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 (2002), p. 167 They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion, vertical triple-expansion steam engines. ''Port Hope'' was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. ''Port Hope'' was Length overall, long overall, had a Beam (nautical), beam of and a Draft (hull), draught of .Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 180 The minesweeper had a Displacement (ship), displacement of . She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted. ''Port Hope'' had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of and gave a maximum speed of . The minesweeper could carry a maximum of of fuel oil. ''Port Hope'' was armed with a single Quick-firing gun, quick-firing (QF) QF 3-inch 20 cwt, 20 cwt gun mounted forward.Macpherson (1997), p. 70 The ship was also fitted with a QF 2 pounder naval gun, QF 2-pounder Mark VIII aft and were eventually fitted with single-mounted Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns on the Bridge (nautical), bridge wings.Macpherson (1997), p. 58 Those ships assigned to convoy duty had two depth charge launchers and four chutes to deploy the 40 depth charges they carried. ''Port Hope'' was equipped with LL and SA minesweeping gear to clear both magnetic and acoustic naval mines.Operational history
The minesweeper was ordered as part of the 1941–1942 construction programme. The ship's keel was laid down on 9 September 1941 by Davie Shipbuilding at their yard in Lauzon, Quebec, Lauzon, Quebec. Named for a Port Hope, Ontario, community in Ontario, ''Port Hope'' was Ship naming and launching, launched on 14 December 1941. The ship was Ship commissioning, commissioned on 30 July 1942 at Toronto.Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 193 After Shakedown cruise, work ups, the minesweeper joined Halifax Force, the local patrol and escort unit based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In May 1943, ''Port Hope'' transferred to the Gaspé Force and took part in the Battle of the Saint Lawrence, remaining with the unit until November. That month, the ship returned to Halifax Force. In January 1944, the minesweeper was assigned to Newfoundland Force, the patrol and escort force operating out of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland. In October 1944, ''Port Hope'' sailed to Saint John, New Brunswick to begin a refit that would be finished at Halifax. The vessel returned to service in April 1945, rejoining Halifax Force and remained with the unit until October. On 13 October 1945, ''Port Hope'' was Ship decommissioning, paid off at Sydney, Nova Scotia and laid up in strategic reserve at Sorel, Quebec. The ship was reacquired in 1952 by the Royal Canadian Navy during the height of the Korean War and given the new Hull classification symbol (Canada), hull number FSE 183 and re-designated a coastal escort. However, the ship never re-entered service with the Royal Canadian Navy and remained laid up until 1959. ''Port Hope'' was sold to Marine Industries in February 1959 and Ship breaking, broken up for scrap at Sorel.References
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Port Hope (J280) Bangor-class minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy Ships built in Lévis 1941 ships World War II minesweepers of Canada