 HMCSLethbridge | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Lethbridge |
| Namesake | Lethbridge, Alberta |
| Ordered | 20 January 1940 |
| Builder | Canadian Vickers Ltd.,Montreal |
| Laid down | 5 August 1940 |
| Launched | 21 November 1940 |
| Commissioned | 25 June 1941 |
| Decommissioned | 23 July 1945 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K160 |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1941–45;[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942 1944[2] |
| Fate | Sold for mercantile use, scrapped 1966 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-classcorvette (original)[3] |
| Displacement | 925long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons) |
| Length | 205 ft (62.48 m)o/a |
| Beam | 33 ft (10.06 m) |
| Draught | 11.5 ft (3.51 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (29.6 km/h) |
| Range | 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
HMCSLethbridge was aFlower-classcorvette that served with theRoyal Canadian Navy during theSecond World War. She served primarily in theBattle of the Atlantic as an ocean escort. She was named forLethbridge, Alberta.
Flower-class corvettes likeLethbridge 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]
Lethbridge was ordered on 20 January 1940 as part of the 1939–1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down byCanadian Vickers Ltd. atMontreal, Quebec on 5 August 1940 and launched on 21 November later that year.Lethbridge was commissioned 25 June 1941 at Montreal.[11][12]
Lethbridge had two major refits during her career. The first took place atLiverpool, Nova Scotia from 10 September until 10 October 1942. Her second refit took place atSydney, Nova Scotia from January to March 1944. During this refit herfo'c'sle was extended.[12]
After arriving atHalifax on 4 July 1941,Lethbridge was briefly assigned to Sydney Force. In October 1941 she was transferred to theNewfoundland Escort Force and served with escort groups 24N, N16 and N17 during her time with them. Initially she escorted convoys fromSt. John's toIceland however beginning in February 1942, the destination changed from Iceland toDerry.[12]
In June 1942Lethbridge joined the Gulf Escort Force, escorting convoys fromQuebec and Sydney. After her first refit at the end of the year, she was sent toNew York to be placed underAmerican command while escorting convoys from New York andGuantanamo. After that assignment was completed she was reassigned to theWestern Local Escort Force (WLEF) in March 1943.Lethbridge remained with WLEF until the end of the war. Beginning June 1943, she was assigned to escort group W-3 and in April 1944, W-5. She remained with that group for the remainder of her service.[12]
Lethbridge waspaid off atSorel, Quebec on 23 July 1945, after the war had ended. She was sold toMarine Industries that year. In 1952, Marine Industries resold her for conversion into a whale-catcher. In 1955 she reappeared as theDutch-flaggedNicolas Vinke. She was later broken up inSantander, Spain in September 1966 by Recuperaciones Submarinas S.A.[12][13]
