 HMCSDawson | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Dawson |
| Namesake | Dawson City, Yukon |
| Ordered | 14 February 1940 |
| Builder | Victoria Machinery Depot,Victoria |
| Laid down | 7 September 1940 |
| Launched | 8 February 1941 |
| Commissioned | 6 October 1941 |
| Decommissioned | 19 June 1945 |
| Homeport | Esquimalt, British Columbia;Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Identification | pennant number: K104 |
| Honours & awards | Aleutians 1942-43, Atlantic 1944-45,[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944[2] |
| Fate | Foundered 1946; raised and broken up. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-classcorvette (original)[3] |
| Displacement | 925long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons) |
| Length | 205 ft (62.48 m)o/a |
| Beam | 33 ft (10.06 m) |
| Draught | 11.5 ft (3.51 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (29.6 km/h) |
| Range | 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
HMCSDawson was aFlower-classcorvette that served in theRoyal Canadian Navy (RCN) during theSecond World War. She was one of the fewCanadian corvettes to serve in action in both oceans. She was named forDawson City, Yukon.
Flower-class corvettes likeDawson serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[4][5][6] The "corvette" designation was created by the French as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.[7] During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s,Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on awhaling ship design.[8] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[9]
Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part, to better represent the people who took part in building them. This idea was put forth by AdmiralPercy W. Nelles. Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named. Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts, while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas.[10]
Dawson was ordered on 14 February 1940 fromVictoria Machinery Depot,Victoria, British Columbia as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class building program. She waslaid down on 7 September 1940 and was launched on 8 February 1941. She was commissioned into the RCN on 6 October 1941 at Victoria.[11] In September 1943Dawson began a major refit atVancouver that saw herfo'c'sle extended. She had a second refit atDartmouth that began in January 1945 that lasted until April.[12]
Dawson was one of the few RCN ships that played an active role in both thePacific War and theBattle of the Atlantic. After initial workups, she was assigned to Esquimalt Force.[12] From 1942 to 1944Dawson was deployed in ananti-submarine role on thePacific coast as a local escort. In August 1942 she and her sister,HMCSVancouver were assigned to theAmericaninvasion of theAleutian Islands.[12][13] There was little risk to the corvettes as they met very little resistance at sea.[14] On 4 November 1942 she returned toEsquimalt. In February 1943 she returned to work with theUnited States Navy inAlaska until the end of May.[12]
After completing her major refitDawson transferred to theAtlantic in February 1944. Upon arrival in March she joined escort group W-7 as part of theWestern Escort Force. She escorted convoys fromNorth America to theUK for the remainder of her war.[15] After undergoing a second major refit,Dawson worked up inBermuda in April 1945 but did not return to active service before the European part of the war ended.[12]
Dawson waspaid off on 19 June 1945 atSorel, Quebec. The ship was sold forscrap on 5 October 1945.[16] On the way to the breakers, she foundered nearHamilton, Ontario on 22 March 1946. She was raised and broken up.[12]
