 HMCSLouisburg | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Louisburg |
| Namesake | Louisburg, Nova Scotia |
| Ordered | 23 January 1940 |
| Builder | Morton Engineering and Dry Dock Co.Quebec City |
| Laid down | 4 October 1940 |
| Launched | 27 May 1941 |
| Commissioned | 2 October 1941 |
| Out of service | 6 February 1943 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K143 |
| Honours and awards | Atlantic 1941–42[1] |
| Fate | Sunk 6 February 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Flower-classcorvette[2] |
| 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) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | Single shaft |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range | 3,500 nmi (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
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| Armament |
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HMCSLouisburg was aFlower-classcorvette that served with theRoyal Canadian Navy during theSecond World War. She fought mainly as an ocean escort during theBattle of the Atlantic. She was sunk in 1943. She was named forLouisburg, Nova Scotia.
Flower-class corvettes likeLouisburg serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[3][4][5] 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.[6] 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.[7] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[8]
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.[9]
Louisburg was ordered 23 January 1940 as part of the 1939–1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down byMorton Engineering and Dry Dock Co. atQuebec City and launched 27 May 1941. She was commissioned 2 October 1941 at Quebec City.[10][11]
During her brief career,Louisburg underwent two significant refits. The first took place at Halifax from the end of March 1942 until June of that year. The second took place on theHumber in theUnited Kingdom where she had extraAA fittings added in preparation for her escort duties related toOperation Torch.[11]
After arriving atHalifax for deployment on 15 October 1941,Louisburg was initially assigned to Sydney Force. She remained with them until mid-January 1942. At that time, she was transferred to theNewfoundland Escort Force. In February 1942 she took part in the battle forSC 67. During that battle, her sister ship,HMCSSpikenard was lost. After her refit, she returned to service, now as a mid-ocean escort on convoys betweenSt. John's andDerry.[11]
In September 1942Louisburg was sent to theUnited Kingdom as part of theCanadian contribution toOperation Torch. On 9 December 1942 she was rammed byHMSBideford while anchored at Derry. She spent five weeks in repair yards atBelfast recovering from the damage. Upon her return to service, she was assigned to escort Torch-related convoys.[11]
While escorting a convoy, KMF 8, fromGibraltar toBone, Algeria, theLouisburg was among those hit by bombs and torpedoes from two formations of enemy aircraft. The first formation was made up of sevenJu 88 bombers and the second sevenHe 111 armed with torpedoes operating out ofItaly. 38 crew were lost when she sank nearOran.[10][11]
36°15′N00°15′E / 36.250°N 0.250°E /36.250; 0.250
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1943 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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