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 HMCSCap de la Madeleine | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Cap de la Madeleine |
| Namesake | Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec |
| Ordered | October 1941 |
| Builder | Morton Engineering & Dry Dock Co.,Quebec City |
| Yard number | 31 |
| Laid down | 5 November 1943 |
| Launched | 13 May 1944 |
| Commissioned | 30 September 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 25 November 1945 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K663 |
| Recommissioned | 7 December 1954 |
| Decommissioned | 15 May 1965 |
| Reclassified | Prestonian-class frigate |
| Identification | pennant number: FFE 317 |
| Honours & awards | Atlantic 1945[1] |
| Fate | Broken upLa Spezia,Italy 1966 |
| Badge | Azure, on an Indian tomahawk and woodsman's axe in saltire argent, an annulet on which a shepherd's crook erect or, and over all within the annulet a lozenge argent charged with an anchor azure.[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | River-classfrigate |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 36.5 ft (11.13 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.74 m); 13 ft (3.96 m) (deep load) |
| Propulsion | 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts,reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) |
| Speed |
|
| Range | 646 long tons (656 t; 724 short tons) oil fuel; 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h) |
| Complement | 157 |
| Armament |
|
HMCSCap de la Madeleine was aRiver-classfrigate that served in theRoyal Canadian Navy from 1944-1945 and as aPrestonian-class frigate from 1954-1965. She saw action in theBattle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort during theSecond World War. She is named forCap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, which is now a part ofTrois-Rivières.
Cap de la Madeleine was ordered in October 1941 as part of the 1942-43 building program.[2][3] She was laid down 5 November 1943 byMorton Engineering & Dry Dock Co.,Quebec City and launched 13 May 1944.[3]Cap de la Madeleine was commissioned into the RCN on 30 September 1944 at Quebec City with the pennant K663.[2]
The River-class frigate was designed by William Reed of Smith's Dock Company of South Bank-on-Tees. Originally called a "twin-screw corvette", its purpose was to improve on the convoy escort classes in service with theRoyal Navy at the time, including theFlower-class corvette. The first orders were placed by the Royal Navy in 1940 and the vessels were named for rivers in theUnited Kingdom, giving name to the class. In Canada they were named for towns and cities though they kept the same designation.[4] The name "frigate" was suggested by Vice-AdmiralPercy Nelles of the Royal Canadian Navy and was adopted later that year.[5]
Improvements over the corvette design included improved accommodation which was markedly better. The twin engines gave only three more knots of speed but extended the range of the ship to nearly double that of a corvette at 7,200 nautical miles (13,300 km) at 12 knots.[5] Among other lessons applied to the design was an armament package better designed to combatU-boats including a twin 4-inch mount forward and 12-pounder aft.[4] 15 Canadian frigates were initially fitted with a single 4-inch gun forward but with the exception ofHMCS Valleyfield, they were all eventually upgraded to the double mount.[5] For underwater targets, the River-class frigate was equipped with aHedgehog anti-submarine mortar and depth charge rails aft and four side-mounted throwers.[4]
River-class frigates were the first Royal Canadian Navy warships to carry the 147B Sword horizontal fan echo sonar transmitter in addition to the irregular ASDIC. This allowed the ship to maintain contact with targets even while firing unless a target was struck. Improved radar and direction-finding equipment improved the RCN's ability to find and track enemy submarines over the previous classes.[4]
Canada originally ordered the construction of 33 frigates in October 1941.[4][5] The design was too big for the shipyards on theGreat Lakes so all the frigates built in Canada were built in dockyards along the west coast or along theSt. Lawrence River.[5] In all Canada ordered the construction of 60 frigates including ten for the Royal Navy that transferred two to theUnited States Navy.[4]
After arriving atHalifax, Nova Scotia on 20 October 1944,Cap de la Madeleine sailed soon thereafter toBermuda for work up. Beginning in December 1944 she was assigned to theMid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) escort group C-7 for convoy escort duty. She departed with eastbound convoyHX 328 but was detached and assigned to the westbound convoyONS 39 in order to return to Canada for repairs. These repairs were carried out atSt. John's, Halifax and Quebec City. They were completed 7 May 1945.[2]
Cap de la Madeleine was then ordered into port atLauzon, Quebec for a tropicalization refit in preparation for duty in thePacific Ocean. This was cancelled in August due to theSurrender of Japan. She was paid off atShelburne, Nova Scotia on 25 November 1945 and placed in reserve.[2]
Cap de la Madeleine was sold to Marine Industries Ltd. after the war, but was reacquired as one of the River-class frigates to undergo conversion to aPrestonian-class frigate. This meant enlarging her bridge, giving her an enclosed quarterdeck with two newSquid anti-submarine mortars within and was given a flush-decked appearance aft.[6] She was recommissioned 7 December 1954 with pennant 317 into the RCN and served primarily on the east coast.[2][3] In 1961, the frigate was a member of theNinth Canadian Escort Squadron.[7] She was paid off 15 May 1965 andbroken up atLa Spezia, Italy in 1966.[2][3]
