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HMCSSackville

Coordinates:44°38′50.85″N63°34′09.35″W/ 44.6474583°N 63.5692639°W/44.6474583; -63.5692639
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HMCSSackvillein October 2006, moored behind theMaritime Museum of the AtlanticinHalifax, Nova Scotia,and restored to her 1944 condition.
History
Canada
NameSackville
NamesakeSackville, New Brunswick
BuilderSaint John Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company Ltd.
Laid down28 May 1940
Launched15 May 1941
Commissioned30 December 1941
Decommissioned8 April 1946
RefitThompson Bros. Machinery Co. Ltd.,Liverpool, Nova Scotia,commenced 14 January 1943, machinery replacement, minesweeping gear removed, bridge wings extended to fit Oerlikon 20 mm AA Galveston, Texas,28 February 1944 – 7 May 1944,forecastleextended, new bridge, hedgehog fitted, mast moved abaft of bridge, new boats, new electronics
IdentificationPennant number:K181
Honours and
awards		Atlantic 1942-44
StatusMuseum ship,Halifax,Nova Scotia
General characteristics
Class and typeFlower-classcorvette
Displacement950 tons
Length62.5 m (205 ft 1 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draught3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
PropulsionSingle shaft, 2 fire tube Scotch boilers, 1 4-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, 2,750 hp (2,050 kW)
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement85
Armament
NotesNow a museum ship owned by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, moored in season at theMaritime Museum of the Atlantic
Official nameHMCS Sackville National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1988

HMCSSackvilleis aFlower-classcorvettethat served in theRoyal Canadian Navyand later served as a civilianresearch vessel.She is now amuseum shiplocated inHalifax,Nova Scotia,and the last surviving Flower-class corvette.

Wartime service[edit]

Sackville'skeelwaslaid downasPatrol Vessel 2at theSaint John Shipbuilding and Drydock CompanyofSaint John,New Brunswickin early 1940, the second of theFlower-classcorvettesordered by theRoyal Canadian Navy.She waslaunchedon 15 May 1941 by Mrs. J. E. W. Oland, wife of the captain of the port, with the Mayor and entire town council of hernamesake townin attendance.[1]Sackvillewas commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 30 December 1941 by Captain J. E. W. Oland, husband of the ship's sponsor.[2]Her first commanding officer, Lieutenant W. R. Kirkland, RCNR was appointed on 30 December[3]but did not joinSackvilleuntil 2 January.[2]Kirkland was discharged in March 1942 as "unsuitable" after a poor working-up trip toNewfoundlandin late February. The first lieutenant reported that Kirkland had been unable to discharge his duties and had been abusive to his officers. After rescuing the survivors from the sunken Greek shipLily,Sackvillewas unable to re-locate her convoy,ONS 68.The first lieutenant then took the step of relieving Kirkland and assuming command. The original crew was reposted to other RCN ships and the already trained crew ofHMCSBaddeckunder Lieutenant-Commander Alan H. Easton, RCNR was drafted onto the ship on 6 April 1942. Also in AprilSackvillereceived Canadian-built SW1Cradarand worked up at Halifax andSt. Margarets Bay.[4]

The ship was finally assigned to Escort Group C-3 of theMid-Ocean Escort Forcealong with two others (GaltandWetaskiwin) on 15 May 1942 to replace corvettes going for refit.[5]In August 1942Sackvillefought a series of fierce actions escorting Convoy ON-115. Deprived of air cover by heavy fog, the convoy was attacked by two successive U-boat "wolfpacks"off the coast of Newfoundland. On August 3,Sackvillecaught the German submarineU-43on the surface and, as the submarine dived, made a series of depth charge attacks which badly damaged the submarine.U-43survived but had to retreat to France for repairs with serious damage to its engines, compressors, a leaking hatch and a crewman with internal injuries.[6]The next daySackvilleattackedU-704as it dived, causing the submarine to break off its attack leavingSackvilleto rescue two survivors from an abandoned but still floating merchant ship. Only a few hours later,SackvilledetectedU-552on the surface with radar and landed a four-inch shell on the submarine'sconning towerfollowed by a depth charge.U-552nearly sank but managed to regain control and creep back to Germany heavily damaged.Sackville's attacks had played a key role in allowing the 41 ship convoy to escape with the loss of only two ships.[7][8]

Sackvillecontinued in her escort role until starting an extensive refit atThompson Bros. Machinery Co. Ltd.inLiverpool, Nova Scotiain January 1943. She returned to service in April and was assigned to Escort Group C-1 where she remained until reassigned to a new group Escort Group 9 in July. The group was disbanded following the loss of three of its ships on 20–22 September and the ship assigned to group C-2, where the ship remained on Atlantic escort work until going for refit inGalveston, Texasin February 1944.

Returning to Halifax in May 1944 the vessel worked up in Bermuda and was then assigned to Escort Group C-2 which left forDerryescorting convoy HX-297 on 29 June 1944.

At Derry the boilers were cleaned, which revealed a serious leak in one of them. Repairs were unsuccessful and the ship was no longer considered suitable for convoy escort work. Since the ship had only recently been modernized she was reassigned for training atHMCSKingon 29 August 1944.

