 HMCSAlberni, circa 1943–1944 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Alberni |
| Namesake | Alberni, British Columbia |
| Ordered | 14 February 1940 |
| Builder | Yarrows Ltd.,Esquimalt |
| Laid down | 29 April 1940 |
| Launched | 22 August 1940 |
| Commissioned | 4 February 1941 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K103 |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1941-44; Normandy 1944; North Sea 1944 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk on 21 August 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-classcorvette |
| Displacement | 950long tons (970 t) |
| Length | 205 ft 1 in (62.51 m)o/a |
| Beam | 33 ft 1 in (10.08 m) |
| Draught | 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
HMCSAlberni was aFlower-classcorvette that served in theRoyal Canadian Navy (RCN) during theSecond World War. The Flower-class corvettes were warships designed foranti-submarine warfare. The ship was constructed byYarrows Ltd. inEsquimalt,British Columbia,laid down on 19 April 1940,launched on 22 August andcommissioned on 4 February 1941. The corvette sailed east to join the RCN's fleet in the Atlantic via thePanama Canal, where, upon arrival, the vessel began escorting trans-atlanticconvoys in theBattle of the Atlantic.Alberni took part in the key convoy battle ofConvoy SC 42. In 1942, the corvette was transferred toAllied convoy assignments associated withOperation Torch in theMediterranean Sea. In 1944,Alberni was among the Canadian naval vessels assigned toOperation Neptune, the naval component of theinvasion of Normandy and escorted support ships to and from the United Kingdom on D-day.
On 21 August 1944, while performing an anti-submarine patrol east of the D-day landing site,Alberni was torpedoed and sunk by theGerman submarine U-480. The ship sank quickly and 59 sailors were killed, with the remaining crew being rescued byRoyal Navymotor torpedo boats. A maritime museum inCourtenay, British Columbia now honours the name of the ship and its dead.
Flower-classcorvettes likeAlberni serving with theRoyal Canadian Navy (RCN) during theSecond World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[1][2] The Flower-class corvettes originated from a need that arose in 1938 to expand theRoyal Navy following theMunich Crisis.[3] A design request went out for a small escort for coastalconvoys.[4] Based on a traditionalwhaler-type design, the initial Canadian ships of the Flower class had astandard displacement of 950long tons (970 t). They were 205 feet 1 inch (62.51 m)long overall with abeam of 33 feet 1 inch (10.08 m) and a maximumdraught of 13 feet 5 inches (4.09 m). The initial 1939–1940 corvettes were powered by a four-cylindervertical triple expansion engine powered by steam from twoScotch boilers turning one three-bladedpropeller rated at 2,800indicated horsepower (2,100 kW). The Scotch boilers were replaced withwater-tube boilers in later 1939–1940 and 1940–1941 Programme ships. The corvettes had a maximum speed of 16knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). This gave them a range of 3,450nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[5] The vessels were extremely wet.[6]
The Canadian Flower-class vessels were initially armed with aMk IX BL 4-inch (102 mm) gun forward on a CP 1 mounting and carried 100 rounds per gun. The corvettes were also armed with aQF Vickers 2-pounder (40 mm, 1.6 in) gun on a bandstand aft, two single-mounted.303 Vickers machine guns orBrowning 0.5-calibre machine guns foranti-aircraft defence and two twin-mounted.303 Lewis machine guns, usually sited on bridge wings.[3][5][7] Foranti-submarine warfare, they mounted twodepth charge throwers and initially carried 25 depth charges. The corvettes were designed with aType 123ASDIC sonar set installed. The Flower-class ships had a complement of 47 officers andratings.[3] The Royal Canadian Navy initially ordered 54 corvettes in 1940 and these were fitted with Mark II Oropesaminesweeping gear used for destroyingcontact mines.[8] Part of the depth charge rails were made portable so the minesweeping gear could be utilised.[9]
In Canadian service the vessels were altered due to experience with the design's deficiencies. Thegalley was moved further back in the ship and the mess and sleeping quarters combined. A direction-finding set was installed and enlargedbilge keels were installed to reduce rolling.[10] After the first 35–40 corvettes had been constructed, the foremast was shifted aft of thebridge and the mainmast was eliminated. Corvettes were first fitted with basicSW-1 and SW-2 CQ surface warningradar, notable for their fishbone-like antenna and reputation for failure in poor weather or in the dark. The compass house was moved further aft and the open-type bridge was situated in front of it. The ASDIC hut was moved in front and to a lower position on the bridge. The improvedType 271 radar was placed aft, with some units receivingType 291 radar for air search. The minesweeping gear, a feature of the first 54 corvettes, was removed.[11] Most Canadian Flower-class corvettes had theirforecastles extended which improved crew accommodation and seakeeping. Furthermore, the sheer and flare of thebow was increased, which led to an enlarged bridge. This allowed for the installation ofOerlikon 20 mm (0.8 in) cannon, replacing the Browning and Vickers machine guns.[12] Some of the corvettes were rearmed withHedgehog anti-submarinemortars.[13] The complements of the ships grew throughout the war rising from the initial 47 to as many as 104.[12]
Alberni was ordered on 14 February 1940[14] fromYarrows Ltd. inEsquimalt,British Columbia and the ship'skeel waslaid down on 19 April. She waslaunched on 22 August 1940 and commissioned into the RCN on 4 February 1941 at Esquimalt.[15][a] The ship was named after Alberni, British Columbia. The town of Alberni later merged with nearbyPort Alberni to create one town after the tsunami of 1964 whichoriginated in Alaska and wiped out much of Alberni.[16]
