Flower-class corvettes like Trentonian serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.[3][4][5] The "corvette" designation was created by the French as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.[6] During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design.[7] The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.[8]
Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part, to better represent the people who took part in building them. This idea was put forth by Admiral Percy W. Nelles. Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named. Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts, while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas.[9]
Constructionedit
Trentonian was ordered April 1942 as part of the 1942–43 modified Flower-class building programme. This programme was known as the Increased Endurance. Many changes were made, all from lessons that had been learned in previous versions of the Flower class. The bridge was made a full deck higher and built to naval standards instead of the more civilian-like bridges of previous versions. The platform for the 4-inch main gun was raised to minimize the amount of spray over it and to provide a better field of fire. It was also connected to the wheelhouse by a wide platform that was now the base for the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar that this version was armed with. Along with the new Hedgehog, this version got the new QF 4-inch Mk XIX main gun, which was semi-automatic, used fixed ammunition and had the ability to elevate higher giving it an anti-aircraft ability.[9]
Other superficial changes to this version include an upright funnel and pressurized boiler rooms which eliminated the need for hooded ventilators around the base of the funnel. This changes the silhouette of the corvette and made it more difficult for submariners to tell which way the corvette was laying.[9]
Trentonian was laid down by Kingston Shipbuilding Co. at Kingston, Ontario 19 February 1943 and was launched 1 September later that year.[10][11] She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy 1 December 1943 at Kingston.[2]
Service historyedit
After working up, Trentonian was assigned to Western Approaches Command in March 1944 in preparation for duties in association with Operation Neptune, the naval component of the Allied invasion of Normandy. The ship arrived at Portsmouth 8 June 1944 remaining there at anchor until the night of 11 June when the ship was to take up escort duties in the early hours of 12 June for the cable ships HTMS Monarch, St. Margarets, and the cable barge Norman engaged in laying vital communications cable to Normandy.[note 1] By 1600 on 12 June St. Margarets had completed laying and buoyed the cable for Monarch to pick up and continue the lay to Normandy with only Trentonian in company.[12][13]
Two United States destroyers, Plunkett and Davis, picked up the cable ship and escort on radar. The destroyers fired star shell and Plunkett flashed challenges. Monarch had been ordered to follow, but not respond, to a shore signal on a bearing then occupied by Plunkett though it is not known if the cable ship observed the challenge and had no recognition signal book aboard. It was the duty of Trentonian as escort to reply to such challenges but Plunkett used a directional lamp and it was apparently not seen by the escort. After one minute without response Plunkett opened fire on Monarch. Trentonian turned on recognition lights and then all ship's lights but the fire continued. Monarch was hit and severely damaged with loss of two dead and some thirty crew wounded. The destroyer's fire was shifted to Trentonian before it ceased fire. Trentonian proceeded to Monarch rescuing men thrown overboard and treating wounded. A board in inquiry later found Plunkett had perhaps been too quick to open fire but no blame could be attached. The court martial the captain of Trentonian had demanded was not held and the crews of the target ships were held to secrecy.[12][13]Trentonian was not hit, though some shells came close,[12] while another report indicated some damage when a shell, which was a dud, penetrated the outer hull and passed through the ship.[2]
Sinkingedit
In late August 1944 Trentonian transferred to Plymouth Command and was made part of escort group EG 41. While with this unit her primary duties were escorting Channel convoys.[2] On 22 February 1945, while escorting a Channel convoy she was torpedoed by U-1004 near Falmouth. There were six casualties.[10]
Footnotesedit
^His Majesty's Telegraph Ship Monarch, built 1916, was sunk in 1945. The cable ship St. Margarets was built 1944 and newly commissioned. The ship was variously HMS / HMCS / ACS / RMAS St. Margarets and was apparently HMS St. Margarets crewed by merchant RNR or RNVR personnel at the time of the Normandy operation. (Imperial War Museum Photo as HMS St. Margarets) Critical cable communications to Normandy were delayed by severe damage to Monarch.
Notesedit
^"Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
^ abcdMacpherson, Ken; Burgess, John (1981). The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910–1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships. Toronto: Collins. pp. 99, 202. ISBN0-00216-856-1.
^Ossian, Robert. "Complete List of Sailing Vessels". The Pirate King. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
^Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 11. London: Phoebus. pp. 1137–1142.
^Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. New Jersey: Random House. 1996. p. 68. ISBN0-517-67963-9.
^Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005). The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy. Stackpole Books. pp. 39–63. ISBN0-8117-3275-4.
