Prince Rupert, British Columbia), the main duty of Bangor-class minesweepers after commissioning on the West Coast was to perform the Western Patrol. This consisted of patrolling the west coast of Vancouver Island, inspecting inlets and sounds and past the Scott Islands to Gordon Channel at the entrance to the Queen Charlotte Strait and back. [6] [7] On 13 July 1942, Outarde, Chignecto, the corvette Dawson and the American destroyer USS Hatfield escorted four American troop transports carrying 5,000 Canadian troops from Esquimalt for the invasion of Kiska. [8]

Following the war Outarde was paid off on 24 November 1945 at Esquimalt. The vessel was sold for mercantile conversion in 1946 and renamed Psing Hsin. [6] [9] Registered in Shanghai the 663  GRT vessel was owned by Chung Yuan SN Co. The vessel was sold in 1950 to Transcontinental Corporation, registered in Monrovia and renamed Content. The merchant ship was broken up in Hong Kong beginning on 13 January 1951. [10]

Related Research Articles

HMCS <i>Nootka</i> (J35)

HMCS Nootka was a Fundy-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1938–1945. She saw service during the Second World War as a local minesweeper working out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was named for Nootka Sound. In 1943 she was renamed HMCS Nanoose to allow the unit name Nootka to be used by the destroyer HMCS Nootka. Following the war the ship was sold for mercantile use, becoming the tugboat Sung Ling. The ship's registry was deleted in 1993.

HMCS Miramichi was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She remained on the west coast of Canada for the entirety of the war. She was named for Miramichi, New Brunswick. After the war she was purchased with the intent of conversion for mercantile use. However, that never took place and instead, she was scrapped in 1949.

HMCS <i>Chignecto</i> (J160)

HMCS Chignecto was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She only saw service on the west coast of Canada during the war. She was named for Chignecto Bay. The vessel's fate is unknown.

HMCS <i>Esquimalt</i> Royal Canadian minesweeper

HMCS Esquimalt was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw service in the Battle of the Atlantic and in the Battle of the St. Lawrence. She was sunk in 1945, the last Canadian warship to suffer that fate. She was named for Esquimalt, British Columbia.

HMS <i>Guysborough</i> Minesweeper of the Royal Navy

HMS Guysborough was a VTE-engined Bangor-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy. Before commissioning she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on loan. She saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Invasion of Normandy. She was torpedoed by the German submarine U-868 in 1945 while returning to the United Kingdom.

HMCS Transcona was a Bangor-class minesweeper built for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She was launched on 26 April 1941. After the war, she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police under the name French. The vessel served until 1961 before being sold for scrap and broken up later that year.

HMCS Courtenay was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1942, Courtenay spent the entire war on the West Coast of Canada. The vessel was decommissioned in 1945 and sold for mercantile service in 1946. The fate of the vessel is uncertain.

HMCS Bellechasse was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. The minesweeper entered service in 1941 and spent the entire war on the West Coast of Canada. Sold in 1946 for mercantile conversion, the conversion was not carried out and Bellechasse was broken up for scrap instead.

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.

HMCS Malpeque was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the minesweeper took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and the invasion of Normandy. Malpeque was decommissioned in 1945 and placed in reserve. The vessel was reacquired during the Korean War, however the ship never re-entered service and was sold for scrap in 1959.

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 <i>Wasaga</i>

HMCS Wasaga was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the minesweeper took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and the invasion of Normandy. Following the end of the war, the vessel was sold in 1946 and broken up for scrap in 1947.

HMCS Bayfield 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 minesweeper saw service on both the West and East Coasts of Canada as a convoy escort and patrol vessel. In 1944, Bayfield sailed for European waters and took part in the invasion of Normandy. She remained in European waters for the rest of the war and was returned to the United Kingdom in September 1945. The minesweeper was laid up until being discarded for scrap in 1948.

HMCS Canso 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 minesweeper saw service on both the West and East Coasts of Canada as a convoy escort and patrol vessel. The vessel participated in the invasion of Normandy and spent the final years of the war in European waters. Canso was returned to the Royal Navy following the war and was broken up for scrap in 1948.

HMCS <i>Caraquet</i>

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.

HMCS Ingonish was a Bangor-class minesweeper initially constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, the vessel served on both coasts of Canada as a convoy escort and patrol vessel. Following the war, the minesweeper was returned to the Royal Navy and laid up. Ingonish was discarded in 1948.

HMCS Lockeport was a Bangor-class minesweeper initially constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, the minesweeper saw service on both coasts of Canada as a patrol vessel and convoy escort. Returned to the Royal Navy in 1945, Lockeport was discarded in 1948.

HMCS Kelowna was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1942, the minesweeper spent the entire war on the West Coast of Canada, mainly as a patrol vessel. Following the war, Kelowna was sold for mercantile conversion. Renamed Hung Hsin and Condor, the final disposition of the vessel is disputed.

HMCS Swift Current was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the warship used as a training ship and convoy escort and took part in the battles of the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic. Following the war the ship was laid up until reacquired during the Korean War. Never re-entering service with Canada, Swift Current was sold to the Turkish Navy in 1958. Renamed Bozcaada, the minesweeper was discarded in 1971.

HMCS Mulgrave was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1942, the minesweeper took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and the invasion of Normandy. While sweeping for naval mines off France in 1944, the vessel hit one. The ship was towed back to port where Mulgrave was declared a constructive total loss. Laid up until the end of the war, the minesweeper was broken up in 1947.

References

Notes

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

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chesneau, p. 64
  2. ↑ Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 167
  3. 1 2 Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 180
  4. 1 2 3 Macpherson (1997), p. 19
  5. ↑ Macpherson (1997), p. 46
  6. 1 2 3 Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 174
  7. ↑ Douglas et al., No Higher Purpose, p. 349
  8. ↑ Douglas et al., No Higher Purpose, p. 368
  9. ↑ Colledge, p. 462
  10. ↑ "Outarde (6112193)" . Miramar Ship Index . Retrieved 30 October 2016.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.