However, almost immediately afterwards the decision was made to convert her to a loop layer, layinganti-submarine indicator loopsacross harbour entrances, her damaged boiler removed to provide storage for the cable and the 4-inch gun replaced with a pair of cranes. She remained in this role until paid off in April 1946 and laid up in reserve.

Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted[edit]

Convoy Escort group Dates Notes
HX175 13-15 Feb 1942[9] 27 ships escorted without loss fromNewfoundlandtoIceland
SC72 28 Feb-5 March 1942[10] 19 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON70 11–15 March 1942[11] 30 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
HX 191 MOEF group C3 28 May-5 June 1942[9] 24 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland toNorthern Ireland
ON 104 MOEF group C3 17–27 June 1942[11] 36 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 90 MOEF group C3 6–15 July 1942[10] 32 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 115 MOEF group C3 25 July-4 Aug 1942[11] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland; 3 ships torpedoed (2 sank)
HX 202 MOEF group C3 12-17 Aug 1942[9] 43 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 121 MOEF group C3 17-20 Aug 1942[11] 34 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 98 MOEF group C3 2-11 Sept 1942[10] 69 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 131 MOEF group C3 19-28 Sept 1942[11] 54 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 210 MOEF group C3 7-14 Oct 1942[9] 36 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 141 MOEF group C3 26 Oct-3 Nov 1942[11] 59 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 109 MOEF group C3 15-27 Nov 1942[10] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; 2 ships torpedoed (1 sank)
ON 152 MOEF group C3 10-19 Dec 1942[11] 15 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
ON 184 MOEF group C1 16–25 May 1943[11] 39 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 242 MOEF group C1 6–14 June 1943[9] 61 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 190 MOEF group C1 25 June-3 July 1943[11] 87 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 247 Escort Group 9 14–19 July 1943[9] 71 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 195 Escort Group 9 1-8 Aug 1943[11] 51 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 252 Escort Group 9 20-27 Aug 1943[9] 52 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
Convoys ONS 18/ON 202 Escort Group 9 19-25 Sept 1943[11] Northern Ireland to Newfoundland; 7 ships torpedoed (6 sank)
SC 143 MOEF group C2 2-11 Oct 1943[10] Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; 1 ship torpedoed & sunk
ONS 21 MOEF group C2 23 Oct-2 Nov 1943[11] 33 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 265 MOEF group C2 11-20 Nov 1943[9] 51 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ONS 24 MOEF group C2 1-13 Dec 1943[11] 29 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 271 MOEF group C2 22-29 Dec 1943[9] 53 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ONS 27 MOEF group C2 14-18 Jan 1944[11] 32 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
ON 220 MOEF group C2 18-19 Jan 1944[11] 54 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 297 MOEF group C2 30 June-10 July 1944[9] 116 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland

Civilian service[edit]

Most Flower-class corvettes were scrapped shortly after the war, howeverSackvillewas laid up in reserve. She was reactivated in 1952 and converted to a research vessel for theDepartment of Marine and Fisheries.The armament was removed, the hull repainted black in place of the originaldazzle camouflageand the new pennant number 532 painted on the hull (changed to 113 in the late 1950s). A laboratory was built on the aft superstructure in 1964 and the bridge enclosed in 1968. She remained in service until December 1982, with her last cruise in July 1982.

Museum ship[edit]

The original intention had been to acquireHMCSLouisburg,which had been sold to theDominican Republicand renamedJuan Alejandro Acostabut this vessel was wrecked (along with another Flower-class corvette -Cristobal Colon,the formerHMCSLachute)[12]byHurricane Davidin 1979. This leftSackvilleas the sole remaining Flower-class corvette.[13]

The ship was transferred to the Canadian Naval Corvette Trust (now the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust) on 28 October 1983 and restored to her 1944 appearance (apart from minor details in her camouflage and the presence of the "barber pole"red and white pattern around her funnel which had been removed before 1944). It had originally been planned to restore the ship to her 1942 appearance but this proved too expensive.[13]

HMCSSackville's summer location to the right, behind theMaritime Museum of the Atlanticat the foot of Sackville Street.

She currently serves the summer months as amuseum shipmoored beside theMaritime Museum of the Atlanticin Halifax, Nova Scotia, while spending her winters securely in the naval dockyard atCFB Halifaxunder the care ofMaritime Forces Atlantic,the Atlantic fleet of Royal Canadian Navy.Sackville's presence in Halifax is considered appropriate, as the port was an important North American convoy assembly port during the war.

