| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | St. Boniface |
| Namesake | Saint Boniface, Winnipeg |
| Operator | Royal Canadian Navy |
| Builder | Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. |
| Laid down | 21 May 1942 |
| Launched | 5 November 1942 |
| Commissioned | 9 October 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 25 September 1946 |
| Identification | J332 |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1944–45[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Algerine-classminesweeper |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 225 ft (69 m)o/a |
| Beam | 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m) |
| Draught | 12.25 ft 6 in (3.89 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 16.5knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Armament | |
HMCSSt. Boniface was areciprocating engine-poweredAlgerine-classminesweeper built for theRoyal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. During the war, the vessel was used as aconvoy escort in theBattle of the Atlantic. Following the war, the ship was sold for civilian use as a merchant vessel, last beingregistered in 1954.
The reciprocating group of theAlgerine-classminesweepers displaced 1,010–1,030long tons (1,030–1,050 t) atstandard load and 1,305–1,325 long tons (1,326–1,346 t) atdeep load The ships measured 225 feet (68.6 m)long overall with abeam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m). They had adraught of 12 feet 3 inches (3.7 m). The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers andratings.[2]
The reciprocating ships had twovertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by twoAdmiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,400indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). They carried a maximum of 660 long tons (671 t) offuel oil that gave them a range of 5,000nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[2]
TheAlgerine class was armed with aQF 4 in (102 mm) Mk Vanti-aircraft gun[3] and four twin-gun mounts forOerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrelBofors 40 mm (1.6 in) mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails fordepth charges. Many Canadian ships omitted their sweeping gear in exchange for a 24-barrelHedgehogspigot mortar and a stowage capacity for 90+ depth charges.[2]
St. Boniface waslaid down atPort Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. inPort Arthur, Ontario on 21 May 1942. The ship waslaunched on 5 November that same year and was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Port Arthur on 10 September 1943.[4]
The minesweeper made her way up theSt. Lawrence River toHalifax and performed workups in thePictou, Nova Scotia region from November to December 1943. Following workups, the ship was assigned to theWestern Escort Force forconvoy escort duties in theBattle of the Atlantic. She was made Senior Officer Ship of the escort group W-5 upon joining.[4] As Senior Officer Ship, the commander of the escort would be aboard her during convoy missions.[5] She remained a part of this group until mid-April 1944, when she transferred as Senior Officer Ship of escort group W-4.St. Boniface continued in this role until December 1944 when she put into Halifax to undergo minor repairs. After working up in Bermuda, she returned to escort group W-4.[4]
On 18 April 1945,St. Boniface collided with the merchant vesselSS Empire Chamois in the approaches to Halifax. The minesweeper made Halifax under her own power but had suffered significant damage. The repairs took three months, at which point, W-4 was disbanded in June. In August, the ship was made a training vessel atHMCS Cornwallis, remaining at this post until January 1946.St. Boniface was placed in reserve at Halifax and remained there until being paid off on 25 June 1946.St. Boniface was then sold for mercantile use and was lastregistered asBess Barry M. in 1954 under a Panamanian flag.[4]