^Chesneau, Roger; Gardiner, Robert (June 1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Naval Institute Press. p. 62. ISBN0-87021-913-8.
^Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. pp. 117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226, 235, 285–291. ISBN0-87021-450-0.
^ abcMacpherson, Ken; Milner, Marc (1993). Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939–1945. St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN1-55125-052-7.
^ ab"HMCS Trentonian (K 368)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
^ abcLitwiller, Roger (2014). White Ensign Flying: Corvette HMCS Trentonian. Toronto: Dundurn Press. pp. 79–86. ISBN9781459710399. LCCN 2013481504. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
^ abKemp, Paul (1995). Friend or Foe : Friendly Fire at Sea, 1939-1945. London: Leo Cooper. pp. 37–38. ISBN0850523850. LCCN 00363857. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
External linksedit
Hazegray. "Revised Flower Class". Canadian Navy of Yesterday and Today. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
Ready, Aye, Ready. "HMCS Trentonian". Retrieved 29 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
hmcs, trentonian, modified, flower, class, corvette, that, served, with, royal, canadian, navy, during, second, world, fought, primarily, battle, atlantic, english, channel, convoy, escort, named, trenton, ontario, though, naming, conflict, with, another, vess. HMCS Trentonian was a modified Flower class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic and the English Channel as a convoy escort She was named for Trenton Ontario though due to a naming conflict with another vessel her name was changed 2 She was sunk in 1945 HMCS TrentonianHistoryCanadaNameHMCS TrentonianNamesakeTrenton OntarioOrderedApril 1942BuilderKingston Shipbuilding Co KingstonLaid down19 February 1943Launched1 September 1943Commissioned1 December 1943Decommissioned22 February 1945IdentificationPennant number K368Honours andawardsAtlantic 1944 English Channel 1944 45 1 FateSunk 22 February 1945General characteristicsClass and typeFlower class corvette modified Displacement1 015 long tons 1 031 t 1 137 short tons Length208 ft 63 40 m o aBeam33 ft 10 06 m Draught11 ft 3 35 m Propulsionsingle shaft 2 oil fired water tube boilers 1 triple expansion reciprocating steam engine 2 750 ihp 2 050 kW Speed16 knots 29 6 km h Range7 400 nautical miles 13 705 km at 10 knots 18 5 km h Complement90Sensors and processing systems1 Type 271 SW2C radar 1 Type 144 sonarArmament1 4 in 102 mm QF Mk XIX naval gun 1 2 pounder Mk VIII single pom pom 2 20 mm Oerlikon single 1 Hedgehog A S mortar 4 Mk II depth charge throwers 2 Depth charge rails with 70 depth charges Contents 1 Background 2 Construction 3 Service history 3 1 Sinking 4 Footnotes 5 Notes 6 External linksBackground editMain article Flower class corvette Flower class corvettes like Trentonian serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail driven corvettes 3 4 5 The corvette designation was created by the French as a class of small warships the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877 6 During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity in this case based on a whaling ship design 7 The generic name flower was used to designate the class of these ships which in the Royal Navy were named after flowering plants 8 Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part to better represent the people who took part in building them This idea was put forth by Admiral Percy W Nelles Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas 9 Construction editTrentonian was ordered April 1942 as part of the 1942 43 modified Flower class building programme This programme was known as the Increased Endurance Many changes were made all from lessons that had been learned in previous versions of the Flower class The bridge was made a full deck higher and built to naval standards instead of the more civilian like bridges of previous versions The platform for the 4 inch main gun was raised to minimize the amount of spray over it and to provide a better field of fire It was also connected to the wheelhouse by a wide platform that was now the base for the Hedgehog anti submarine mortar that this version was armed with Along with the new Hedgehog this version got the new QF 4 inch Mk XIX main gun which was semi automatic used fixed ammunition and had the ability to elevate higher giving it an anti aircraft ability 9 Other superficial changes to this version include an upright funnel and pressurized boiler rooms which eliminated the need for hooded ventilators around the base of the funnel This changes the silhouette of the corvette and made it more difficult for submariners to tell which way the corvette was laying 9 Trentonian was laid down by Kingston Shipbuilding Co at Kingston Ontario 19 February 1943 and was launched 1 September later that year 10 11 