In September 2003,Sackvillebroke loose duringHurricane Juanand struck theschoonerLarinda,a yacht inspired by the 1767 Boston schoonerHMSSultana,moored beside her. The schooner's owners sued the Naval Memorial Trust in 2009[14]but the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled inSackville's favour on 4 August 2011, concluding that the Trust had taken all necessary and appropriate precautions to secureSackville.[15]

Sackvillemakes her first appearance each spring when she is towed by a navaltugboatfrom HMC Dockyard to a location offPoint Pleasant Parkon the first Sunday in May to participate in theCommemoration of the Battle of the Atlanticceremonies held at a memorial in the park overlooking the entrance toHalifax Harbour.Sackvilletypically hosts several dozen Royal Canadian Navy veterans on this day and has also participated in severalburials at seafor dispersing the ashes of Royal Canadian Navy veterans of the Battle of the Atlantic at this location. In 2018, the ship underwent CAN$3.5 million in repairs atCFB Halifax.[16]

Recognition[edit]

In 1988,Sackvillewas designated aNational Historic Site of Canada,due to her status as the last Flower-class corvette known to exist.[17]

On 4 November 1998, Canada Post issued a 45¢ stamp featuring HMCSSackvilleas part of the Naval Vessels series. The stamps were designed by Dennis George Page, based on an illustration by Todd Hawkins and on photographs by Canadian Naval Memorial Trust.[18]

HMCSSackvillememorial centre[edit]

As of 2012plans were being looked at for a $50 million memorial centre which could include a permanent land based berth for the ship, as well as a Canadian Naval memorial and museum.[19]

HMCSSackvilleunderwent a major refit from February through October 2018.

Greyhound[edit]

HMCSSackvillewas used as the model for the corvette, HMCSDodge,call sign Dicky, in the 2020 film,Greyhound.[20]The producers of the movie took numerous 3D scans of the ship's exterior to create theCGIversion for the movie.

Gallery[edit]

  • Sackville as restored, moored alongside the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Canada. The paint scheme on her hull is dazzle camouflage.
    Sackvilleas restored, moored alongside theMaritime Museum of the Atlanticin Halifax, Canada. The paint scheme on her hull isdazzle camouflage.
  • Sackville, Halifax Harbour, October 2006.
    Sackville,Halifax Harbour,October 2006.
  • Sackville, Halifax Harbour, October 2006 showing the four-inch deck gun and Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar. The lighthouse-like structure behind the bridge contains the radar.
    Sackville,Halifax Harbour, October 2006 showing the four-inch deck gun andHedgehoganti-submarine mortar. The lighthouse-like structure behind the bridge contains the radar.
  • Sackville, Halifax Harbour, October 2006, showing the 40 mm anti-aircraft gun and depth charge releasing device at stern of ship.
    Sackville,Halifax Harbour, October 2006, showing the 40 mm anti-aircraft gun and depth charge releasing device at stern of ship.
  • Sackville, Halifax Harbour, 1 July 2007, alongside a 2-masted sailing ship. A green maple leaf badge is visible on the ship's funnel, a common insignia of Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.
    Sackville,Halifax Harbour, 1 July 2007, alongside a 2-masted sailing ship. A greenmaple leafbadge is visible on the ship's funnel, a common insignia of Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.
  • Bow view
    Bow view
  • Stern view
    Stern view

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Milner.HMCS Sackville.p. 9.
  2. ^abMilner.HMCS Sackville.p. 20.
  3. ^Lynch.Canada's Flowers.p. 74.
  4. ^Milner.HMCS Sackville.p. 21.
  5. ^Milner.HMCS Sackville.p. 23.
  6. ^W.A.B. Douglas,No Higher Purpose: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1939-1943,Vanwell Publishing (2004), p. 498
  7. ^W.A.B. Douglas,No Higher Purpose: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1939-1943,Vanwell Publishing (2004), pp. 498-502
  8. ^Alan Easton,50 North: An Atlantic Battleground,Ryerson Press (1963)
  9. ^abcdefghij"HX convoys".Andrew Hague Convoy Database.Retrieved19 June2011.
  10. ^abcde"SC convoys".Andrew Hague Convoy Database.Retrieved19 June2011.
  11. ^abcdefghijklmno"ON convoys".Andrew Hague Convoy Database.Retrieved19 June2011.
  12. ^"Today in History 30 August 2007".Seawaves.Archived fromthe originalon 27 October 2007.Retrieved10 June2008.
  13. ^ab"HMCSSackville:The last flower (1941-2000) ".History in Illustration.Retrieved10 June2008.
  14. ^"Tall Ship Lawsuit Enters Final Stages".CBC News.4 June 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2012.
  15. ^"HMCS Sackville not liable for Larinda sinking".CBC News.4 August 2011.Retrieved15 October2016.
  16. ^Pugliese, David (26 January 2018)."Money set aside to repair HMCS Sackville".Ottawa Citizen.Retrieved27 January2018.
  17. ^HMCS Sackville.Canadian Register of Historic Places.Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  18. ^"HMCS Sackville".Canada Post Archives Database. Archived fromthe originalon 1 January 2013.Retrieved15 October2016.
  19. ^"HMCS Sackville memorial centre plans".CBC News.7 March 2012.Retrieved15 October2016.
  20. ^"HMCS Sackville stars in Tom Hanks movie Greyhound".The Chronicle Herald.Retrieved3 August2020.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Lynch, Thomas G. (1981).Canada's Flowers: History of the Corvettes of Canada.Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing Limited.ISBN0-920852-15-7.
  • Milner, Marc (1998).HMCS Sackville: 1941-1985.Halifax, Nova Scotia: The Canadian Naval Memorial Trust.ISBN0-9683661-0-4.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHMCS Sackville (K181).

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