HMS Teme

Last updated

History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameTeme
Namesake River Teme
Builder Smiths Dock Company, South Bank-on-Tees
Laid down25 May 1943
Launched11 November 1943
Identification Pennant number: K458
Fate
  • Transferred to Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) 1944
  • Returned from RCN 1945
  • Broken up 1946
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgCanada
NameTeme
Commissioned28 February 1944
Decommissioned4 May 1945
Identificationpennant number: K458
Fate
  • Torpedoed 29 March 1945, constructive total loss
  • Returned to Royal Navy 1945
General characteristics
Class and type River-class frigate
Displacement
  • 1,460 long tons (1,480 t; 1,640 short tons)
  • 2,180 long tons (2,210 t; 2,440 short tons) (deep load)
Length
  • 283 ft (86.26 m) p/p
  • 301 ft 4 in (91.85 m) o/a
Beam36 ft 8 in (11.18 m)
Draught11 ft 10 in (3.61 m); 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) (deep load)
Propulsion2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW)
Speed
  • 20 knots (37.0 km/h)
  • 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h) (turbine ships)
Range646 long tons (656 t; 724 short tons) oil fuel; 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h)
Complement157
Armament

HMS Teme was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy that was built during the Second World War. The frigate was named for the River Teme, a river that flows along the English-Welsh border. [1] She was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and served as HMCS Teme. She was torpedoed by a German submarine on 29 March 1945 and subsequently declared a constructive total loss. The ship was broken up in Wales in 1946.

Contents

Design and description

The River-class frigate were an improved version of the Flower-class corvette design, intended as ocean-going anti-submarine escorts. [2] [3] They were 100 feet (30 m) longer and had two screws, intended to replace the corvettes that were at the time, performing the convoy escort missions. [3]

The River-class design had a displacement of 1,460 long tons (1,480 t; 1,640 short tons) and 2,180 long tons (2,210 t; 2,440 short tons) at deep load. They were 283 ft (86.26 m) long between perpendiculars and 301 ft 4 in (91.85 m) long overall. The frigates had a beam of 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m) and a draught of 11 ft 10 in (3.61 m), 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) at deep load. [2]

The frigates were powered by a two-shaft vertical triple expansion engine, using steam from two Admiralty 3-drum boilers. This generated 5,500 indicated horsepower (4,100 kW) and gave the ships a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). They carried 646 tons of oil. [2]

The ships main armament was two single-mounted QF 4-inch (102 mm)/40 Mk.XIX guns. For anti-air defence they had up to ten QF 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns on twin and single mounts. For anti-submarine warfare they were equipped with one Hedgehog 24 spigot projector and up to 150 depth charges. [2]

Construction and career

Teme was laid down by Smiths Dock Company at their shipyard in South Bank-on-Tees and launched on 11 November 1943. [1] In 1943, as part of the Royal Navy's intent to reduce its production of escorts, an agreement was reached between the United Kingdom and Canada that would see the Royal Canadian Navy take over seven River-class frigates building in the United Kingdom. [4] The ship was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 28 February 1944 at Middlesbrough. [1]

After working up, Teme was assigned to the convoy escort group EG 6, based out of Derry. For the rest of her active career, the ship remained with this unit. [1]

On 6 June 1944, Teme was among the forces arrayed for Operation Overlord, the naval component of the Invasion of Normandy. [1] Teme was among the ships deployed to combat the U-boat threat to the invasion fleet. [5] Escort Group 6 was among the groups assigned to Operation CA, which swept the area of the Atlantic extending from southern Ireland to the Bay of Biscay. The escort group, normally operating out of Derry, transferred to their operating base at Moelfre Bay in Wales on 31 May. [6] On 10 June at roughly 0200, Teme picked up an ASDIC contact and moved to intercept. The escort carrier HMS Tracker, operating with the group, maneuvered at the same time, and both ships put themselves on a collision course. [7] Tracker rammed Teme and nearly cut the ship in half. [1] [7] Teme was towed by sister ship HMCS Outremont to Cardiff where she underwent repairs until December 1944. [1]

Teme traveled to Tobermory for work ups following her repairs and became operational again on 9 February 1945. On 29 March, while escorting the coastal convoy BTC 111 in the English Channel, Teme was hit by a torpedo from a German submarine, blowing off 60 feet (18 m) of her stern. [1] [8] In company with sister ship HMCS New Waterford, the two ships were sweeping for submarines when Teme picked up a contact on her sonar. After failing to find the source of the contact, the ships were returning to the convoy when a torpedo was spotted. The resulting explosion killed four men. [9] The sources disagree on which submarine fired the torpedo, with Macpherson and Barrie stating it was U-246 and Rohwer claiming it was U-315 on page 397, then on page 400, it was U-246. [1] [8] [10]

Towed to Falmouth, the frigate was declared a constructive total loss. The ship was paid off by the Royal Canadian Navy on 4 May 1945 and returned to the Royal Navy. The ship was towed to Llanelly, Wales and broken up in 1946. [1]

Related Research Articles

HMCS <i>Haida</i> Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Haida is a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1943 to 1963, participating in World War II and the Korean War. She was named after the Haida people.

HMCS <i>Algonquin</i> (R17) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Algonquin was a V-class destroyer, laid down for the Royal Navy as HMS Valentine (R17) and transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on completion during the Second World War. She saw service in the Second World War escorting the aircraft carriers that bombed the Tirpitz in March 1944 and providing naval gunfire support to the Normandy landings. The destroyer was to participate in the Pacific Campaign but the war ended before her arrival in that theatre. Algonquin was converted in 1953 to a frigate and spent the majority of her remaining career in the Atlantic, being paid off in 1970.

HMCS <i>Alberni</i> Flower-class corvette

HMCS Alberni was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. The Flower-class corvettes were warships designed for anti-submarine warfare. The ship was constructed by Yarrows Ltd. in Esquimalt, British Columbia, laid down on 19 April 1940, launched on 22 August and commissioned on 4 February 1941. The corvette sailed east to join the RCN's fleet in the Atlantic via the Panama Canal, where upon arrival, the vessel began escorting trans-atlantic convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic. Alberni took part in the key convoy battle of Convoy SC 42. In 1942, the corvette was transferred to Allied convoy assignments associated with Operation Torch in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1944, Alberni was among the Canadian naval vessels assigned to Operation Neptune, the naval component of the invasion of Normandy and escorted support ships to and from the United Kingdom on D-day.

HMCS <i>Huron</i> (G24) Royal Canadian Navy destroyer

HMCS Huron was a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and the Korean War. She was the first ship to bear this name, entering service in 1943. She was named for the Huron people. During the Second World War the vessel saw service in Operation Neptune in the Bay of Biscay and along the French coast in support of the invasion of Normandy and escorted convoys to the Soviet Union. Following the war, the ship was placed in reserve. The destroyer was activated in 1950 as a training ship, but with the onset of the Korean War, was modernized and deployed twice to Korea. Following the war, Huron reverted to a training ship and took part in Cold War-era North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) naval exercises until being paid off for the final time in 1963 and broken up for scrap in 1965.

HMCS <i>Iroquois</i> (G89) Royal Canadian Navy destroyer

HMCS Iroquois was a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War and Korean War. She was named for the Iroquois First Nations. Iroquois was the first ship to bear this name and the first ship of the class to serve with the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS <i>Sioux</i> (R64) Destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Sioux was a V-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy which fought in the Second World War and the Korean War. She was launched as HMS Vixen for the British Royal Navy before being transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy. She was then named for the Sioux people of Canada's western provinces.

HMCS <i>Magog</i> River-class frigate

HMCS Magog was a River-class frigate that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. She was used primarily as a convoy escort. On 14 October 1944, she was torpedoed by U-1223. She survived the attack, was towed to port and declared a constructive total loss. Magog was named for the town of Magog, Quebec.

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.

River-class destroyer (1931) Class of destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy

The River class was a series of fourteen destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) that served before and during the Second World War. They were named after Canadian rivers.

HMCS <i>Raccoon</i>

HMCS Raccoon was an armed yacht that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Purchased by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1940, the ship was originally known as the yacht Halonia. Used as a patrol vessel and convoy escort, the ship was sunk by the German submarine U-165 in the St. Lawrence River on 7 September 1942. Raccoon was escorting Convoy QS-33 at the time. The entire ship's crew was lost.

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 <i>Nene</i> River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMS Nene was a River-class frigate, designed for anti-submarine operations, that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. In 1944 she was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy and recommissioned as HMCS Nene, who returned her to the Royal Navy in 1945. Following the war she remained in reserve until disposed of in 1955.

HMCS Clayoquot was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action mainly in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was sunk in 1944. The minesweeper was named after Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

HMCS Chedabucto was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. During the Battle of the St. Lawrence in 1943, Chedabucto was sunk in a collision with a cable ship.

HMCS <i>Royal Mount</i> (K677)

HMCS Royal Mount was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She was used primarily as an ocean convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Mount Royal, Quebec and was constructed in Montreal by Canadian Vickers. The ship was laid down on 7 January 1944, launched on 15 April and commissioned on 25 August. After the war ended, the ship was placed in reserve until 1947, when the ship was sold for scrap.

HMCS <i>Chebogue</i>

HMCS Chebogue was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as an ocean convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Chebogue, Nova Scotia. During the war she was torpedoed and declared a constructive loss.

HMCS <i>New Waterford</i>

HMCS New Waterford was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War and then again from 1958–1966 as a Prestonian-class frigate. She served primarily in the waters around the United Kingdom as a convoy support escort. She was named for New Waterford, Nova Scotia.

HMS <i>Annan</i> (K404) River-class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Annan was a River-class frigate built for the Royal Navy but was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy before commissioning. She served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War and saw action primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was returned to United Kingdom following the war and quickly sold to Denmark, who renamed the vessel Niels Ebbesen. She was primarily used as a training vessel until 1963 when she was broken up in Odense. She was named for the River Annan in Scotland in UK and Canadian service and Niels Ebbesen in Danish service.

HMCS <i>Waskesiu</i> River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Waskesiu was a River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy. The frigate served as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. It was the first frigate constructed and commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy. Following the war, the vessel was sold to India where it was renamed Hooghly. Named after the town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, there was already a warship named "Prince Albert". The Royal Canadian Navy then named the ship after the town closest to Prince Albert National Park.

HMCS Truro was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. The minesweeper entered service in 1942 and took part 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 Herchmer. In 1946, Herchmer was sold for mercantile conversion and reappeared as Gulf Mariner. The ship was abandoned in 1964 on the Fraser River shore after plans for conversion to a suction dredger failed. The abandoned hulk was broken up.

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Macpherson and Barrie, p. 100
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chesneau, pp. 58–9
  3. 1 2 Milner, pp. 90–1
  4. ↑ Tucker, p. 87
  5. ↑ Rohwer, p. 333
  6. ↑ Schull, p. 261
  7. 1 2 Schull, p. 297
  8. 1 2 Rohwer, p. 397
  9. ↑ Schull, p. 395
  10. ↑ Rohwer, p. 400

References

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.