HMCS Sarnia (J309)

History
Canada
Name: Sarnia
Namesake: City of Sarnia
Operator: Royal Canadian Navy
Builder: Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd., Lauzon[note 1][1][2]
Laid down: 18 September 1941
Launched: 21 January 1942
Commissioned: 13 August 1942
Decommissioned: 28 October 1945
Identification: pennant number: J309
Honours and
awards:		 Atlantic 1942–43,[3] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942[4]
Fate: Sold to Turkey
Turkey
Name: Büyükdere
Operator: Turkish Naval Forces
Acquired: 29 March 1958
Decommissioned: 1972
Identification: P-128
Fate: Registry deleted 1972
General characteristics
Class and type: Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement: 672 tons
Length: 180 ft (55 m)
Beam: 28.5 ft (8.7 m)
Draught: 8.3 ft (2.5 m)
Propulsion: Single shaft, 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 triple expansion steam engines, 2,400 ihp.
Speed: 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Complement: 83
Armament:
  • 1 × QF 12-pounder (3 inch (76 mm)) gun
  • 1 × QF 2-pounder (40 mm) guns
  • 2 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns
  • 2 × Mk.II DC throwers, 4 × DC rails, 40 depth charges

HMCS Sarnia was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence. She was named for Sarnia, Ontario. After the war she was refitted and transferred to the Turkish Naval Forces and renamed Büyükdere. She served with them until 1972.

Sarnia was ordered as part of the Royal Canadian Navy's 1941–42 shipbuilding programme.[5] She was laid down on 18 September 1941 by Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. at Lauzon, Quebec[note 2] and launched 21 January 1942.[6][7] She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Toronto on 13 August 1942.[7]

War service

After commissioning, Sarnia escorted a Quebec-Sydney convoy en route to Halifax. She was then assigned to Newfoundland Force and remained with the unit until September 1944. That September she underwent a major refit at Lunenburg.[7] In late 1943, the ship was involved in two sabotage events. The investigation pointed to three engine room crew members but there was not enough evidence to press charges.[8]

After returning to service and working up in Bermuda, Sarnia was assigned to Halifax Force and then Halifax Local Defence Force, remaining with this group until June 1945. On 15 April 1945, she rescued survivors from the torpedoed HMCS Esquimalt. After June she performed miscellaneous duties along the east coast until paid off on 28 October 1945 at Sydney and laid up at Shelburne.[7]

Postwar service

Following the war, Sarnia was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel, Quebec. She was reacquired by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1951 and refitted.[7] Her pennant number was changed to 190.[6] She was not recommissioned and was instead transferred to Turkey on 29 March 1958 and renamed Büyükdere.[7][2] She served until 1972 when her registry was deleted.[2]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Colledge and shipbuildinghistory.com both have it being built by Dufferin Shipbuilding Co., Toronto
  2. ↑ See note 1.
Footnotes
  1. ↑ "Redfern Construction, Toronto ON". shipbuildinghistory.com. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
  3. ↑ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Battle Honours 2". Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  5. ↑ McClearn, Sandy (2007). "Bangor Class". hazegray.org. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  6. 1 2 "HMCS Sarnia (J309)". Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces, 1910-2002 (3 ed.). St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing Limited. p. 193. ISBN 1551250721.
  8. ↑ Mayne, Richard O. "Protestors or Traitors? Investigating Cases of Crew Sabotage in the Royal Canadian Navy; 1942-1945". Canadian Military Journal. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
Sources


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