HMCS Skeena (D59)
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| Career (Canada) |  Royal Canadian Navy |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 6 March 1928 |
| Builder: | John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston |
| Laid down: | 14 October 1929 |
| Launched: | 10 October 1930 |
| Commissioned: | 10 June 1931 |
| Honours and awards: |
Atlantic |
| Fate: | Wrecked 25 October 1944 during a storm off Reykjavík, Iceland. |
| Badge: | Blazon Azure, out of a base invected argent, a salmon sinisterwise proper. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | A class River class |
| Displacement: | 1,337 tons |
| Length: | 320 feet (98 m) |
| Beam: | 32.5 feet (9.9 m) |
| Draught: | 10 feet (3.0 m) |
| Speed: | 31 knots (57 km/h) |
| Complement: | 181 |
| Armament: | Original;
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HMCS Skeena (D59) was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1931-1945.
She was similar to the Royal Navy's A-class and wore both pennants D59 and I59 during her service.
She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Woolston, Hampshire and commissioned into the RCN on 10 June 1931 at Portsmouth, England. Skeena and her sister HMCS Saguenay (D79) were the first ships specifically built for the RCN. She arrived in Halifax, on 3 July 1931.
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[edit] World War II
Skeena rescued 65 survivors of the British merchant ship Manipur, sunk by U-57 off Cape Wrath on 17 July 1940. On 2 September 1940 she rescued 19 survivors of the British merchant ship Thornlea, sunk by U-46 in the North Atlantic. On 23 November 1940 she rescued 6 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship Bruce, damaged by U-100 and 9 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship Salonica, sunk by U-100 nearby.
Skeena was assigned to North Atlantic convoy Escort Group C-3 escorting convoys ON-93, HX-191, ONS-104, SC-90, ON-115, HX-202, ON-121, SC-98, ON-131, HX-210, ON-141, SC-109, ONS-152 prior to refit in January of 1943.[1] On 31 July 1942, Skeena recorded her first victory with HMCS Wetaskiwin (K175) when they depth charged and sank U-588 while escorting ON-115 at .
[edit] Grounding
Skeena was lost in a storm on the night of 24 October 1944. She was anchored off Reykjavík, Iceland and dragged her anchor and grounded in 50-foot (15 m) waves off Videy Island with the loss of 15 crewmembers.
Her hulk was written off and sold to Iceland interests in June 1945; she was then raised and broken up. Her propeller was salvaged and used in a memorial near the Videy Island ferry terminal.[2][3][4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ North Atlantic Run, Marc Milner, 1985, Naval Institute Press ISBN 0-87021-450-0
- ^ Remember the 24
- ^ Funds needed for HMCS Skeena memorial in Iceland Lookout, 23 Jan 2006
- ^ uboat.net page
[edit] See also
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