# HMCS Digby

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**HMCS *Digby*** was a [*Bangor*-class minesweeper](/source/Bangor-class_minesweeper) that served in the [Royal Canadian Navy](/source/Royal_Canadian_Navy) during the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War). She saw action in the [Battle of the Atlantic](/source/Battle_of_the_Atlantic) and the [Battle of the St. Lawrence](/source/Battle_of_the_St._Lawrence). After the war she was supposed to be transferred to the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police](/source/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police) but that was cancelled and instead was recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy, serving until 1956.

## Design and description

The *Bangor* class was initially to be a scaled down minesweeper design of the [*Halcyon*-class minesweeper](/source/Halcyon-class_minesweeper) in [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) service.[3][4] However, due to the difficulty procuring diesel engines led to the small number of the diesel version being completed.[4] The ships [displaced](/source/Displacement_(ship)) 592 long tons (601 t) standard and 690 long tons (700 t) fully loaded. They were 162 feet (49.4 m) [long](/source/Length_overall) with a [beam](/source/Beam_(nautical)) of 28 feet (8.5 m) and a [draught](/source/Draft_(ship)) of 8 feet 3 inches (2.51 m).[4][5] However, the size of the ship led to criticisms of their being too cramped for magnetic or acoustic minesweeping gear.[4] This may have been due to all the additions made during the war with the installation of [ASDIC](/source/ASDIC), radar and [depth charges](/source/Depth_charge).[3]

The *Bangor* class came in two versions. *Digby* was of the diesel-powered version, being equipped with a 9-cylinder diesel engine driving two shafts that produced 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW). This gave the ship a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h). The vessels carried 65 long tons (66 t) of oil.[4] The vessels had a complement of 6 officers and 77 ratings.[5]

The Canadian diesel-powered *Bangor*s were armed with a single [quick-firing](/source/Quick-firing_gun) (QF) [12-pounder 12 cwt gun](/source/QF_12-pounder_12_cwt_naval_gun) mounted forward.[4][5][a] Initially the design called for a 4-inch (102-millimetre) gun, however these were replaced with 12-pounder guns. The ships were also fitted with a [QF 2-pounder Mark VIII](/source/QF_2_pounder_naval_gun) gun aft and were eventually fitted with single-mounted [QF 20 mm Oerlikon](/source/Oerlikon_20_mm_cannon) guns on the [bridge](/source/Bridge_(nautical)) wings.[6] For those ships assigned to convoy duty, they were armed with two depth charge launchers and two chutes to deploy the 40 depth charges they carried.[4][6]

## Service history

*Digby* was ordered as part of the 1940–41 building programme. The minesweeper's [keel](/source/Keel) was laid down on 20 March 1941 by [Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd.](/source/Davie_Shipbuilding) at [Lauzon, Quebec](/source/Lauzon,_Quebec) and the ship was [launched](/source/Ship_naming_and_launching) on 5 June 1942.[5][7] She was [commissioned](/source/Ship_commissioning) into the Royal Canadian Navy on 26 July 1942 at [Quebec City](/source/Quebec_City).[5]

After working up at [Pictou](/source/Pictou,_Nova_Scotia), *Digby* joined the [Western Local Escort Force](/source/Western_Local_Escort_Force) (WLEF). In January 1943 WLEF organized escort groups. *Digby* was assigned to 24.18.1 alongside the [corvettes](/source/Corvette) [HMCS *Arrowhead*](/source/HMCS_Arrowhead_(K145)) and [HMCS *Chicoutimi*](/source/HMCS_Chicoutimi_(K156)).[8] In June 1943, when WLEF reorganized their escort groups, she was assigned to escort group W-5. She remained with the group until April 1944 when a refit was required, to be performed at [Lunenburg](/source/Lunenburg,_Nova_Scotia). The refit was completed at [Halifax](/source/Halifax,_Nova_Scotia) and upon returning from workups in Bermuda, she was assigned to Sydney Force.[5]

