HMCS Nipigon (J154)

HMCS Nipigon was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence. She was named for Nipigon, Ontario. After the war she was sold to Turkey and renamed Bafra. She served as such from 1957 until 1972.

For other ships with the same name, see HMCS Nipigon.
History
Canada
Name: Nipigon
Namesake: Township of Nipigon
Builder: Dufferin Shipbuilding Co., Toronto
Laid down: 4 July 1940
Launched: 1 October 1940
Commissioned: 8 November 1941
Decommissioned: 13 October 1945
Identification: pennant number: J154; 188 (1952)
Honours and
awards:		 Atlantic 1941–45,[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942, 1944[2]
Fate: Sold to Turkey, 1957
Turkey
Name: Bafra
Acquired: 29 November 1957
Commissioned: 13 January 1958
Out of service: 1972
Identification: P-121
Fate: Registry deleted 1972
General characteristics
Class and type: Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement: 672 long tons (683 t)
Length: 180 ft (54.9 m) oa
Beam: 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Draught: 9 ft 9 in (3.0 m)
Propulsion: 2 Admiralty 3-drum water tube boilers, 2 shafts, vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engines, 2,400 ihp (1,790 kW)
Speed: 16.5 knots (31 km/h)
Complement: 83
Armament:

Design and description

A British design, the Bangor-class minesweepers were smaller than the preceding Halcyon-class minesweepers in British service, but larger than the Fundy class in Canadian service.[3][4] They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines.[3] Nipigon was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. Nipigon was 180 feet (54.9 m) long overall, had a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 9 feet 9 inches (3.0 m).[3][4] The minesweeper had a displacement of 672 long tons (683 t). She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted.[4]

Nipigon 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 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The minesweeper could carry a maximum of 150 long tons (152 t) of fuel oil.[3]

Nipigon was armed with a single quick-firing (QF) 4-inch (102 mm)/40 caliber Mk IV gun mounted forward.[3][lower-alpha 1] For anti-aircraft purposes, the minesweeper was equipped with one QF 2-pounder Mark VIII and two single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns.[3][4] As a convoy escort, Chedabucto was deployed with 40 depth charges.[3]

Service history

Nipigon was ordered as part of the 1939–1940 building programme. The minesweeper's keel was laid down on 4 July 1940 by Dufferin Shipbuilding Co. at Toronto and the ship was launched on 1 October later that year. She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 11 August 1941 at Toronto with the pennant number J154.[5]

After commissioning, Nipigon was assigned to Sydney Force beginning in October 1941. She remained with this unit until 17 January 1942. She then spent periods of service with the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF), Halifax Force and Newfoundland Force. In June 1943, when WLEF divided its escorts into groups, the ship was assigned to EG W-1 as a convoy escort.[5]

In early 1944, Nipigon underwent a refit, beginning at Lunenburg and completed at Liverpool. After completing workups, she was assigned to Halifax Force again until it was disbanded in 1945. She then performed various duties along the Atlantic coast until paid off at Sydney on 13 October 1945.[5] She was laid up at Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

Following the war, Nipigon was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel, Quebec in 1946. She was reacquired by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1952 and refitted in preparation for active duty. The minesweeper was given the new pennant number 188, however she was never recommissioned.[5] In 1953, Nipigon was re-rated as a coastal escort.[6] She was sold to the Turkish Naval Forces on 29 November 1957 and renamed Bafra.[5] The vessel sailed to Turkey on 19 May 1958.[6] She served until 1972 when her registry was deleted.[7] The ship was broken up in Turkey in 1972.[8]

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See also
  • List of ships of the Canadian Navy

References

Notes
  1. The 40 caliber denotes the length of the gun. This means that the length of the gun barrel is 40 times the bore diameter.

Citations
  1. "Battle Honours". Britain's Navy. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  2. "Royal Canadian Warships that Participated in the Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence". Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  3. Chesneau, p. 64
  4. Macpherson and Barrie, p. 167
  5. Macpherson and Barrie, p. 173
  6. Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 475
  7. Colledge, p. 444
  8. "Nipigon (6112164)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 5 August 2016.

Sources
  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • 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.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002 (Third ed.). St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 1-55125-072-1.
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