 HMCSAtholl | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | HMCSAtholl |
| Namesake | Campbellton, New Brunswick |
| Ordered | 2 January 1942 |
| Builder | Morton Engineering & Dry Dock Co.,Quebec City |
| Laid down | 15 August 1942 |
| Launched | 4 April 1943 |
| Commissioned | 14 October 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 17 July 1945 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K15 |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1944-45[1] |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-classcorvette (modified) |
| Displacement | 1,015long tons (1,031 t; 1,137 short tons) |
| Length | 208 ft (63.40 m)o/a |
| Beam | 33 ft (10.06 m) |
| Draught | 11 ft (3.35 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (29.6 km/h) |
| Range | 7,400 nautical miles (13,705 km) at 10 knots (18.5 km/h) |
| Complement | 90 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
HMCSAtholl was a modifiedFlower-classcorvette that served with theRoyal Canadian Navy during theSecond World War. She fought primarily in theBattle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort. She was named forCampbellton, New Brunswick; however, as there was aRoyal Navyship with the same name, her name was chosen to commemorate the town instead of being named for it directly.[2]
The "corvette" designation was created by the French as a class of small sailing warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.[3] During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930sWinston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity; theFlowers were based on awhaling ship design.[4] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowers.[5]
Flower-class corvettes likeAtholl served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War.[6][7][8]They 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 and were fitted, for example, with minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes were modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas.[9]
Atholl was ordered 2 January 1942 as part of the 1942-43 modified Flower-class building programme. This programme was known as the Increased Endurance (IE). Many changes were made, all from lessons that had been learned in previous versions of the Flower-class. The bridge was made a full deck higher and built to naval standards instead of the more civilian-like bridges of previous versions. The platform for the 4-inch main gun was raised to minimize the amount of spray over it and to provide a better field of fire. It was also connected to the wheelhouse by a wide platform that was now the base for theHedgehog anti-submarine mortar that this version was armed with. Along with the new Hedgehog, this version got the newQF 4-inch Mk XIX main gun, which was semi-automatic, used fixed ammunition and had the ability to elevate higher giving it ananti-aircraft ability.[9]
Other superficial changes to this version include an upright funnel and pressurized boiler rooms which eliminated the need for hooded ventilators around the base of the funnel. This changes the silhouette of the corvette and made it more difficult for submariners to tell which way the corvette was laying.[9]
She was laid down byMorton Engineering & Dry Dock Co. atQuebec City, Quebec and was launched 4 April 1943. She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy 14 October 1943 at Quebec City.[10] During her serviceAtholl had one refit. This began atSydney, Nova Scotia in December 1944 and was completed in April 1945 atHalifax.[2]
After arriving at HalifaxAtholl was sent toPictou for workups. She developed mechanical problems and had to return to Halifax for repairs. In February 1944, she was assigned the Royal Navy's escort group EG 9 working out ofDerry. She sailed for theUnited Kingdom with convoyHX 281 in March. When she arrived the corvettes of her group were exchanged for newerfrigates, andAtholl returned to Canada in April.[2]
Later in April 1944,Atholl was assigned to theMid-Ocean Escort Force based atSt. John's. She joined escort group C-4 upon arrival, and served the rest of the war with them.[2]
Atholl waspaid off at Sydney on 17 July 1945. She was transferred to the War Assets Corporation and laid up atSorel, Quebec. She was sold for scrap andbroken up atHamilton, Ontario by the Steel Co. of Canada in October 1952.[2][11]
