HMCS Skeena was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1931 to 1944. She was similar to the Royal Navy's A class and wore initially the pennant D59, changed in 1940 to I59.
 Skeena at sea | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Skeena |
| Namesake | Skeena River |
| Ordered | 6 March 1928 |
| Builder | John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston |
| Yard number | 1092 |
| Laid down | 14 October 1929 |
| Launched | 10 October 1930 |
| Commissioned | 10 June 1931 |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Wrecked 25 October 1944 during a storm off Reykjavík, Iceland. |
| Badge | Blazon Azure, out of a base invected argent, a salmon sinisterwise proper. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | |
| Displacement | 1,337 long tons (1,358 t) |
| Length | |
| Beam | 32 ft 9 in (9.98 m) |
| Draught | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Speed | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
| Complement | 181 |
| Armament |
|
She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Woolston, Hampshire and commissioned into the RCN on 10 June 1931 at Portsmouth, England. Skeena and her sister HMCS Saguenay were the first ships specifically built for the Royal Canadian Navy. She arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 3 July 1931.
Second World War
Skeena rescued 65 survivors of the British merchant ship Manipur, sunk by U-57 off Cape Wrath on 17 July 1940. On 2 September 1940 she rescued 19 survivors of the British merchant ship Thornlea, sunk by U-46 in the North Atlantic. On 14 October 1940 Skeena and the corvette HMS Periwinkle rescued 220 members of the crew of HMS Cheshire, which U-137 had damaged by torpedo.[2] On 23 November 1940 Skeena rescued 6 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship Bruce, damaged by U-100 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.[3] On 31 July 1942, Skeena recorded her first victory with HMCS Wetaskiwin when they depth charged and sank U-588 while escorting ON 115 at 49°59′N 36°36′W / 49.983°N 36.600°W.
Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted
| Convoy | Escort Group | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HX 141 | 30 July-6 Aug 1941[4] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
| SC 42 | 2-17 Sept 1941[5] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
| SC 54 | 12-22 Nov 1941[5] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
| ON 40 | 30 Nov-4 Dec 1941[6] | Iceland to Newfoundland | |
| SC 63 | 5-10 Jan 1942[5] | Newfoundland to Iceland | |
| SC 79 | MOEF group C3 | 19–27 April 1942[5] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 93 | MOEF group C3 | 9–15 May 1942[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
| HX 191 | MOEF group C3 | 28 May-5 June 1942[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 104 | MOEF group C3 | 18–27 June 1942[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
| SC 90 | MOEF group C3 | 6–16 July 1942[5] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 115 | MOEF group C3 | 25–31 July 1942[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
| HX 202 | MOEF group C3 | 12-17 Aug 1942[4] | Newfoundland to Iceland |
| ON 121 | MOEF group C3 | 17-20 Aug 1942[6] | Iceland to Newfoundland |
| SC 98 | MOEF group C3 | 2-12 Sept 1942[5] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 131 | MOEF group C3 | 19-28 Sept 1942[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
| HX 210 | MOEF group C3 | 7-15 Oct 1942[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 141 | MOEF group C3 | 26 Oct-2 Nov 1942[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
| SC 109 | MOEF group C3 | 16-25 Nov 1942[5] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 152 | MOEF group C3 | 10-19 Dec 1942[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
| HX 233 | MOEF group A3 | 12–20 April 1943[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 180 | MOEF group C3 | 25 April-7 May 1943[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
| HX 238 | MOEF group C3 | 13–20 May 1943[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland |
| ON 187 | 3–10 June 1943[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
| HX 244 | 20–29 June 1943[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
| ON 192 | 10–18 July 1943[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
| HX 249 | 29 July-5 Aug 1943[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
| HX 255 | 8-15 Sept 1943[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
| HX 261 | 17-25 Oct 1943[4] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
| ON 210 | 7-17 Nov 1943[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland | |
| SC 147 | 23 Nov-3 Dec 1943[5] | Newfoundland to Northern Ireland | |
| ON 216 | 17-29 Dec 1943[6] | Northern Ireland to Newfoundland |
Grounding
Skeena was lost in a storm on the night of 24 October 1944. She was anchored off Reykjavík, Iceland and dragged her anchor and grounded in 50-foot (15 m) 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.[7][8][9]
Notes
References
- English, John (1993). Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s. Kendal: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-64-9.
- Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.
- Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
- March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
- Winser, John de D. (1999). B.E.F. Ships Before, At and After Dunkirk. Gravesend: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-91-6.
External links
