HMCS ''Malaspina'' was a Canadian government
fisheries patrol vessel pressed into service with the
Royal Canadian Navy in 1917 and again in 1939 and which therefore saw service during the
First World War and
Second World War. The vessel was constructed in 1913 in
Dublin, Ireland and patrolled the fisheries along the
West Coast of Canada.
A
sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
of
CGS ''Galiano'', ''Malaspina'' was also taken over by the Royal Canadian Navy, and both ships mixed civil duties with naval patrol and examination work, including
minesweeping training and trials, for much of the war. ''Malaspina'' survived the war and returned to fisheries protection work in 1920. In 1939, following the outbreak of the Second World War, ''Malaspina'' was again commissioned in the Royal Canadian Navy, serving as a patrol and
examination vessel and subsequently as a
training ship before being
paid off in 1945 and sold for
scrap
Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...
in 1946.
Description
''Malaspina'' was designed as coastal patrol vessel. The vessel had a
gross register tonnage (GRT) of 392, was
long between perpendiculars
Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...
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 . The ship was divided into twenty watertight compartments by both transverse and longitudinal
bulkheads. The vessel was powered by a
triple expansion steam engine driving one
screw creating . This gave ''Malaspina'' a maximum speed of . In Royal Canadian Navy service, the ship was armed with one
QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss gun mounted forward and had a
complement of 33.
Construction and career
The vessel's
keel was laid down by Dublin Dockyard in
Dublin, Ireland and the vessel was
launched on 6 July 1913. ''Malaspina'' was completed in August 1913. The date on which ''Malaspina'' became a government ship differs between the sources, with Macpherson & Barrie claiming the vessel joined in 1913 and Maginley & Collin, 1914. Upon joining the government fleet, ''Malaspina'' became a fisheries patrol vessel on the West Coast of Canada. After the First World War broke out, ''Malaspina'' and sister ship ''Galiano'' alternated between naval and civic duties along the Pacific coast, being retained as part of the government fleet. This included performing examination duties at
Esquimalt, British Columbia. On 1 December 1917, ''Malaspina'' was
commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy, detailed with the duty of intercepting contraband in the
Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Following the First World War, ''Malaspina'' was
paid off on 31 March 1920. The Royal Canadian Navy and returned to the
Department of Transport's Marine Service as a patrol vessel. ''Malaspina'' remained in this service until 6 September 1939 when, with the outbreak of the Second World War, the vessel rejoined the Royal Canadian Navy. ''Malaspina'' was deployed on patrol and ship examination duties along the West Coast before joining as a
training ship. ''Malaspina'' was paid off on 31 March 1945 and sold for scrap the following year. The ship was broken up by Wagner, Stein & Green at their site in
Victoria, British Columbia in the third quarter of 1951.
Citations
Sources
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External links
Converted civilian vessels of the Royal Canadian Navy at hazegray.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malaspina, HMCS
Patrol vessels of the Royal Canadian Navy
1913 ships
Auxiliary ships of the Royal Canadian Navy
Canadian Government Ship
Dominion Government Ships