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| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | West York |
| Namesake | Weston,Ontario |
| Ordered | June 1942 |
| Builder | Midland Shipyards. Ltd.,Midland |
| Laid down | 23 July 1943 |
| Launched | 25 January 1944 |
| Commissioned | 6 October 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 9 July 1945 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K369 |
| Honours & awards | Atlantic 1945[1] |
| Fate | Sold for mercantile conversion; sunk in collision 1960 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | ModifiedFlower-classcorvette |
| Displacement | 1,015long tons (1,031 t; 1,137 short tons) |
| Length | 208 ft (63.4 m)o/a |
| Beam | 33 ft (10.1 m) |
| Draught | 11 ft (3.35 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 16 knots (29.6 km/h) |
| Range | 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h) |
| Complement | 90 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
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| Armament |
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HMCSWest York was aFlower-classcorvette of theRoyal Canadian Navy which took part in convoy escort duties during theSecond World War. Named afterWeston,Ontario, she was built by Midland Shipyards Ltd. in Midland,Ontario and commissioned on 6 October 1944 atCollingwood.
Flower-class corvettes likeWest York serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[2][3][4] 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.[5] 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.[6] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[7]
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.[8]
West York was ordered in June 1942 as part of the 1943-44 Increased Endurance Flower-class building program, which followed the main layout of the 1942-43 program. The only significant difference is that the majority of the 43-44 program replaced the 2-pounder Mk.VIII single "pom-pom"anti-aircraft gun with 2 twin 20-mm and 2 single 20-mm anti-aircraft guns.[8]West York was laid down byMidland Shipyards Ltd. atMidland, Ontario 23 July 1943 and launched 25 January 1944.[9][10] She was commissioned into the RCN 6 October 1944 at Collingwood.[11]
West York arrived atHalifax in mid-November, 1944 and left a month later forBermuda to work up. In February, 1945, she joined theMid-Ocean Escort Force escort group EG C-5 atSt. John's, leaving on 16 February to rendezvous with her first transatlantic convoy,HX 338.[11] She made three round trips across the Atlantic before the end of her career, the last one as escort toON 305, which she joined fromLondonderry at the end of May 1945.
West York was paid off on 9 July 1945 and laid up atSorel, Quebec. She was sold into mercantile service as SSWest York. As SSWest York, she was towing the decommissionedHMCS Assiniboine when the towline parted and the destroyer was wrecked on 7 November 1945 offPrince Edward Island.[11]
By 1947, she had her steam reciprocating engine replaced by diesel power and sailed under Moroccan registry as theMoulay Bouchaib. As late as 1950, she was the ItalianEspresso. She returned to Canadian registry in 1959 asFederal Express. She was moored inMontreal on the evening of 5 May 1960, when she was struck by the SwedishPolaris. Holed and with her mooring lines carried away,Federal Express careened into the DanishHilda Maersk and sank in 30 minutes. Later that year, the after part of the ship was raised andbroken up for scrap.[12]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1960 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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