River-class frigate

Last updated

Wakesiuriverfrigate.jpg
Class overview
Operators
Succeeded by Loch class
SubclassesRN group I, RN group II, RAN group I, RAN group II, RCN group
In commission1942
Planned30
Completed151
Cancelled2
Active
  • 1 as training ship
  • 1 converted to yacht
Lost
Preserved4
General characteristics RN group I
Displacement
  • 1,370 long tons (1,392  t)
  • 1,830 long tons (1,859 t) (deep load)
Length
  • 283 ft (86.3 m) p/p
  • 301.25 ft (91.8 m) o/a
Beam36 ft 6 in (11.1 m)
Draught9 ft (2.7 m); 13 ft (4.0 m) (deep load)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
  • 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph) (turbine ships)
Range7,200  nmi (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) with; 440 long tons (447 t) oil fuel
Complement107
Armament
General characteristics (RN group II)
Range646 long tons (656 t) oil fuel; 7,500 nmi (13,890 km; 8,631 mi) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h; 17.3 mph)
NotesOther data per RN group I
General characteristics (RCN group)
Displacement
  • 1,445 long tons (1,468 t)
  • 2,110 long tons (2,144 t) (deep load)
Range646 long tons (656 t) oil fuel; 7,500 nmi (13,890 km; 8,631 mi) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h; 17.3 mph)
Complement157
Armament
NotesOther data per RN group I
General characteristics (RAN group I)
Displacement
  • 1,420 long tons (1,443 t)
  • 2,020 long tons (2,052 t) (deep load)
Range500 long tons (508 t) oil fuel; 5,180 nmi (9,593 km; 5,961 mi) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h; 13.8 mph)
Complement140
Armament
NotesOther data per RN group I
General characteristics (RAN group II)
Displacement
  • 1,545 long tons (1,570 t)
  • 2,185 long tons (2,220 t)
Complement177
Sensors and
processing systems		 SC radar
Armament
NotesOther data per RAN group I

The River class was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic. The majority served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), with some serving in the other Allied navies: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Free French Naval Forces, the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy.

Contents

The first orders were placed by the Royal Navy in 1940, and the vessels were named for rivers in the United Kingdom, giving name to the class. In Canada, they were named for towns and cities, though they kept the same designation. [1] Originally called a "twin-screw corvette", the name "frigate" was suggested by Vice-Admiral Percy W. Nelles of the Royal Canadian Navy. [2] Canada originally ordered the construction of 33 frigates in October 1941. [1] [2] The design was too big for the locks on the Lachine Canal so it was not built by the shipyards on the Great Lakes and therefore all the frigates built in Canada were built in dockyards along the West Coast or along the St. Lawrence River below Montreal. [2] In all, Canada ordered the construction of 70 frigates, including ten for the Royal Navy, which transferred two (USS Asheville and USS Natchez) to the United States Navy. [1] Twelve were built in Australia for the RAN (four to a modified design).

After World War II, they found employment in many other navies the world over; several RCN ships were sunk as breakwaters. One, HMCS Stormont, was purchased by Aristotle Onassis and converted into the luxury yacht Christina O.

Design

Overhead view of USS Natchez USS Natchez (PF 2).jpg
Overhead view of USS Natchez

The River-class ships were designed by naval engineer William Reed, of Smith's Dock Company of South Bank-on-Tees, to have the endurance and anti-submarine capabilities of the Black Swan-class sloops, while being quick and cheap to build in civil dockyards using the machinery (e.g. reciprocating steam engines instead of turbines) and construction techniques pioneered in the building of the Flower-class corvettes. Its purpose was to improve on the convoy escort classes in service with the Royal Navy, including the Flower class.