In February 1945, *Digby* was assigned to Newfoundland Force until returning to Canada and being [paid off](/source/Ship_decommissioning) on 31 July 1945. She was placed in reserve at [Shelburne, Nova Scotia](/source/Shelburne,_Nova_Scotia).[5] After the war *Digby* was offered for transfer to the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police Marine Section](/source/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police), to be renamed *Perry*. However, the takeover did not take place.[5][9] The vessel was taken to [Sorel](/source/Sorel,_Quebec) to lay in strategic reserve until 1951, when she was reacquired by the Royal Canadian Navy. She was refitted for training duties.[5]

### Postwar service

*Digby* was recommissioned on 29 April 1953 with the new pennant number 179.[7] The ship was refit before reentering service, receiving a [Hedgehog](/source/Hedgehog_(weapon)) anti-submarine mortar and the 12-pounder gun was removed and replaced with a [40 mm Bofors gun](/source/Bofors_40_mm_Automatic_Gun_L/60).[6] She was used, along with [HMCS *Granby*](/source/HMCS_Granby_(J264)), in 1953 on [Lake Ontario](/source/Lake_Ontario) to test the Royal Canadian Navy's [DATAR](/source/DATAR) system.[10] In October 1954 *Digby* transferred to the west coast with [HMCS *Brockville*](/source/HMCS_Brockville_(J270)) and [HMCS *Jonquiere*](/source/HMCS_Jonquiere_(K318)).[11] On 4 December 1955, *Brockville*, *Digby* and [HMCS *Cordova*](/source/HMCS_Cordova) formed the Second Canadian Reserve Squadron for training purposes at Esquimalt.[12][13]

She was paid off on 14 November 1956 and sold for scrap.[5][9] *Digby* was [broken up](/source/Ship_breaking) in 1956–57.[14]

## See also

- [List of ships of the Canadian Navy](/source/List_of_ships_of_the_Canadian_Navy)

## References

### Notes

1. "Cwt" is the abbreviation for [hundredweight](/source/Hundredweight), 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.

### Citations

1. Arbuckle, p. 35

1. ["Royal Canadian Warships that Participated in the Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130927080617/http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/battlegulf/canwarship). *Veterans Affairs Canada*. Archived from [the original](http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/battlegulf/canwarship) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.

1. Brown, p. 124

1. Chesneau (1980), p. 61

1. Macpherson and Barrie (2002), p. 185

1. Macpherson (1997), p. 58

1. ["HMCS Digby (J267)"](http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/2680.html). *uboat.net*. Retrieved 31 May 2014.

1. Rohwer, p. 222

1. Colledge, p. 186

1. Ball, Norman R. & Vardalas, John N. (1993). [*Ferranti-Packard: Pioneers in Canadian Electrical Manufacturing*](https://archive.org/details/ferrantipackardp0000ball). McGill-Queen's Press. ISBN 9780773509832.

1. "Three Ships Go to West Coast". *The Crowsnest*. Vol. 6, no. 12. Ottawa: Queen's Printer. October 1954. p. 2.

1. "Reserve Squadron Being Formed". *The Crowsnest*. Vol. 7, no. 2. Ottawa: Queen's Printer. December 1954. p. 3.

1. "Two New Squadrons for Pacific Command". *The Crowsnest*. Vol. 7, no. 4. Ottawa: Queen's Printer. February 1955. pp. 2–3.

### Sources

- Arbuckle, J. Graeme (1987). *Badges of the Canadian Navy*. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 0-920852-49-1.
- Brown, D.K. (2000). *Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923–1945*. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1861761368.
- Chesneau, Roger (ed.) (1980). *Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946*. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- 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.
- Macpherson, Ken (1997). *Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy 1938–1945*. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 0-920277-55-1.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). *Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two*. Revised & Expanded ed. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.

## External links

- [ReadyAyeReady.com](http://www.readyayeready.com/cgi-bin/query/display.pl?index=1107)
- [Haze Gray and Underway](http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/ww2/bangor/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [HMCS Digby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Digby) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Digby?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.