HMCS ''Fundy'' was a 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 ...
from 1938 to 1945. The minesweeper was the first warship built for Canada since 1918. She saw service in the Atlantic Ocean during the
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 countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. The vessel was named for the
Bay of Fundy. After the war she had an extensive civilian career.
Design and description
In 1936, new
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
s were ordered for the Royal Canadian Navy.
[Johnston et al., p. 979] Based on the British ,
[Chesneau, p. 65] those built on the east coast would cost $318,000 per vessel.[Johnston et al., p. 1075] At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy considered constructing more, but chose to build s instead upon learning of that design due to their oil-burning engines.[Macpherson and Barrie, p. 167]
The ''Fundy'' class, named after the lead ship, displaced . They were long, with a beam of and a draught of . They had a complement
A complement is something that completes something else.
Complement may refer specifically to:
The arts
* Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave
** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...
of 3 officers and 35 ratings.[Macpherson and Barrie, p. 32]
The ''Fundy'' class was propelled by one shaft driven by vertical triple expansion
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up h ...
engine powered by steam from a one-cylinder boiler.[ This created between and gave the minesweepers a top speed of .][ The ships were capable of carrying between of coal.][
The ships were armed with one QF Mk IV gun mounted forward on a raised platform.][Macpherson and Barrie state that the ships were equipped with one .][Mark IV = Mark 4. Britain used ]Roman numeral
Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...
s to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II. The minesweepers were armed with two 20 mm Oerlikon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...
anti-aircraft cannon.[ They were later equipped with 25 depth charges.][
]
Service history
''Fundy'' was ordered on 23 August 1937keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
on 24 January 1938 by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. at Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay. Collingwood is well known as a tourist destination, for its skiing in the winter, and limestone caves along the Nia ...
. The warship was launched on 18 June later that year. ''Fundy'' was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 1 September 1938 at Collingwood.[
After commissioning, ''Fundy'' was one of two of the ''Fundy''-class minesweepers assigned to the East Coast of Canada. She was stationed at ]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 ...
when the war broke out. At the onset of war, ''Fundy'' and sister ship were the only warships available to patrol the entrance to Halifax's harbour.[Tucker, p. 114] ''Fundy'' saw continuous service in the Second World War as a minesweeper and harbour defence vessel for Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbo ...
. In July 1942 she escorted a convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
to Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and one back to Halifax. Along with her sister ship , ''Fundy'' rescued 66 survivors of the torpedoed Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...
SS ''Martin Van Buren'' on 15 January 1945. ''Fundy'' was decommissioned on 27 July 1945 and laid up.[
]
Commercial service
''Fundy'' was sold in 1947 to Marine Industries Limited and converted for mercantile service with a gross register tonnage of 419 tons.diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
giving the vessel a maximum speed of . The ship was initially renamed ''Aigle Marin'' in 1967, owned by Les Chargeurs Unis Inc. The merchant vessel was sold to Niquelay Incorporated and renamed ''Anne R.D.'' in 1977. The vessel was broken up
Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sold for re-use, ...
at La Malbaie, Quebec
La Malbaie is a municipality in the Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality in the Province of Quebec, Canada, situated on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River at the mouth of the Malbaie River. It was formerly known as Murray Bay. La M ...
in July 1987.[ Her bell is preserved at the ]Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a maritime museum located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The museum is a member institution of the Nova Scotia Museum and is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada with a collection o ...
in Halifax.
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
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External links
"HMCS Fundy" Specifications and History, Canadian Navy Heritage website
Canadian Navy Photo Archive HMCS ''Fundy''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fundy (J88)
Fundy-class minesweepers
Ships built in Collingwood, Ontario
1938 ships
World War II minesweepers of Canada