HMCS Dauphin

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HMCS Dauphin at Pictou, Nova Scotia.
History
Canada
NameDauphin
NamesakeDauphin, Manitoba
OperatorRoyal Canadian Navy
Ordered20 January 1940
BuilderCanadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal
Laid down6 July 1940
Launched24 October 1940
Commissioned17 May 1941
Decommissioned20 June 1945
IdentificationPennant number: K157
Honours and
awards
Atlantic 1941-45[1]
FateSold for civilian use as Cortes in 1949 and renamed San Antonio in 1955.
General characteristics
Class & typeFlower-class corvette (original)[2]
Displacement925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught11.5 ft (3.51 m)
Propulsion
  • single shaft
  • 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
  • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
  • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement85
Sensors &
processing systems
  • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
  • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament

HMCS Dauphin was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Dauphin, Manitoba.

Background

[edit]

Flower-class corvettes like Dauphin serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[3][4][5] 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.[6] 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.[7] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[8]

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.[9]

Construction

[edit]

Dauphin was ordered 20 January 1940 as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class shipbuilding program. She was laid down 6 July 1940 by Canadian Vickers Ltd. at Montreal, Quebec and launched on 24 October later that year. She was commissioned on 17 May 1941 at Montreal.[10] From April to September 1943, Dauphin was refitted at Pictou. During this time her fo'c'sle was extended.[10][11] In August 1944 she underwent another refit at Liverpool, Nova Scotia.[11]

Wartime service

[edit]

In late June 1941 Dauphin joined Sydney Force. In September of that year she transferred to Newfoundland Command. However she was sent for further workups at Tobermory and returned to service as an ocean escort in mid-October.[11]

From October 1941 to August 1944 she was an ocean escort. After December 1942 she was assigned to escort group EG A-3, which was re-designated C-5 in June 1943. Dauphin was involved in three major convoy battles during that time; SC 100 in September 1942, ON 166 in February 1943 and SC 121 in March 1943.

U-boats repeatedly attacked SC 121 from 6 to 10 March. On the night of 9–10 March U-229 torpedoed the tramp steamers Nailsea Court, which sank, and Colmore, which was damaged and abandoned. Dauphin tried to reach a lifeboat containing 37 men from the two ships. She got within 250 yards of the boat when her steering gear failed, forcing her to stop. It took Dauphin four hours to repair her steering gear and return to the boat. By then it had capsized and she rescued only three survivors who were clinging to the keel.[12]

Daulhin was removed from convoy duty from April to September 1943 for a refit. In January 1945 she was reassigned to the Western Local Escort Force escort group W-7. She remained with the group until the end of the war.[11]

Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted

[edit]
ConvoyEscort GroupDatesNotes
SC 361–4 July 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
HX 13813 July 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
HX 13917–18 July 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
SC 3822–25 July 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
HX 1436-7 Aug 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
HX 1428 Aug 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
HX 14411-12 Aug 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
SC 435-20 Sept 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
SC 536-20 Nov 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 3826-30 Nov 1941[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 6018-24 Dec 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 533-9 Jan 1942[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 672-12 Feb 1942[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 6618-26 Feb 1942[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 7310–23 March 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 8028 March – 10 April 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 89MOEF group C228 June – 9 July 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 113MOEF group C218–26 July 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 201MOEF group C25-9 Aug 1942[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 119MOEF group C210-15 Aug 1942[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 97MOEF group C226 Aug – 6 Sept 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 129MOEF group C211-20 Sept 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 210MOEF group C34-7 Oct 1942[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
HX 211MOEF group C113-20 Oct 1942[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 147MOEF group C418-28 Nov 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 111MOEF group A31-14 Dec 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 156MOEF group A324 Dec 1942 – 8 Jan 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 223MOEF group A319-28 Jan 1943[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
SC 117MOEF group B329 Jan – 2 Feb 1943[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
Convoy ON 166MOEF group A312-21 Feb 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
Convoy SC 121MOEF group A33–12 March 1943[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 175MOEF group A325 March – 8 April 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 26224 Oct – 2 Nov 1943[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 21114-24 Nov 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 2681-10 Dec 1943[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 21725 Dec 1943 – 5 Jan 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 27411-21 Jan 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 22231 Jan – 10 Feb 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
ONS 3114–25 March 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 2852–11 April 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 23320 April – 3 May 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 29010–19 May 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 23827 May – 3 June 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 29515–23 June 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 2433–12 July 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 300MOEF group C524 July – 2 Aug 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; largest HX convoy of the war
ON 248S11-21 Aug 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 165Western Local Escort Force (WLEF)16-20 Jan 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
ON 278WLEF24-31 Jan 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
HX 336WLEF2-5 Feb 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
ON 280WLEF6-7 Feb 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
SC 167WLEF2-16 Feb 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
ONS 42WLEF28 Feb – 4 March 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
SC 170WLEF17–20 March 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
ON 290WLEF24–29 March March 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
HX 348WLEF3–6 April 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
HX 350WLEF15–18 April 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
ON 296WLEF24–30 April 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
HX 354WLEF3–6 May 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
SC 176WLEF16–20 May 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
ONS 50WLEF25–29 May 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax

Post-war service

[edit]

Following the end of hostilities, Dauphin was paid off on 20 June 1945 at Sorel, Quebec. She was sold for conversion to a merchant ship and in 1949 entered service as Cortes under a Honduran flag. In 1955 she was renamed San Antonio and was registered under an Ecuadorean flag.[11] The ship was deleted in 1992.[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  2. ^ Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company. pp. 201, 212.
  3. ^ Ossian, Robert. "Complete List of Sailing Vessels". The Pirate King. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  4. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 11. London: Phoebus. pp. 1137–1142.
  5. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. New Jersey: Random House. 1996. p. 68. ISBN 0-517-67963-9.
  6. ^ Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005). The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy. Stackpole Books. pp. 39–63. ISBN 0-8117-3275-4.
  7. ^ Chesneau, Roger; Gardiner, Robert (June 1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. Naval Institute Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-87021-913-8.
  8. ^ Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. pp. 117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226, 235, 285–291. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
  9. ^ Macpherson, Ken; Milner, Marc (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945. St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 1-55125-052-7.
  10. ^ a b "HMCS Dauphin (K157)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d e Macpherson, Ken; Burgess, John (1981). The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910-1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships. Toronto: Collins. p. 74. ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
  12. ^ Shipping Casualties Section – Trade Division (23 March 1943). "Report of an Interview with the 2nd Engineer, Mr HCC Bette; SS "Nailsea Court" – 4946 gt". Ministry of War Transport. Retrieved 3 November 2020 – via ss Nailsea Court.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "SC convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "HX convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "ON convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  16. ^ "Dauphin (5309401)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

    HMCS Dauphin at Pictou, Nova Scotia.
    History
    Canada
    NameDauphin
    NamesakeDauphin, Manitoba
    OperatorRoyal Canadian Navy
    Ordered20 January 1940
    BuilderCanadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal
    Laid down6 July 1940
    Launched24 October 1940
    Commissioned17 May 1941
    Decommissioned20 June 1945
    IdentificationPennant number: K157
    Honours and
    awards
    Atlantic 1941-45[1]
    FateSold for civilian use as Cortes in 1949 and renamed San Antonio in 1955.
    General characteristics
    Class & typeFlower-class corvette (original)[2]
    Displacement925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
    Length205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
    Beam33 ft (10.06 m)
    Draught11.5 ft (3.51 m)
    Propulsion
    • single shaft
    • 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers
    • 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
    • 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
    Speed16 knots (29.6 km/h)
    Range3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
    Complement85
    Sensors &
    processing systems
    • 1 × SW1C or 2C radar
    • 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
    Armament

    HMCS Dauphin was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Dauphin, Manitoba.

    Background

    Flower-class corvettes like Dauphin serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[3][4][5] 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.[6] 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.[7] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[8]

    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.[9]

    Construction

    Dauphin was ordered 20 January 1940 as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class shipbuilding program. She was laid down 6 July 1940 by Canadian Vickers Ltd. at Montreal, Quebec and launched on 24 October later that year. She was commissioned on 17 May 1941 at Montreal.[10] From April to September 1943, Dauphin was refitted at Pictou. During this time her fo'c'sle was extended.[10][11] In August 1944 she underwent another refit at Liverpool, Nova Scotia.[11]

    Wartime service

    In late June 1941 Dauphin joined Sydney Force. In September of that year she transferred to Newfoundland Command. However she was sent for further workups at Tobermory and returned to service as an ocean escort in mid-October.[11]

    From October 1941 to August 1944 she was an ocean escort. After December 1942 she was assigned to escort group EG A-3, which was re-designated C-5 in June 1943. Dauphin was involved in three major convoy battles during that time; SC 100 in September 1942, ON 166 in February 1943 and SC 121 in March 1943.

