HMCS ''Chicoutimi'' was a that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily in the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...

as an ocean escort. She was named for Chicoutimi, Quebec.

Background

Flower-class corvettes like ''Chicoutimi'' serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes. 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. During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a

whaling ship A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

design. The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants. 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 Admiral Percy Walker Nelles, (7 January 1892 – 13 July 1951) was a flag officer in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 January 1934 to 15 January 1944. He oversaw the massive wartime expansion of the RCN and ...

. 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.

Construction

''Chicoutimi'' was ordered on 20 January 1940 as part of the 1939-1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down 5 July 1940 by Canadian Vickers Ltd. at Montreal, Quebec and launched 16 October later that year. On 12 May 1941, ''Chicoutimi'' was commissioned at Montreal. She was one of the few Flower-class corvettes not to have her fo'c'sle extended.

War service

After arriving at Halifax on 17 May 1941, she was initially assigned to Sydney Force. In September 1941 she joined

Newfoundland Escort Force The Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) was a Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's count ...

as a mid-ocean escort. She served the next five months escorting convoys across the Atlantic. In February 1942, ''Chicoutimi'' was reassigned to the

Western Local Escort Force Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys from North American port cities to the Western Ocean Meeting Point (WOMP or WESTOMP) near Newfoundland where ships of the Mi ...

(WLEF). She served with WLEF until August 1944. Beginning in June 1943, she did so as part of escort group W-1. In August 1944, ''Chicoutimi'' was sent to join as a training ship. She remained so for the rest of the year and into early 1945. In April 1945, she rejoined Sydney Force and remained with that unit until the end of the war. She was paid off at Sorel, Quebec on 16 June 1945. The ship was sold in June 1946 and broken up at

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chicoutimi, HMCS Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1940 ships Ships built in Montreal