Alberni sailed to thePanama Canal and joined the RCN's Atlantic Fleet inHalifax arriving in April 1941. She was assigned to theNewfoundland Escort Force in May 1941 and tasked as a mid-oceanconvoy escort in the western North Atlantic in theBattle of the Atlantic. The corvette played a role in escortingConvoy SC 42 in September 1941.[15] The convoy was escorted by the all-Canadian Escort Group 24, comprising thedestroyerSkeena, and the corvettesAlberni,Kenogami andOrillia. The convoy passed through poor weather which prevented it from going around the German patrol line "Markgraf", stationed across their route.[17] The patrol was a group ofU-boats positioned along convoy routes kept moving by commands from shore to avoid detection by convoy escorts.[18] The convoy, comprising 64 merchant vessels came under attack from 9–14 September during which 16 ships weretorpedoed.Orillia was tasked with taking one torpedoedtanker in tow back to harbour.Alberni andSkeena damaged theGerman submarine U-85 with depth charges. On 10 September the convoy escort was augmented by the arrival of two further Canadian corvettesChambly andMoose Jaw. Their undetected arrival allowed them to surpriseU-501 and sink the sub.[17] With the additional ships, the escort was able to form two rings around the convoy, making it more difficult to attack the merchant vessels.[19] The escort was further augmented by four corvettes and anaval trawler on 11 September. Five British destroyers joined the escort on 11 September, shifting from escorting the convoyON 13F. Two of the British destroyers sankU-207 on 11 September. With the escort further augmented by another trawler on 12 SeptemberSkeena,Alberni andKenogami were sent to refuel atHvalfjord, Iceland, ending their part in the convoy battle.[17] The corvette continued escorting subsequent North Atlantic convoys until May 1942. On 3 May 1942,Alberni, along with the destroyerHMCS Assiniboine, rescued 47 survivors from the British tankerBritish Workman that was torpedoed and sunk byU-455 southeast ofCape Race. This was followed by a minor refit in May 1942 where her boilers were replaced.[15]
From October 1942 until February 1943,Alberni was allocated forOperation Torch duties in and around theMediterranean Sea, escorting convoys to and fromGibraltar and the United Kingdom. On 27 October 1942,Alberni, rescued 12 survivors from the American tankerGurney E. Newlin that had been torpedoed and damaged byU-436.Gurney E. Newlin was sunk the following day byU-606. The next day, 28 October,Alberni, along withHMCS Ville de Quebec, rescued 81 survivors from the British whaling shipSourabaya that had been torpedoed and sunk the previous day byU-436.[14]Alberni returned from Torch duties in March 1943 and briefly served with theWestern Local Escort Force before an assignment with Quebec Force. She spent the next five months escorting Quebec-Labrador convoys. She had one major refit in November 1943 atLiverpool, Nova Scotia which took until early February to complete. She was among the few Canadian Flower-class vessels not to have her forecastle extended. After workups inBermuda following her refit,Alberni joined theRoyal Navy-commanded escort group EG 4. In April 1944, she was reassigned toWestern Approaches Command for a part inOperation Neptune, the naval aspect of theD-day landings.[15] In July, the corvette took part in the landings, escorting assorted support vessels across theEnglish Channel. On 26 July, the ship shot down a GermanJunkers Ju 88 aircraft, with the Ju 88 striking the water 100 yards (91 m) aft of the ship.[20]
Returning from invasion duties, the corvette was tasked to relieveHMCS Drumheller on anti-submarine patrols in the English Channel to the east of the D-day landing area. On 21 AugustAlberni was torpedoed and sunk byU-480, commanded byHans-Joachim Förster, in the Channel at50°18′N00°51′W / 50.300°N 0.850°W /50.300; -0.850. The submarine was coated in a rubberanechoic tile that absorbed ASDIC signals and limited detection, and the sinking marked the firstAllied ship to be sunk using the technology.U-480 would sink aminesweeper a little over a day later in the same area, followed by two merchant vessels on the same patrol.[21][22] 59 crew were lost after the torpedo struck the warship on her port side immediately aft of the engine room, causing her to sink in less than a minute. (Acting) Lt. Frank. Williams was awarded theRoyal Humane Society's bronze medal for his work in saving members of the crew in January 1945. 30 crew members were rescued by Royal Navymotor torpedo boats (MTB).[22]
For the vessel's service during the war,Alberni received thebattle honours "Atlantic 1941–44", "Normandy 1944" and "North Sea 1944".[23] Divers had been searching for the wreck, with reports in the 1980s of its discovery, but these were discarded for being in too shallow water.[22]
In 1999 a privately funded memorial program titled "The Alberni Project" was established to honour all the crew who served onAlberni from the time she was commissioned in 1941 until her sinking in 1944. With the help from relatives of HMCSAlberni crewmen, private and public contributions, and community volunteers, TAP became TAPS (The Alberni Project Society) to preserve the times of theBattle of the Atlantic through the stories of the Canadian forces and civilians involved in the battle. A traveling exhibit and memorial was developed in 2005 and continues to make appearances onVancouver Island and the lower British Columbia mainland. On 1 September 2013 a permanent museum (The HMCS Alberni Museum – HAMM) was opened at the Comox Centre Mall inComox, British Columbia. In November 2016 HAMM moved to the city ofCourtenay, British Columbia to an expanded facility incorporating Canadian Forces serving in the Great War to the present day.[24]
50°18′N0°51′W / 50.300°N 0.850°W /50.300; -0.850
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in August 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents | |
