HMCS ''Arras'' was one of twelve
naval trawlers that saw service with the
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The vessel entered service in 1918 near the end of the
First World War and was used for patrolling and escort duties along the Atlantic Coast of Canada. Following the war, ''Arras'' was transferred to the
Department of Marine and Fisheries where the ship was used as a fisheries patrol vessel. Following the outbreak of the
Second World War, the ship re-entered RCN service as a
gate vessel. In 1943, the ship was heavily damaged by fire and was
broken up in 1957.
Design and description
The RCN's Battle-class trawlers formed part of the Canadian naval response to
Admiralty warnings to Canada about the growing German
U-boat threat to merchant shipping in the western Atlantic.
[Tucker, p. 253] Intended to augment anti-submarine patrols off Canada's east coast, these ships were modelled on contemporary British
North Sea trawlers, since the standard types of Canadian fishing vessels were considered unsuitable for patrol work.
Twelve vessels were ordered on 2 February 1917 from two shipyards,
Polson Iron Works of
Toronto and
Canadian Vickers of
Montreal.
[Johnston et al., p. 417] Those vessels built at Canadian Vickers
displaced and were
long overall with a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of and a
draught of .
[Macpherson and Barrie, p. 27] The vessels were propelled by a steam-powered
triple expansion engine driving one shaft creating giving the vessels a maximum speed of .
[Maginley and Collin, p. 67]
All twelve trawlers were equipped with a QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun mounted forward.[ This was considered to be the smallest gun that stood a chance of putting a surfaced U-boat out of action, and they also carried a small number of ]depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s.[Tucker, p. 257] The trawlers were named after battles of the Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
during the First World War that Canadians had been involved in. They cost between $155,000 and $160,000 per vessel.[
]
Service history
''Arras'' was named for the Battle of Arras and constructed by Canadian Vickers at Montreal, launching
Ceremonial ship launching involves the performance of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back thousands of years, to accompany the physical pro ...
on 15 September 1917.[Macpherson and Barrie, p. 28][Johnston et al., p. 484] Intended for use during the 1917 shipping season, the construction of the vessels was delayed by the entry of the United States into the war. With higher wages found south of the border, a shortage of skilled labour developed in the shipyards, coupled with a shortage of construction material. The six vessels ordered from Canadian Vickers were delayed further by difficulty in providing engines for the trawlers. The hulls had been finished during Summer 1917. However, the engines did not arrive until the fall.[ The ship was commissioned on 8 July 1918.][
''Arras'' sailed to the east coast where for the 1918 shipping season, all the Battle-class trawlers were assigned to patrol and escort duties based out of ]Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolv ...
. The vessel performed these duties until the end of the war and remained in RCN service until 1919.[ ''Arras'' was transferred to the Department of Marine and Fisheries in 1920. and was deployed as a fisheries protection ship on the Atlantic coast. ''Arras'' often served as the hospital ship for the fishing fleet on the ]Grand Banks of Newfoundland
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...
.[ On 11 September 1939, ''Arras'' returned to RCN service following the outbreak of the Second World War. The trawler was initially stationed at Halifax, Nova Scotia as the gate vessel ''Gate Vessel 15''. In mid-1941 the vessel transferred to Sydney, where, in November 1943, was significantly damaged by fire.][ In 1949, the vessel was sold to Halifax Shipyards and was broken up in at Halifax in December 1957.][Colledge, p. 59]
References
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External links
Battle-class trawlers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arras
Battle-class trawlers
World War I naval ships of Canada
1917 ships
Auxiliary ships of the Royal Canadian Navy
Ships built in Montreal