 HMCSRegina,c. 1942–1943 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Regina |
| Namesake | Regina, Saskatchewan |
| Builder | Marine Industries. Ltd.,Sorel |
| Laid down | 22 March 1941 |
| Launched | 14 October 1941 |
| Commissioned | 22 January 1942 |
| Out of service | 8 August 1944 |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1942–44, Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942, Mediterranean 1943, Normandy 1944, English Channel 1944[1] |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk on 8 August 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-classcorvette |
| 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 |
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| Speed | 16 knots (29.6 km/h)(18.4mph) |
| Range | 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)(13.8mph) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
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| Armament |
|
HMCSRegina was aRoyal Canadian Navy revisedFlower-classcorvette which took part in convoy escort duties during theSecond World War. She fought primarily in theBattle of the Atlantic. She was named forRegina, Saskatchewan.
Flower-class corvettes likeRegina serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[2][3][4] 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.[5] 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.[6] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[7]
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.[8]
Regina was ordered as part of the Revised 1940-41 Flower class building program. This revised program radically changed the look of the Flower-class corvette. The ships of this program kept the water-tube boilers of the initial 1940-41 program, but now they were housed in separate compartments for safety. Thefo'c'sle was extended, which allowed more space for berths for the crew, leading to an expansion of the crew. The bow had increased flare for better control in heavy seas. The revised Flowers of the RCN received an additional two depth charge throwers fitted amidships and more depth charges. They also came with heavier secondary armament with20 mmanti-aircraft guns carried on the extended bridge wings. All this led to an increase in displacement, draught and length.[8]
Regina was laid down byMarine Industries Ltd. atSorel on 22 March 1941 and launched on 14 October of that year. She was commissioned into the RCN on 22 January 1942 atHalifax, Nova Scotia.[9]Regina had only one significant refit during her career, beginning atSydney, Nova Scotia in June 1943 and completed atPictou, Nova Scotia in mid-December 1943. After completion, she needed further repairs at Halifax andShelburne.[10]
After commissioning and workups,Regina was assigned to theWestern Local Escort Force (WLEF) in mid-March. She remained with them until September 1942. On 3 July 1942Regina rescued 25 survivors of the American merchantSS Alexander Macomb which was sunk east ofCape Cod.[9] In September she was assigned toOperation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa.
Regina arrived in theUnited Kingdom in November and by January 1943 was actively escorting convoys to and fromGibraltar.[10] On 8 February 1943,Regina attacked and sank theItalian submarine Avorio offPhilippeville, Algeria.[9] She returned to Canada in late March 1943 and briefly rejoined WLEF before departing for a refit in June.[10]
After returning to service in February 1944 following her refit,Regina was assigned to theMid-Ocean Escort Force escort group C-1 as a trans-Atlantic convoy escort. While escorting convoySC 154, she was detached from escort duty to escort aRoyal Navy tug that was towing the convoy rescue shipDundas toHorta in the Azores. She left Horta 14 March 1944 to escortHMCS Mulgrave, which was under tow for theClyde. At the end of March,Regina was assigned toWestern Approaches Command for invasion duties associated withOperation Neptune, the naval component of the invasion ofNormandy. After the invasion she was used as a coastal convoy escort in theEnglish Channel.[10]
On 8 August 1944,Regina was torpedoed and sunk byU-667 8 nautical miles (15 km) north ofTrevose Head on the coast ofCornwall at50°42′N5°3′W / 50.700°N 5.050°W /50.700; -5.050 while rescuing survivors of the American merchantLiberty shipEzra Weston. The warship sank in 28 seconds. Thirty of the ship's crew were killed. The wrecks ofRegina andEzra Weston rest in 60 metres (200 ft) of water. The exploration of these wrecks by a crew of researchers was the subject of an episode of the television documentary series "Deep Sea Mysteries".[11]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in August 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents | |
