HMCS ''Skeena'' was a River-class destroyer that served in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

(RCN) from 1931 to 1944. She was similar to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

's A class and wore initially the pennant D59, changed in 1940 to I59. She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at

Woolston, Hampshire Woolston is a suburb of Southampton, Hampshire, located on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston. The area has a strong maritime and aviation history. The former ...

and commissioned into the RCN on 10 June 1931 at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. ''Skeena'' and her sister were the first ships specifically built for the Royal Canadian Navy. She arrived in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

on 3 July 1931.

Second World War

''Skeena'' rescued 65 survivors of the British merchant ship ''Manipur'', sunk by off Cape Wrath on 17 July 1940. On 2 September 1940 she rescued 19 survivors of the British merchant ship ''Thornlea'', sunk by in the North Atlantic. On 23 November 1940 she rescued 6 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship ''Bruce'', damaged by 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 1943.''North Atlantic Run'', Marc Milner, 1985, Naval Institute Press On 31 July 1942, ''Skeena'' recorded her first victory with when they depth charged and sank while escorting ON 115 at .

Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted

Grounding

''Skeena'' was lost in a storm on the night of 24 October 1944. She was anchored off

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and dragged her anchor and grounded in waves off Viðey Island with the loss of 15 crewmembers. Her hulk was paid 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 Viðey Island ferry terminal.Funds needed for HMCS ''Skeena'' memorial in Iceland ''Lookout'', 23 Jan 2006

Notes

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skeena (D59) Canadian River-class destroyers Canadian River-class destroyers converted from A-class destroyers (1929) Ships built in Southampton 1930 ships World War II destroyers of Canada Maritime incidents in October 1944 World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company