 HMCSToronto | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Toronto |
| Namesake | Toronto, Ontario |
| Ordered | 1 February 1943 |
| Builder | Davie Shipbuilding,Lauzon |
| Yard number | 550 |
| Laid down | 10 May 1943 |
| Launched | 18 September 1943 |
| Commissioned | 6 May 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 27 November 1945 |
| Identification | pennant number: K538 |
| Recommissioned | 26 November 1953 |
| Decommissioned | 14 April 1956 |
| Reclassified | Prestonian-class frigate |
| Identification | pennant number: FFE 319 |
| Motto | "Be worthy" |
| Honours & awards | Gulf of St. Lawrence, 1944[1] |
| Fate | Transferred toNorway in 1956 asGarm |
| Badge | Azure, a mural crown argent, masoned sable, surmounted by a beaver proper holding in the dexter paw a fid spike or[2] |
 Norway | |
| Name | Garm |
| Namesake | theRagnarök houndGarmr |
| Acquired | loaned 10 March 1956; purchased 1959 |
| Commissioned | 1956 |
| Decommissioned | 1977 |
| Renamed | Valkyrien (1965) |
| Reclassified | torpedo boat depot ship (1965) |
| Identification | (asGarm) F315 |
| Fate | Sold 1977 |
| 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; |
| Complement | 157 |
| Armament |
|
HMCSToronto was aRiver-classfrigate that served in theRoyal Canadian Navy during theSecond World War and as aPrestonian-class frigate from 1953-1956. She was named forToronto,Ontario. She was later acquired by theRoyal Norwegian Navy and renamedGarm and then again in 1965 asHNoMSValkyrien .
Toronto was ordered 1 February 1943 asGiffard (afterGiffard, Quebec) as part of the 1943-1944 River-class building program.[3][4] She was laid down on 10 May 1943 byDavie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd. atLauzon and launched 18 September 1943.[4] Her name was changed toToronto and she was commissioned into the RCN on 6 May 1944 with the pennant K538.[5]
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.[6] The name "frigate" was suggested by Vice-AdmiralPercy Nelles of the Royal Canadian Navy and was adopted later that year.[7]
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.[7] 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.[6] 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.[7] For underwater targets, the River-class frigate was equipped with aHedgehog anti-submarine mortar and depth charge rails aft and four side-mounted throwers.[6]
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.[6]
Canada originally ordered the construction of 33 frigates in October 1941.[6][7] 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.[7] In all Canada ordered the construction of 60 frigates including ten for the Royal Navy that transferred two to theUnited States Navy.[6]
Following extensive work-up exercises in the vicinity ofBermuda,Toronto was assigned to escort group EG 16 which operated out ofHMCS Protector atSydney, Nova Scotia.[3] It was during this timeToronto saw service in theBattle of the St. Lawrence for which the ship was awarded the Battle Honour "Gulf of St. Lawrence - 1944." On 14 October 1944,Toronto was escortingONS 33G whenHMCS Magog, a fellow escort, was torpedoed byU-1223.Magog suffered significant damage from the attack but managed to stay afloat andToronto took her in tow. However while towingMagog, the otherGNAT, an acoustic German torpedo, detonated inToronto's wake.Toronto handed off the towing duties toHMCS Shawinigan after she recorded a contact and departed to chase it down unsuccessfully.[8]
Following that she served with Halifax Force as a local escort until May 1945. In May she was assigned toHMCS Cornwallis as a training ship.[3] On 27 November 1945,Toronto was paid off and placed in reserve atShelburne, Nova Scotia.[3][4]
As part of the planned reactivation of 21 frigates to combat the Soviet submarine threat,Toronto underwent conversion to aPrestonian-class frigate in 1952. This meant a flush-decked appearance aft, with a larger bridge and taller funnel. Her hull forward was strengthened against ice and the quarterdeck was enclosed to contain twoSquid anti-submarine mortars.[9]Toronto was recommissioned with pennant number 319 on 26 November 1953 at Lauzon.[4][10]
The frigate was made a part of the First Canadian Escort Squadron in December 1953.[11] In April 1954,Toronto deployed to Bermuda for anti-submarine training with the British submarineTally-Ho and the American submarineCobbler before joining the First Canadian Escort Squadron on their training cruise through the Caribbean Sea, making several port visits.[12] In September, the First Canadian Escort Squadron took part in theNATO naval exercise "New Broom II" and in October, the exercise "Morning Mist" before performing a two-month training cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, making several port visits.[13][14] The squadron returned to Canada on 10 December 1954.[14]
It was announced in November 1955 that threePrestonian-class frigates would be loaned to Norway;Toronto,Prestonian andPenetang.[15]Toronto was paid off by the RCN on 14 April 1956 and transferred to theRoyal Norwegian Navy as HNoMSGarm.Garm was purchased outright in 1959 and was employed primarily for fisheries protection duties.[9] She was renamed in 1965 toValkyrien and re-designated a torpedo boat depot ship.[3] She served in this capacity until she was sold and scrapped by the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1977.[3]
