# HMCS Somers Isles > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/HMCS_Somers_Isles > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/HMCS_Somers_Isles.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Somers_Isles > Source revision: 1305257653 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **HMCS *Somers Isles*** was a temporary training facility and [stone frigate](/source/Stone_frigate) for the [Royal Canadian Navy](/source/Royal_Canadian_Navy) (RCN) in [Bermuda](/source/Bermuda) from 1944 to 1945 during the [Second World War](/source/World_War_II). Following the war, the base was closed. Beginning in mid-1944, [work-up training](/source/Shakedown_cruise) for naval ships stationed on the [East Coast of Canada](/source/Atlantic_Canada) took place in Bermudian waters as it allowed for training year-round compared to the RCN's previous work-up site, St. Margaret's Bay and [Pictou, Nova Scotia](/source/Pictou%2C_Nova_Scotia). ## Background During the Second World War, the RCN required an area to perform [work up training](/source/Shakedown_cruise) for its ships in an area where operational requirements would not interfere. Traditionally, this was done near the RCN's main east coast naval base at [Halifax, Nova Scotia](/source/Halifax%2C_Nova_Scotia). However, to improve overall training and specifically [asdic](/source/Asdic) training, the RCN transferred its training facilities to Bermuda, a colony of the United Kingdom.[1][2] The RCN had previous experience with Bermuda, as prior to this, the RCN worked with the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) in establishing an [anti-submarine](/source/Anti-submarine_warfare) training program at Casemates Barracks starting in 1939. The base was located at [Convict Bay](/source/Convict's_Bay%2C_Bermuda), [St. George's Parish](/source/St._George's%2C_Bermuda). It was originally built for the use of the Royal Navy, and was named for the [prison hulks](/source/Prison_hulk) moored there by the [Admiralty](/source/British_Admiralty) to house [convict labourers](/source/Convict_labour). After the Royal Navy relocated the [Royal Naval Dockyard](/source/Royal_Naval_Dockyard%2C_Bermuda) and [Admiralty House](/source/Admiralty_House%2C_Bermuda) to [Ireland Island](/source/Ireland_Island%2C_Bermuda) and [Spanish Point](/source/Spanish_Point%2C_Bermuda), respectively, Convict Bay was transferred to the [War Office](/source/War_Office) in the 1860s and absorbed into the adjacent [St. George's Garrison](/source/St._George's_Garrison%2C_Bermuda). The [Bermuda Militia Artillery](/source/Bermuda_Militia_Artillery) moved out of Convict Bay in 1944 to make way for the RCN. During Royal Navy service the base also assisted with converting 50 ex-[United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) destroyers to RN and RCN service in 1940 under the [Lend-Lease](/source/Lend-Lease) program. ## Service history In January 1943, the RCN sought a new place to train their warships. The existing location, in St. Margaret's Bay and [Pictou, Nova Scotia](/source/Pictou%2C_Nova_Scotia) where the heavy weather in winter affected training. Bermuda was suggested as a location. Planning for a base in Bermuda only began in January 1944 and an agreement was reached with the United Kingdom where a base would be lent to Canada.[3] The base was [commissioned](/source/Ship_commissioning) on 1 August 1944 and given and named for the alternative name for Bermuda, the Somers Islands.[4][1] The new base allowed Canadian ships to train in anti-submarine warfare before entering or re-entering service, something that Canadian warships had little chance to do during the war once activated.[4] By May 1945, 119 Canadian ships had passed through the facility.[5] Towards the end of the war, the base was used to prepare [frigates](/source/Frigate) for service in the [Pacific theatre](/source/Pacific_War).[1] The RCN abandoned HMCS *Somers Isles* at the end of the war, one of eleven facilities that was disbanded by March 1946. Prior to closure, the RCN had intended to keep four [motor launches](/source/Motor_launch_(naval)) at *Somers Isles* for target practice, but this idea was abandoned when the base was shuttered and the Motor Launches were deemed obsolete.[6] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGerman1990155_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGerman1990155_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGerman1990155_1-2) [German 1990](#CITEREFGerman1990), p. 155. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHadley1985239_2-0)** [Hadley 1985](#CITEREFHadley1985), p. 239. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTETucker1952272_3-0)** [Tucker 1952](#CITEREFTucker1952), p. 272. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBoutiller1982180_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBoutiller1982180_4-1) [Boutiller 1982](#CITEREFBoutiller1982), p. 180. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams196025_5-0)** [Williams 1960](#CITEREFWilliams1960), p. 25. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTETucker1952496,_498,_507_6-0)** [Tucker 1952](#CITEREFTucker1952), pp. 496, 498, 507. ## Sources - Boutiller, James A., ed. (1982). *RCN in Retrospect, 1910–1968*. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7748-0196-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7748-0196-4). - German, Tony (1990). [*The Sea is at Our Gates: The History of the Canadian Navy*](https://archive.org/details/seaisatourgatesh00germ). Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Incorporated. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7710-3269-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7710-3269-2). - Hadley, Michael L. (1985). *U-Boats Against Canada: German Submarines in Canadian Waters*. Montreal, Quebec and Kingston, Ontario: McGill-Queen's University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7735-0811-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7735-0811-2). - Tucker, Gilbert Norman (1952). *The Naval Service of Canada, Its Official History – Volume 2: Activities on Shore During the Second World War*. Ottawa: King's Printer. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [4346983](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/4346983). - Williams, Ronald John, ed. (1960). ["Canadian Navy's Golden Jubilee"](https://books.google.com/books?id=cdhkAAAAMAAJ&q=HMCS+Somers+Isles). *The Bermudian*. Vol. 31, no. 1–12. Hamilton, Bermuda. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [220578378](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/220578378). ## External links - [Bermuda's connections with and ties to Canada](http://www.bermuda-online.org/canada.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200429002433/http://www.bermuda-online.org/canada.htm) 2020-04-29 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [HMCS Somers Isles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Somers_Isles) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Somers_Isles?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.