HMCS ''Caraquet'' ( pennant J38) was a initially constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, the vessel served on both coasts of Canada and took part in the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...

as a convoy escort and the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

. Following the war, the minesweeper was returned to the United Kingdom who then sold the ship to the Portuguese Navy in 1946. Renamed ''Almirante Lacerda'', the vessel was used as a

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...

until 1975 when it was discarded.

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. 177 They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines. ''Caraquet'' was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. ''Caraquet'' 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. ''Caraquet'' 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 ...

. British ''Bangor''-class minesweepers were armed with a single 12-pounder () 12 cwt HA gun mounted forward. For anti-aircraft purposes, the minesweepers were equipped with one QF 2-pounder Mark VIII and two single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns.Macpherson (1997), p. 38 The 2-pounder gun was later replaced with a twin 20 mm Oerlikon mount. As a convoy escort, ''Caraquet'' 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 ...

s launched from two depth charge throwers and four chutes.

Operational history

The minesweeper was ordered as part of the British 1940 construction programme. The ship's keel was laid down on 31 January 1941 by

North Vancouver Ship Repairs North Van Ship Repair, later known as Pacific Dry Dock was a shipyard in the city of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which built many of the , Fort ships and Victory ships for Britain and Canada during World War II. Located just west ...

at their yard in

North Vancouver North Vancouver may refer to: *North Vancouver (city), a city in British Columbia, Canada * North Vancouver (district municipality), a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada * North Vancouver (electoral district), a federal electoral di ...

, British Columbia. Named for a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

in New Brunswick, ''Caraquet'' was launched on 2 June 1941. Transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, the ship was commissioned on 2 April 1942 at Vancouver.Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 178 Following work ups, the minesweeper joined Esquimalt Force in May 1942, the local patrol and convoy escort force operating out of Esquimalt, British Columbia. ''Caraquet'' was one of the warships added to the west coast patrol force after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The main duty of ''Bangor''-class minesweepers after commissioning on the West Coast was to perform the Western Patrol. This consisted of patrolling the west coast of Vancouver Island, inspecting inlets and sounds and past the Scott Islands to Gordon Channel at the entrance to the Queen Charlotte Strait and back. In September, the minesweeper was transferred to Prince Rupert Force, the patrol and escort unit operating out of Prince Rupert, British Columbia and remained with the group until March 1943, when ''Caraquet'' was ordered to the Atlantic Coast of Canada. The minesweeper arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 2 May 1943 and was assigned to the

Western Local Escort Force Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys from North American port cities to the Western Ocean Meeting Point (WOMP or WESTOMP) near Newfoundland where ships of the Mi ...

as a convoy escort. ''Caraquet'' switched to Halifax Force, the local patrol and escort unit operating from Halifax in June. Beginning in July, the minesweeper began a six-week refit at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Maryland in the United States. In December, the vessel transferred again, this time to Newfoundland Force, the escort group operating from

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

. ''Caraquet'' worked with Newfoundland Force until February 1944, when the minesweeper was ordered to Europe as part of Canada's contribution to the

. After arriving at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

on 13 March, the minesweeper was assigned to the all-Canadian 31st Minesweeping Flotilla as Senior Officer's Ship. During the invasion, ''Caraquet'' and her fellow minesweepers swept and marked channels through the German minefields leading into the invasion beaches in the American sector. The 31st Minesweeping Flotilla swept channel 3 on 6 June, completing the task unmolested by the Germans. The minesweeper remained in European waters until returning to Canada in September to undergo a refit at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The minesweeper returned to Plymouth in March 1945 and rejoined the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla. ''Caraquet'' took part in the last large-scale combined operation in the European theatre in an attack on German naval bases in France that had been left untouched by

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

war effort to that point. Departing Plymouth on 12 April 1945, the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla began operations in the mouth of the

Gironde estuary The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...

on 14 April. They completed their duties on 16 April, unmolested by the Germans. While returning to Plymouth, the flotilla encountered a German trawler and captured it. ''Canso'' and the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla spent the next five months sweeping the English Channel. ''Caraquet'' was paid off and returned to the Royal Navy on 26 September 1945 at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

. Never entering service with the Royal Navy, the vessel was sold to the Portuguese Navy on 29 June 1946 and renamed ''Almirante Lacerda''. Used primarily as a survey vessel, ''Almirante Lacerda'' remained in service until 1975.Colledge, p. 123 The fate of the vessel is disputed among the sources. Colledge states the vessel was transferred to Mozambique in 1975 and the ship's registry deleted in 1984. The Miramar Ship Index claims the vessel was broken up in 1975.

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caraquet (J21) Bangor-class minesweepers of the Royal Navy Ships built in North Vancouver 1941 ships World War II minesweepers of the United Kingdom Bangor-class minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy Minesweepers of the Portuguese Navy