She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy 1 December 1943 at Kingston 2 Service history editAfter working up Trentonian was assigned to Western Approaches Command in March 1944 in preparation for duties in association with Operation Neptune the naval component of the Allied invasion of Normandy The ship arrived at Portsmouth 8 June 1944 remaining there at anchor until the night of 11 June when the ship was to take up escort duties in the early hours of 12 June for the cable ships HTMS Monarch St Margarets and the cable barge Norman engaged in laying vital communications cable to Normandy note 1 By 1600 on 12 June St Margarets had completed laying and buoyed the cable for Monarch to pick up and continue the lay to Normandy with only Trentonian in company 12 13 Two United States destroyers Plunkett and Davis picked up the cable ship and escort on radar The destroyers fired star shell and Plunkett flashed challenges Monarch had been ordered to follow but not respond to a shore signal on a bearing then occupied by Plunkett though it is not known if the cable ship observed the challenge and had no recognition signal book aboard It was the duty of Trentonian as escort to reply to such challenges but Plunkett used a directional lamp and it was apparently not seen by the escort After one minute without response Plunkett opened fire on Monarch Trentonian turned on recognition lights and then all ship s lights but the fire continued Monarch was hit and severely damaged with loss of two dead and some thirty crew wounded The destroyer s fire was shifted to Trentonian before it ceased fire Trentonian proceeded to Monarch rescuing men thrown overboard and treating wounded A board in inquiry later found Plunkett had perhaps been too quick to open fire but no blame could be attached The court martial the captain of Trentonian had demanded was not held and the crews of the target ships were held to secrecy 12 13 Trentonian was not hit though some shells came close 12 while another report indicated some damage when a shell which was a dud penetrated the outer hull and passed through the ship 2 Sinking edit In late August 1944 Trentonian transferred to Plymouth Command and was made part of escort group EG 41 While with this unit her primary duties were escorting Channel convoys 2 On 22 February 1945 while escorting a Channel convoy she was torpedoed by U 1004 near Falmouth There were six casualties 10 Footnotes edit His Majesty s Telegraph Ship Monarch built 1916 was sunk in 1945 The cable ship St Margarets was built 1944 and newly commissioned The ship was variously HMS HMCS ACS RMAS St Margarets and was apparently HMS St Margarets crewed by merchant RNR or RNVR personnel at the time of the Normandy operation Imperial War Museum Photo as HMS St Margarets Critical cable communications to Normandy were delayed by severe damage to Monarch Notes edit Battle Honours Britain s Navy Retrieved 29 September 2013 a b c d Macpherson Ken Burgess John 1981 The ships of Canada s naval forces 1910 1981 a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships Toronto Collins pp 99 202 ISBN 0 00216 856 1 Ossian Robert Complete List of Sailing Vessels The Pirate King Retrieved 13 April 2011 Fitzsimons Bernard ed 1978 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons amp Warfare Vol 11 London Phoebus pp 1137 1142 Jane s Fighting Ships of World War II New Jersey Random House 1996 p 68 ISBN 0 517 67963 9 Blake Nicholas Lawrence Richard 2005 The Illustrated Companion to Nelson s Navy Stackpole Books pp 39 63 ISBN 0 8117 3275 4 Chesneau Roger Gardiner Robert June 1980 Conway s All the World s Fighting Ships 1922 1946 Naval Institute Press p 62 ISBN 0 87021 913 8 Milner Marc 1985 North Atlantic Run Naval Institute Press pp 117 119 142 145 158 175 176 226 235 285 291 ISBN 0 87021 450 0 a b c Macpherson Ken Milner Marc 1993 Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939 1945 St Catharines Vanwell Publishing ISBN 1 55125 052 7 a b HMCS Trentonian K 368 Uboat net Retrieved 29 September 2013 Colledge J J Warlow Ben 2006 1969 Ships of the Royal Navy The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy Rev ed London Chatham Publishing ISBN 978 1 86176 281 8 a b c Litwiller Roger 2014 White Ensign Flying Corvette HMCS Trentonian Toronto Dundurn Press pp 79 86 ISBN 9781459710399 LCCN 2013481504 Retrieved 3 February 2020 a b Kemp Paul 1995 Friend or Foe Friendly Fire at Sea 1939 1945 London Leo Cooper pp 37 38 ISBN 0850523850 LCCN 00363857 Retrieved 3 February 2020 External links editHazegray Revised Flower Class Canadian Navy of Yesterday and Today Retrieved 29 September 2013 Ready Aye Ready HMCS Trentonian Retrieved 29 September 2013 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link 50 06 N 04 50 W 50 100 N 4 833 W 50 100 4 833 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title HMCS Trentonian amp oldid 1158130197, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
