HMCS ''Miramichi'' was a that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She remained on the west coast of Canada for the entirety of the war. She was named for Miramichi, New Brunswick. After the war she was purchased with the intent of conversion for mercantile use. However, that never took place and instead, she was scrapped in 1949.

Design and description

A British design, the ''Bangor''-class minesweepers were smaller than the preceding s in British service, but larger than the in Canadian service.Chesneau, p. 64Macpherson and Barrie, p. 167 They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines. ''Miramichi'' was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. ''Miramichi'' was

long overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...

, had 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 minesweeper had a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of . She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted. ''Miramichi'' had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two

Admiralty three-drum boiler Three-drum boilers are a class of water-tube boiler used to generate steam, typically to power ships. They are compact and of high evaporative power, factors that encourage this use. Other boiler designs may be more efficient, although bulkier, an ...

s. The engines produced a total of and gave a maximum speed of . The minesweeper could carry a maximum of of

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...

. ''Miramichi'' was armed with a single quick-firing (QF) /40 caliber Mk IV gun mounted forward. For anti-aircraft purposes, the minesweeper was equipped with one QF 2-pounder Mark VIII and two single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns. As a convoy escort, ''Miramichi'' was deployed with 40

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 ...

Service history

''Miramichi'' was ordered on 23 February 1940 as part of the 1939–1940 construction programme. The minesweeper's keel was laid down by Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd. at Vancouver, British Columbia and the ship was launched on 2 September 1941. She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 26 November 1941 at Vancouver. After commissioning, ''Miramichi'' spent the entire war alternating between service with Esquimalt Force and Prince Rupert Force as a minesweeping and patrol vessel. In the summer and fall of 1943, she was occasionally used as a

training vessel A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

. She was paid off 24 October 1945 at Esquimalt.Macpherson and Barrie, p. 173 Following the war ''Miramichi'' was sold to the Union Steamship Co. of British Columbia in 1946. She was to be converted to a merchant vessel though that was never begun and instead the ship was sold for scrap and broken up at Vancouver in 1949–1950.Colledge, p. 414 The city of Miramichi possesses the vessel's bell, which is on display at city hall. The community received the naval bell, following naval tradition in the case of decommissioned Canadian ships named for towns and cities. The Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum naval bell archive includes baptism information from HMCS ''Miramichi''.

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External links

HMCS ''Miramichi''
at ReadyAyeReady.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Miramichi (J169) 1941 ships Bangor-class minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy Ships built in North Vancouver World War II minesweepers of Canada