    U-boats repeatedly attacked SC 121 from 6 to 10 March. On the night of 9–10 March U-229 torpedoed the tramp steamers Nailsea Court, which sank, and Colmore, which was damaged and abandoned. Dauphin tried to reach a lifeboat containing 37 men from the two ships. She got within 250 yards of the boat when her steering gear failed, forcing her to stop. It took Dauphin four hours to repair her steering gear and return to the boat. By then it had capsized and she rescued only three survivors who were clinging to the keel.[12]

    Daulhin was removed from convoy duty from April to September 1943 for a refit. In January 1945 she was reassigned to the Western Local Escort Force escort group W-7. She remained with the group until the end of the war.[11]

    Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted

    ConvoyEscort GroupDatesNotes
    SC 361–4 July 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
    HX 13813 July 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
    HX 13917–18 July 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
    SC 3822–25 July 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
    HX 1436-7 Aug 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
    HX 1428 Aug 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
    HX 14411-12 Aug 1941[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
    SC 435-20 Sept 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
    SC 536-20 Nov 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
    ON 3826-30 Nov 1941[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
    SC 6018-24 Dec 1941[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
    ON 533-9 Jan 1942[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
    SC 672-12 Feb 1942[13]Newfoundland to Iceland
    ON 6618-26 Feb 1942[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
    SC 7310–23 March 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 8028 March – 10 April 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    SC 89MOEF group C228 June – 9 July 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 113MOEF group C218–26 July 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 201MOEF group C25-9 Aug 1942[14]Newfoundland to Iceland
    ON 119MOEF group C210-15 Aug 1942[15]Iceland to Newfoundland
    SC 97MOEF group C226 Aug – 6 Sept 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 129MOEF group C211-20 Sept 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 210MOEF group C34-7 Oct 1942[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    HX 211MOEF group C113-20 Oct 1942[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 147MOEF group C418-28 Nov 1942[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    SC 111MOEF group A31-14 Dec 1942[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 156MOEF group A324 Dec 1942 – 8 Jan 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 223MOEF group A319-28 Jan 1943[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    SC 117MOEF group B329 Jan – 2 Feb 1943[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    Convoy ON 166MOEF group A312-21 Feb 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    Convoy SC 121MOEF group A33–12 March 1943[13]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 175MOEF group A325 March – 8 April 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 26224 Oct – 2 Nov 1943[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 21114-24 Nov 1943[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 2681-10 Dec 1943[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 21725 Dec 1943 – 5 Jan 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 27411-21 Jan 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 22231 Jan – 10 Feb 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    ONS 3114–25 March 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 2852–11 April 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 23320 April – 3 May 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 29010–19 May 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 23827 May – 3 June 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 29515–23 June 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
    ON 2433–12 July 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    HX 300MOEF group C524 July – 2 Aug 1944[14]Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; largest HX convoy of the war
    ON 248S11-21 Aug 1944[15]Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
    SC 165Western Local Escort Force (WLEF)16-20 Jan 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
    ON 278WLEF24-31 Jan 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
    HX 336WLEF2-5 Feb 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
    ON 280WLEF6-7 Feb 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
    SC 167WLEF2-16 Feb 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
    ONS 42WLEF28 Feb – 4 March 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
    SC 170WLEF17–20 March 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
    ON 290WLEF24–29 March March 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
    HX 348WLEF3–6 April 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
    HX 350WLEF15–18 April 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
    ON 296WLEF24–30 April 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax
    HX 354WLEF3–6 May 1945[14]Halifax to Newfoundland
    SC 176WLEF16–20 May 1945[13]Halifax to Newfoundland
    ONS 50WLEF25–29 May 1945[15]Newfoundland to Halifax

    Post-war service

    Following the end of hostilities, Dauphin was paid off on 20 June 1945 at Sorel, Quebec. She was sold for conversion to a merchant ship and in 1949 entered service as Cortes under a Honduran flag. In 1955 she was renamed San Antonio and was registered under an Ecuadorean flag.[11] The ship was deleted in 1992.[16]

    References

    1. ^ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
    2. ^ Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company. pp. 201, 212.
    3. ^ Ossian, Robert. "Complete List of Sailing Vessels". The Pirate King. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
    4. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 11. London: Phoebus. pp. 1137–1142.
    5. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. New Jersey: Random House. 1996. p. 68. ISBN 0-517-67963-9.
    6. ^ Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005). The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy. Stackpole Books. pp. 39–63. ISBN 0-8117-3275-4.
    7. ^ Chesneau, Roger; Gardiner, Robert (June 1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. Naval Institute Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-87021-913-8.
    8. ^ Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. pp. 117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226, 235, 285–291. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
    9. ^ Macpherson, Ken; Milner, Marc (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945. St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 1-55125-052-7.
    10. ^ a b "HMCS Dauphin (K157)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
    11. ^ a b c d e Macpherson, Ken; Burgess, John (1981). The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910-1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships. Toronto: Collins. p. 74. ISBN 0-00216-856-1.
    12. ^ Shipping Casualties Section – Trade Division (23 March 1943). "Report of an Interview with the 2nd Engineer, Mr HCC Bette; SS "Nailsea Court" – 4946 gt". Ministry of War Transport. Retrieved 3 November 2020 – via ss Nailsea Court.
    13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "SC convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
    14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "HX convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
    15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "ON convoys". Andrew Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
    16. ^ "Dauphin (5309401)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
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