HMCS Digby (J267)

HMCS Digby (J267)
History
Canada
Name: Digby
Namesake: Digby, Nova Scotia
Builder: Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd., Lauzon
Laid down: 20 March 1941
Launched: 5 June 1942
Commissioned: 26 July 1942
Decommissioned: 31 July 1945
Identification: pennant number:J267
Recommissioned: 29 April 1953
Decommissioned: 14 November 1956
Identification: pennant number:179
Honours and
awards:		 Atlantic 1942-44,[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942, 1944.[2]
Fate: Broken up 1956
General characteristics
Class & type: Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement: 592 tons
Length: 162 ft (49.4 m)
Beam: 28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught: 8.25 ft (2.51 m)
Propulsion: 2 shafts, 9-cylinder diesel, 2,000 bhp (1,500 kW)
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement: 60
Armament:
  • 1 × QF 4 in (101.6 mm) gun
  • 1 × 2-pounder Mark VIII
  • 2 × twin 0.303 in (8 mm) machine guns

HMCS Digby 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. After the war she was supposed to be transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but that was cancelled and instead was recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy, serving until 1956.

Digby was ordered as part of the 1940-41 building programme.[3] She was laid down on 20 March 1941 by Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. at Lauzon, Quebec and launched 5 June 1942.[4] She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 26 July 1942 at Quebec City.[5]

War service

After working up at Pictou, Digby joined the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF). In June 1943, when WLEF adopted the use of escort groups, she was assigned to escort group W-5. She remained with the group until April 1944 when a refit was required, to be performed at Lunenburg. The refit was completed at Halifax and upon returning from workups in Bermuda, she was assigned to Sydney Force.[5]

In February 1945, Digby was assigned to Newfoundland Force until returning to Canada and being paid off 31 July 1945. She was placed in reserve at Shelburne, Nova Scotia.[5]

Postwar service

After the war Digby was offered for transfer to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Marine Section, to be renamed Perry, however the takeover did not take place. The vessel was taken to Sorel to lay in strategic reserve until 1951, when she was reacquired by the Royal Canadian Navy. She was refitted for training duties.[5]

Digby was recommissioned on 29 April 1953 with the new pennant number 179.[4] She was used, along with HMCS Granby, in 1953 on Lake Ontario to test the Royal Canadian Navy's DATAR system.[6] She was paid off on 14 November 1956 and sold for scrap.[5][7]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "Battle Honours 2". Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  3. ↑ McClearn, Sandy (2007). "Bangor Class". hazegray.org. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 "HMCS Digby (J267)". uboat.net. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces, 1910-2002 (3 ed.). St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing Limited. p. 170. ISBN 1551250721.
  6. ↑ Ball, Norman R.; Vardalas, John N. (1993). Ferranti-Packard: Pioneers in Canadian Electrical Manufacturing. McGill-Queen's Press.
  7. ↑ 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.
Sources
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