Improvements over the corvette design included markedly better accommodation. The twin engines gave only 3 knots (3 mph; 6 km/h) more speed but extended the range of the ship to nearly double that of a corvette to 7,200 nmi (8,286 mi; 13,334 km) at 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h). [2] Among other lessons applied to the design was armament better designed to combat U-boats, including a twin 4 in (102 mm) mount forward and 12-pounder (76 mm (3 in)) aft. [1] Fifteen Canadian frigates were initially fitted with one 4 in (102 mm) gun forward but with the exception of HMCS Valleyfield, they were all eventually upgraded to the twin mount. [2] For underwater targets, it was equipped with a Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar with depth charge rails and four side-mounted throwers aft for a 10-charge pattern (some had 8 throwers for a 14-charge pattern for a brief period until this was abandoned). [1]

River-class frigates were the first Royal Canadian Navy warships to carry the 147B Sword horizontal fan-beam active sonar transmitter, in addition to the regular ASDIC. This allowed the ship to maintain contact with targets even while firing, unless a target was struck. Better radar and radio direction-finding equipment improved the RCN's ability to find and track enemy submarines over previous classes. [1] The River-class design was used as the basis for the United States Navy's Tacoma class (which served in the Royal Navy as the Colony class); the hull design was later elaborated into the Loch class and subsequently the Bay class.

Ships in class

Two hundred and forty-three frigates were built in Britain, Canada and Australia for seven navies during World War II.

Vessels lost in action

River class ships lost to enemy action
ShipDateFate
HMS Cam 18 July 1944Presumed mined. Towed to port and declared a total loss.
HMCS Chebogue 4 October 1944Torpedoed and badly damaged by U-1227 while escorting convoy ONS-33. Towed to port and declared a total loss.
HMS Cuckmere 11 December 1943Torpedoed and badly damaged by U-223 off Algeria. Towed to port and declared a total loss.
HMS Itchen 23 September 1943Torpedoed and sunk by U-666 at 53°25′N39°42′W / 53.417°N 39.700°W / 53.417; -39.700 (HMS Itchen K27 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-666, 23 September 1943) .
HMS Lagan 20 September 1943Torpedoed and badly damaged by U-270. Towed to port and declared a total loss.
HMCS Magog 14 October 1944Torpedoed and badly damaged by U-1223 while escorting convoy ONS-33G. Towed to port and declared a total loss.
HMS Mourne 15 June 1944Torpedoed and sunk by U-767 at 49°35′N05°30′W / 49.583°N 5.500°W / 49.583; -5.500 (HMS Mourne K261 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-767, 15 June 1944) .
HMS Teme 29 March 1945Torpedoed and badly damaged by U-315. Towed to port and declared a total loss.
HMS Tweed 7 January 1944Torpedoed and sunk by U-305 at 48°18′N21°19′W / 48.300°N 21.317°W / 48.300; -21.317 (HMS Tweed K250 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-305, 7 January 1944) .
HMCS Valleyfield 7 May 1944Torpedoed and sunk by U-548 at 46°03′N52°24′W / 46.050°N 52.400°W / 46.050; -52.400 (HMCS Valleyfied K329 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-548, 7 May 1944) .

Survivors

On display in Brisbane, Australia is HMAS Diamantina, the last complete River-class frigate, preserved at the Queensland Maritime Museum.

HMCS Stormont served as a convoy escort during the Battle of the Atlantic and was present at the D-Day landings. [3] In 1947, Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis purchased her for scrap value and converted her into a luxurious superyacht named Christina O , after his daughter. The vessel is now owned by John Paul Nicolaou, who lets the yacht for elite charters and cruises.

SLNS Gajabahu, formerly HMCS Hallowell served as a convoy escort during World War II and later transferred to the Israeli Navy and then the Royal Ceylon Navy, which later became the Sri Lankan Navy. She was withdrawn from active duty in 1980 and is now used as a training ship by Sri Lanka.

UBS Mayu, formerly HMS Fal, is preserved in Seikkyi, Myanmar.

In fiction

"HMS Saltash" was a fictional River-class frigate in Nicholas Monsarrat's 1951 book The Cruel Sea. (In the 1953 Jack Hawkins film version she is called "HMS Saltash Castle", and was played by the corvette HMS Portchester Castle.)

HMCS New Glasgow played the fictional frigate "HMS Rockhampton" in the 1955 John Wayne film The Sea Chase . (She had just been recommissioned as a Prestonian class upgrade of the Canadian River-class frigate, after ten years in reserve.)

"HMS Nairn" was a fictional River-class frigate in Alistair MacLean's 1955 book HMS Ulysses.

See also

Related Research Articles

HMCS <i>Eastview</i>

HMCS Eastview was a River-class frigate that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1944-1946. She served as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named after the Ottawa suburb of Eastview.

