HMCS Charlottetown (1941)

{{main|Flower-class corvette}}

Flower-class corvettes like Charlottetown serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.{{cite web|last=Ossian|first=Robert|url=http://www.thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm|title=Complete List of Sailing Vessels|website=The Pirate King|access-date=13 April 2011}}{{cite book|editor-last=Fitzsimons|editor-first=Bernard|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare|location=London|publisher=Phoebus|date=1978|volume=11|pages=1137–1142}}{{cite book|title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II|location=New Jersey|publisher=Random House|date=1996|isbn=0-517-67963-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/68 68]|url=https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/68}} 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.{{cite book|last=Blake|first=Nicholas|last2=Lawrence|first2=Richard|title=The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I59v6rkg8egC&pg=PA39|publisher=Stackpole Books|date=2005|pages=39–63|isbn=0-8117-3275-4}} 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 a whaling ship design.{{cite book|last=Chesneau|first=Roger|last2=Gardiner|first2=Robert|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJBMBvyQ83EC&pg=PA62|publisher=Naval Institute Press|date=June 1980|page=62|isbn=0-87021-913-8}} The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.{{cite book|title=North Atlantic Run|last=Milner|first=Marc|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1985|pages=117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226, 235, 285–291|isbn=0-87021-450-0}}

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 Admiral Percy 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 for better performance on open seas.{{cite book|last=Macpherson|first=Ken|last2=Milner|first2=Marc|year=1993|title=Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945|publisher=Vanwell Publishing|location=St. Catharines|isbn=1-55125-052-7}}

Charlottetown was laid down at Kingston Shipbuilding Ltd., Kingston on 7 June 1941 and launched on 10 September of that year.{{cite web|url=http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/866.html|work=Uboat.net|title=HMCS Charlottetown (i) (K 244)|access-date=28 July 2013}} She was commissioned into the RCN at Quebec City on 13 December and arrived at her homeport of Halifax, Nova Scotia on 18 December 1941.{{cite book|last=Macpherson|first=Ken|last2=Burgess|first2=John|year=1981|title=The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910-1981: a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships|publisher=Collins|location=Toronto|pages=92, 113, 231|isbn=0-00216-856-1}}

Charlottetown served with the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) until mid-July 1942 when she was transferred to the Gulf Escort Force (GEF), serving in what is now referred to as the Battle of the St. Lawrence. She escorted Quebec City - Sydney convoys until her sinking.

Charlottetown was torpedoed and sunk on 11 September 1942 by the {{ship|German submarine|U-517||2|up=yes}} {{convert|6|nmi|km}} off Cap Chat in the St. Lawrence River along the northern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula. She had been returning to base with the minesweeper {{HMCS|Clayoquot|J174|6}} after escorting convoy SQ-35 and was not zigzagging. She was struck aft by two torpedoes. She went down fast and though most of her crew got off the ship, some died in the water when her depth charges went off as she sank.{{cite book|last=German|first=Tony|year=1990|title=The Sea is at our Gates: The History of the Canadian Navy|publisher=McClelland and Stewart Inc.|location=Toronto|pages=[https://archive.org/details/seaisatourgatesh00germ/page/119 119]|isbn=0-7710-3269-2|url=https://archive.org/details/seaisatourgatesh00germ/page/119}} Her captain, Lieutenant Commander John W. Bonner, RCNR and 8 other crew were killed out of her crew of 64. The survivors were picked up by Clayoquot.

{{reflist|2}}

{{refbegin}}

• [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/index.html?search3.php?query=Oakville&Submit=Find+Vessel~haguemain HMCS Charlottetown at the Arnold Hague Convoy Database]
• {{Cite news|url=http://www.readyayeready.com/ships/shipview.php?id=1080&ship=CHARLOTTETOWN%20%281st%29|title= HMCS Charlottetown (1st)|author=Ready, Aye, Ready|access-date=28 July 2013}}
• {{Cite news|url=http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/ww2/flower/|title=Flower Class|author=Hazegray|work=Canadian Navy of Yesterday and Today|access-date=24 July 2013}}

{{refend}}

• [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/search3.php?query=Charlottetown&Submit=Find+Vessel HMCS Charlottetown on the Arnold Hague database at convoyweb.org.uk.]

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{{Flower class corvette|modified}}

{{September 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlottetown, HMCS}}

Category:Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy

Category:Shipwrecks of the Saint Lawrence River

Category:1941 ships

Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II

Category:Maritime incidents in September 1942

Category:Ships built in Kingston, Ontario