HMCS Napanee

{{Short description|Flower-class corvette}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}

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|Ship image=HMCS Napanee 1944-1945 CN-3522.jpg

|Ship caption=HMCS Napanee, circa 1944-1945.

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{{Infobox ship career

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|Ship country=Canada

|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|naval-1911}}

|Ship name= Napanee

|Ship namesake=Napanee, Ontario

|Ship ordered= 7 February 1940

|Ship awarded=

|Ship builder=Kingston Shipbuilding Co., Kingston

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|Ship laid down=21 March 1940

|Ship launched=30 August 1940

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|Ship commissioned=12 May 1941

|Ship recommissioned=

|Ship decommissioned= 12 July 1945

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|Ship identification=Pennant number: K118

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|Ship honours= Atlantic 1941-45{{cite web |title= Battle Honours |url=http://www.britainsnavy.co.uk/Battle%20Honours/A%20Battle%20Honour%20Date.htm#1900 |website=Britain's Navy |access-date=21 August 2013}}

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|Ship fate=Scrapped 1946

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{{Infobox ship characteristics

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|Ship class={{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} (original){{cite book|last=Lenton |first=H.T. |last2=Colledge |first2=J.J |year=1968 |title=British and Dominion Warships of World War II |publisher=Doubleday & Company |pages=201, 212 }}

|Ship displacement={{convert|925|LT|t ST|lk=in}}

|Ship length={{convert|205|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}o/a

|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}

|Ship height=

|Ship draught={{convert|11.5|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}

|Ship power=

|Ship propulsion=*Single shaft

  • 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
  • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • {{convert|2750|ihp|abbr=on}}

|Ship speed={{convert|16|kn|km/h|1}}

|Ship range={{convert|3500|nmi|km|0}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h|1}}

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|Ship complement=85

|Ship sensors=*1 × SW1C or 2C radar

  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar

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|Ship armament=*1 × BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun single gun

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HMCS Napanee was a {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} of the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw service primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort. She is named after Napanee, Ontario.

Background

{{main|Flower-class corvette}}

Flower-class corvettes like Napanee 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-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/68 }} The "corvette" designation was created by the French for classes 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 to allow them to perform better on the 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}}

Construction

Napanee was ordered 7 February 1940 as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down by Kingston Shipbuilding Co. in Kingston, Ontario on 20 March 1940 and launched on 31 August 1940.{{cite web | url = http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/817.html | work = Uboat.net | title = HMCS Napanee (K 118) | access-date = 23 August 2013}} She was commissioned on 12 May 1941 at Montreal, Quebec.{{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=81, 231 |isbn=0-00216-856-1}}

During her career, Napanee underwent two significant refits. Her first major overhaul began 22 May 1943 at Montreal and took five months to complete. During this refit, Napanee had her fo'c'sle extended. Her second significant refit took place at Pictou, Nova Scotia and began in August 1944.

War duty

After arriving at Halifax for deployment, Napanee was initially assigned to Sydney Force. In September 1941, she was transferred to the Newfoundland Escort Force escorting convoys between St. John's and Iceland. She remained on this route until the European destination changed to Derry in January 1942.

Napanee escorted 12 trans-Atlantic convoys without loss before assignment to Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) group C1 in September 1942. With group C1, she shared credit for sinking U-356 during the battle for convoy ON 154 in December 1942, and participated in the battle for convoy KMS 10G. Napanee escorted 11 trans-Atlantic convoys without loss in 1944, and spent 1945 escorting North American coastal convoys with the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF).{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/index.html|title=Convoy Web|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-06-27}} During her time with WLEF, Napanee was part of two escort group, W-3 initially and W-2 after her second refit until the end of the war.

=Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted=

class="wikitable"

!Convoy

!Escort Group

!Dates

!Notes

SC 47

|

|29 September-12 October 1941{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sc/index.html|title=SC convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-06-19}}

|63 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland

ON 25

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|16-24 October 1941{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html|title=ON convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-06-19}}

|29 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland

SC 53

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|6-20 November 1941

|52 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland

ON 38

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|26-30 November 1941

|33 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland

SC 59

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|12-21 December 1941

|39 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland

ON 50

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|28 December 1941 – 3 January 1942

|35 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland

SC 65

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|20-29 January 1942

|36 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland

ON 62

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|6-15 February 1942

|34 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland

SC 71

|

|27 February-9 March 1942

|23 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland

ON 76

|

|16-26 March 1942

|27 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland

SC 78

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|9-21 April 1942

|12 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 90

|

|29 April-11 May 1942

|47 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

|

|

|

SC 99

|MOEF group C1

|9-19 September 1942

|59 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 133

|MOEF group C1

|26 September-5 Oct 1942

|35 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

HX 211

|MOEF group C1

|13-20 October 1942{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html|title=HX convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-06-19}}

|29 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 143

|MOEF group C1

|2-11 November 1942

|26 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

SC 110

|MOEF group C1

|24 November-5 December 1942

|33 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 154

|MOEF group C1

|19-30 December 1942

|Northern Ireland to Newfoundland; 14 ships torpedoed (13 sank)

HX 223

|

|19-27 January 1943

|48 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

KMS 10G

|MOEF group C1

|28 February-8 March 1943{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/kms/index.html|title=KMS convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-07-07}}

|Liverpool to Mediterranean Sea; 4 ships torpedoed (1 sank)

MKS 9

|MOEF group C1

|8-18 March 1943{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/mks/index.html|title=MKS convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-07-07}}

|55 ships escorted without loss from Mediterranean to Liverpool

ONS 2

|MOEF group C1

|29 March-14 April 1943

|31 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

SC 127

|MOEF group C1

|20 April-1 May 1943

|55 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 181

|MOEF group C1

|2-12 May 1943

|44 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

|

|

|

SC 150

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|3-14 January 1944

|19 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ONS 28

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|29 January-11 February 1944

|29 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

HX 279

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|17-28 February 1944

|59 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 227

|

|9-17 March 1944

|61 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

ON 232

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|14-23 April 1944

|45 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

HX 290

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|10-16 May 1944

|93 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 237

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|20-29 May 1944

|64 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

HX 294

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|9-19 June 1944

|113 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 242

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|25 June-5 July 1944

|99 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

HX 299

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|16-23 July 1944

|85 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

ON 247

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|2-10 August 1944

|89 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

Post war service

Napanee was paid off on 12 July 1945 at Sorel, Quebec after the war had ended. She was sold for scrapping in June 1946 and broken up at Hamilton, Ontario.{{csr|register=MSI|id=6112156|shipname=Napanee|access-date=14 July 2016}}

References

{{reflist}}

{{Flower class corvette|original}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napanee, HMCS}}

Category:Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy

Category:1940 ships

Category:Ships built in Kingston, Ontario