HMCS <i>Stormont</i> (K327)

HMCS Stormont is a former River-class frigate that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic, but saw service in the Arctic Ocean. She was named for Stormont, Ontario. After the war she was turned into the luxury yacht Christina by Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis. She continues to sail.

HMCS <i>Cap de la Madeleine</i>

HMCS Cap de la Madeleine was a River-class frigate that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1944-1945 and as a Prestonian-class frigate from 1954-1965. She saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort during the Second World War. She is named for Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, which is now a part of Trois-Rivières.

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

HMCS Kokanee was a River-class frigate that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort. After the war she was sold to India and converted into a pilot vessel.

HMCS <i>Charlottetown</i> (1943)

HMCS Charlottetown was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. She was the second vessel of the name, HMCS Charlottetown having been a Flower-class corvette that had been sunk earlier in the war. They are unique for being the only two ships to have shared the same pennant number, K 244. She was named for Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

HMCS <i>Cape Breton</i> (K350)

HMCS Cape Breton was a River-class frigate that served the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic during the war. She was named for Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. She was the first to carry her name, HMCS Cape Breton was the second.

HMCS <i>Inch Arran</i>

HMCS Inch Arran was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War and again from 1954 to 1965, when she was converted into a Prestonian-class frigate. She was named after Inch Arran Point in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, Canada. This was due to the inability of two Allied warships to bear the same name. The RCN would then use landmarks or significant areas that were associated with the community instead.

HMCS <i>Glace Bay</i> (K414) Canadian warship

HMCS Glace Bay was a River-class frigate built for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1943. Commissioned in 1944 she served in the Battle of the Atlantic until the end of the Second World War. After the war, she was sold to the Chilean Navy and renamed Esmeralda.

HMCS <i>Swansea</i>

HMCS Swansea was a Canadian River-class frigate that was the most successful U-boat hunter in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War, having a hand in the destruction of four of them. She saw service in the Battle of the Atlantic from 1943 to 1945. Following the war she was refit as a Prestonian-class frigate. She is named for Swansea, Ontario.

HMCS <i>Prestonian</i>

HMCS Prestonian was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War and as a Prestonian-class frigate from 1953–1956. She saw action primarily as a convoy escort. She was named for Preston, Ontario, however due to possible confusion with HMS Preston, her name was altered. In 1956 she began service with the Royal Norwegian Navy as Troll.

HMCS <i>Capilano</i>

HMCS Capilano was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She is named for the Capilino River in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The navy intended to name the ship after North Vancouver; however, due to possible confusion with HMCS Vancouver, she was named after the lake.

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>Joliette</i>

HMCS Joliette was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Joliette, Quebec. After the war she was transferred to the Chilean Navy in 1946 and renamed Iquique. She served with the Chilean Navy until 1968.

HMCS <i>Valleyfield</i> Canadian frigate

HMCS Valleyfield was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was torpedoed and sunk in May 1944, the only River-class frigate lost by the RCN. She was named for Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec.

HMCS <i>Lasalle</i>

HMCS LaSalle was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic and in the Battle of the St. Lawrence. She was named for LaSalle, Quebec.

HMCS <i>St. Catharines</i>

HMCS St. Catharines was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for St. Catharines, Ontario. After the war she was re-purposed as a weather ship for use by the Department of Transport of Canada.

HMCS <i>Matane</i>

HMCS Matane was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Matane, Quebec.

HMCS <i>Wentworth</i> River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy during WW2

HMCS Wentworth was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named in honour of the town of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She could not be named HMCS Dartmouth for fear of confusion with HMS Dartmouth, and so was named after a famous early resident, Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor Sir John Wentworth. Her name is often mistakenly associated with Wentworth County, Ontario, in honour of the city of Hamilton.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Fact Sheet No.21 - Canadian River Class Frigate" (PDF). Canadian War Museum. 3 November 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Macpherson, Ken (1989). Frigates of the Royal Canadian Navy 1943–1974. Lewiston, New York: Vanwell Publishing. pp. 6–7, 15. ISBN   0-920277-22-5.
  3. ↑ "Canadian Participation on D-Day and In The Battle of Normandy". National Defence and the Canadian Forces. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2004.

Bibliography

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