HMCS Burlington

A British design, the Bangor-class minesweepers were smaller than the preceding {{sclass|Halcyon|minesweeper|1}}s in British service, but larger than the {{sclass|Fundy|minesweeper|4}} in Canadian service.Chesneau, p. 64Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 167 They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines. Burlington was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. Burlington was {{convert|180|ft|m|1}} long overall, had a beam of {{convert|28|ft|6|in|m|1}} and a draught of {{convert|9|ft|9|in|m|1}}.Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 180 The minesweeper had a displacement of {{convert|672|LT|t}}. She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted.

Burlington had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of {{convert|2400|ihp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|16.5|kn|lk=in}}. The minesweeper could carry a maximum of {{convert|150|LT|t|0}} of fuel oil.

The minesweeper was armed initially with a single quick-firing (QF) QF 4 inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII mounted forward that was later replaced with a single QF 3-inch 20 cwt mounted forward.Macpherson (1997), p. 19{{efn|name=gun nomenclature}} The ship was also fitted with a QF 2-pounder Mark VIII aft and was eventually fitted with single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns on the bridge wings.Macpherson (1997), p. 46 Those ships assigned to convoy duty were armed with two depth charge launchers and four chutes to deploy their 40 depth charges.

The minesweeper was ordered as part of the 1939–40 building programme. The ship's keel was laid down on 4 July 1940 by Dufferin Shipbuilding at their yard in Toronto, Ontario. Burlington was launched on 23 November 1940 and commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 6 September 1941 at Toronto.Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 168

The ship arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia in September 1941 and remained part of the local force until March 1942 when Burlington transferred to the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. During the night of 11/12 January 1942, {{SS|Cyclops}} was torpedoed by the German U-boat {{GS|U-123|1940|2}} {{convert|125|mi|km}} southeast Cape Sable Island. Burlington and sister ship {{HMCS|Red Deer||2}} were sent to aid the stricken. While Red Deer aided the survivors, Burlington unsuccessfully searched for the submarine.Douglas et al., No Higher Purpose, p. 380

In May 1942, the minesweeper was reassigned to the Gulf Escort Force, escorting convoys through the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Burlington, with the corvette {{HMCS|Arrowhead||2}} and sister ship {{HMCS|Medicine Hat||2}}, escorted the first Quebec – Sydney convoy, QS 1, through the gulf.Sarty, p. 91 Following the closure of the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to shipping in September following a series of successful U-boat attacks, a special convoy comprising twelve merchants was escorted by Burlington and Red Deer sailed from Sydney to Quebec City. The convoy avoided the main shipping lanes and arrived safely. The successful sailing of this convoy and its sequel gave the Royal Canadian Navy the confidence to reopen the gulf to merchant shipping again in October.Sarty, pp. 197–99 On 21 October the convoy SQ 43 was spotted by {{GS|U-43|1939|2}} west of Cap-Chat, Quebec. The convoy was escorted by Burlington, {{HMCS|Gananoque||2}} and two Fairmile motor launches. The submarine was damaged in a counterattack by Gananoque and forced to break off its attack.Douglas et al., No Higher Purpose, p. 464 On 6 November, the minesweeper was sent to search for a U-boat that had landed an Abwehr agent in Quebec. The agent was captured but the submarine was not intercepted.Douglas et al., No Higher Purpose, p. 467

In December 1942, Burlington began a refit that was done piecemeal at Halifax, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia that took until May 1943 to complete. After working up, the minesweeper was assigned to WLEF, joining the convoy escort group W9. Burlington remained with the group until February 1944 when she transferred to the Halifax Local Defence Force as a local patrol and escort vessel.

In October 1944, Burlington joined Newfoundland Force operating from St. John's, Newfoundland, remaining with the unit until 8 June 1945 when it was disbanded. The minesweeper was then assigned miscellaneous duties until being paid off on 30 October 1945. Following the war, the minesweeper was sold to T. Harris of New Jersey in 1946 and broken up for scrap.Colledge, p. 110{{csr|register=MSI|id=6111686|shipname=Burlington|access-date=1 November 2016}}

{{notes

| notes =

{{efn

| name = gun nomenclature

| "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.

}}

}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book |editor-last=Chesneau |editor-first=Roger |date=1980 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich, UK |isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
• {{Cite Colledge2006}}
• {{cite book |last=Douglas |first=W.A.B. |last2=Sarty |first2=Roger |last3=Whitby |first3=Michael |title=No Higher Purpose: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1939–1943 Volume II, Part I |publisher=Vanwell Publishing |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |date=2002 |isbn=1-55125-061-6}}
• {{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |last2=Barrie |first2=Ron |date=2002 |title=The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002 |edition=Third |publisher=Vanwell Publishing |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-072-1}}
• {{cite book|title=Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy 1938–1945 |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |publisher=Vanwell Publishing |date=1997 |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=0-920277-55-1}}
• {{cite book |last=Sarty |first=Roger |date=2012 |title=War in the St. Lawrence: The Forgotten U-Boat Battles on Canada's Shores |publisher=Penguin Group |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-670-06787-9}}

• {{Cite web |url=http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/ww2/bangor/ |title= Bangor Class|publisher=Hazegray.org |work= Canadian Navy of Yesterday and Today }}
• {{cite web | url = http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/2646.html | website = Uboat.net | title = HMCS Burlington (J 250)}}

{{Bangor class minesweeper}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burlington, HMCS}}

Category:Bangor-class minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy

Category:Ships built in Toronto

Category:1940 ships

Category:World War II minesweepers of Canada