 Corvette HMCSShawiniganc. 1942–1943 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Shawinigan |
| Namesake | Shawinigan, Quebec |
| Ordered | 24 January 1940 |
| Builder | Davie Shipbuilding,Lauzon |
| Laid down | 4 June 1940 |
| Launched | 16 May 1941 |
| Commissioned | 19 September 1941 |
| Out of service | 25 November 1944 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K136 |
| Honours & awards | Atlantic 1941–43,[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942, 1944[2] |
| Fate | Sunk 25 November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-classcorvette (original)[3] |
| Displacement | 925long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons) |
| Length | 205 ft (62 m)o/a |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draught | 11.5 ft (3.5 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Range | 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
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| Armament |
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HMCSShawinigan was aFlower-classcorvette that served with theRoyal Canadian Navy during theSecond World War. She served primarily in theBattle of the Atlantic protecting convoys. She was sunk in 1944. She was named forShawinigan, Quebec.
Flower-class corvettes likeShawinigan 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]
Shawinigan was ordered 24 January 1940 as part of the 1939–1940 Flower-class building program and laid down on 4 June 1940 byDavie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd. atLauzon, Quebec. However she was not launched until almost a year later on 16 May 1941.[11]Shawinigan was commissioned on 19 September 1941 atQuebec City, Quebec.[12]
Upon entering active service,Shawinigan joined Sydney Force in November 1941. She served there until transferring to theNewfoundland Escort Force on 13 January 1942. She made three round trips across theAtlantic before being assigned to Halifax Force in June 1942. She spent only a few months before being assigned toWLEF. Almost simultaneous with her new assignment, she went for a major refit that was completed in March 1943. In June she joined EG W-3. In April 1944 she underwent another refit and transferred to EG W-2 and worked up inBermuda.[12]
On 24 November 1944Shawinigan andUSCGC Sassafras escorted the ferryBurgeo fromSydney toPort aux Basques.Sassafrass was detached from the escort without relief andShawinigan was left alone.Shawinigan departed on an independent anti-submarine patrol and informed the ferry that it would meet her in the morning.[13]
The next morningBurgeo left Port aux Basques on schedule but in the fog, could not findShawinigan. Keeping radio silence and without informing command ofShawinigan's lack of appearance,Burgeo made for Sydney unescorted. WhenBurgeo arrived at Sydney, at six o'clock that night, the navy knew that something had happened toShawinigan.[14]
Over the next three days searchers looked for survivors but could find onlyflotsam and, eventually, six bodies.[14]Shawinigan had beentorpedoed by theGerman submarine U-1228 during the night of 24 November in theCabot Strait.[14] All 90 crew members were lost including seven officers and 83ratings including able seamanDudley "Red" Garrett, a formerToronto Maple Leafs hockey player.[15] The Canadian public didn't learn about the loss until almost two weeks later, when on 7 December 1944,Angus L. Macdonald, the minister of defence for naval services, told the press.[16] At the time,Shawinigan was the ninth Canadian corvette to be sunk and the 19th warship lost overall.[16]
The fate ofShawinigan was initially unknown at the time of her disappearance; however, the Royal Canadian Navy (correctly) presumed that it had been sunk by a German submarine during the night of 24–25 November 1944, as German submarines were known to be operating in the area at the time.[citation needed]Shawinigan's fate was ultimately confirmed following the surrender ofU-1228 to United States forces at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 17 May 1945. A review ofU-1228's logs disclosed that it had sunk an Allied warship at 0230 hours on 25 November 1944 in the same area whereShawinigan was lost, allowing the Royal Canadian Navy to conclude thatU-1228 had torpedoed and sankShawinigan. Records fromU-1228's commanding officer, Friedrich-Wilhelm Marienfeld, disclosed further details of the engagement, including thatU-1228 fired a single T-5 GNAT torpedo atShawinigan, striking the corvette in the stern. Marienfeld further reported that Shawinigan sank almost immediately (in only four minutes), and that two further underwater explosions were heard from Shawinigan as it sank to the ocean floor.[13][14][17] Based onU-1228's logs, and given the area whereShawinigan was ordered to patrol on the night of 24–25 November 1944, the Royal Canadian Navy estimated thatShawinigan sank in the vicinity of the three-mile limit off of Channel Head, nearPort aux Basques. However, its final resting place was never found.[citation needed]
47°34′N59°11′W / 47.567°N 59.183°W /47.567; -59.183
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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