HMCS Trail

{{Use Canadian English|date=November 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image= HMCS Trail.jpg |image_caption= HMCS ''Trail'' }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |country=Canada |flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|naval-1911}} |name= ''Trail'' |namesake= [[Trail, British Columbia]] |ordered= 14 February 1940 |awarded= |builder= [[Burrard Dry Dock|Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd.]], [[North Vancouver (city)|North Vancouver]] |original_cost= |yard_number= |way_number= |laid_down= 20 July 1940 |launched= 16 October 1940 |sponsor= |christened= |completed= |acquired= |commissioned=30 April 1941 |recommissioned= |decommissioned= |maiden_voyage= |in_service= |out_of_service= [[paid off]] 17 July 1945 |renamed= |reclassified= |refit= |struck= |reinstated= |homeport= |identification=[[Pennant number]]: K174 |motto= |nickname= |honours= Atlantic 1941–45,<ref name=Britain>{{cite web|title= Battle Honours | url=http://www.britainsnavy.co.uk/Battle%20Honours/A%20Battle%20Honour%20Date.htm#1900|work=Britain's Navy|access-date=27 August 2013}}</ref> Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942<ref name=Gulf>{{cite web|title=Battle Honours 2|url=http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/battlegulf/canwarship|work=Veterans Affairs Canada|access-date=18 September 2013|archive-date=2 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902093911/http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/battlegulf/canwarship|url-status=dead}}</ref> |honors= |captured= |fate= Sold for scrapping. |notes= |badge= }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |class={{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} (original)<ref name=lenton>{{cite book|last=Lenton |first=H.T. |last2=Colledge |first2=J.J |year=1968 |title=British and Dominion Warships of World War II |publisher=Doubleday & Company |pages=201, 212 }}</ref> |displacement= {{convert|950|LT|t ST|lk=in}} |length= {{convert|205|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} |beam= {{convert|33|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} |height= |draught= {{convert|11.5|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} |power= |propulsion= *Single shaft; *2 water tube boilers; *1 4-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, {{convert|2750|hp|abbr=on}} |speed= {{convert|16|kn|km/h|1}} |range={{convert|3450|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn|abbr=on}} |endurance= |complement= 6 officers, 79 enlisted |sensors=*Radar – SW1C or 2C (later) *Sonar – Type 123A, later Type 127DV |EW= |armament=*1 × [[BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun|BL {{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} Mk.IX]] single gun * 2 [[Vickers .50 machine gun|.50 cal machine gun]] twin * 2 [[Lewis gun|Lewis .303 cal]] mg twin * 2 Mk.II depth charge throwers * 2 depth charge rails with 40 depth charges. *Originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed. |armour= |notes= }} }}

'''HMCS ''Trail''''' was a {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} that served with the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. She served primarily in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]] as a convoy escort. She was named for [[Trail, British Columbia]].

==Background== {{main|Flower-class corvette}} Flower-class corvettes like ''Trail'' serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ossian |first=Robert |url=http://www.thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm |title=Complete List of Sailing Vessels |website=The Pirate King |access-date=13 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Fitzsimons |editor-first=Bernard |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare |location=London |publisher=Phoebus |year=1978 |volume=11 |pages=1137–1142 }}</ref><ref name=Jane>{{cite book |title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II |location=New Jersey |publisher=Random House |year=1996 |isbn=0-517-67963-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/68 68] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/68 }}</ref> The "corvette" designation was created by the French for classes of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877.<ref>{{cite book |last=Blake |first=Nicholas |last2=Lawrence |first2=Richard |title=The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I59v6rkg8egC&pg=PA39 |publisher=Stackpole Books |year=2005 |pages=39–63 |isbn=0-8117-3275-4}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chesneau |first=Roger |last2=Gardiner |first2=Robert |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJBMBvyQ83EC&pg=PA62 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |date=June 1980 |page=62 |isbn=0-87021-913-8}}</ref> The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.<ref name=Milner>{{cite book |title=North Atlantic Run |last=Milner |first=Marc |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1985 |pages=117–119, 142–145, 158, 175–176, 226, 235, 285–291 |isbn=0-87021-450-0}}</ref>

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 were exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually, the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas.<ref name=Macpherson2>{{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |last2=Milner |first2=Marc |year=1993 |title=Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy 1939–1945|publisher=Vanwell Publishing |location=St. Catharines |isbn=1-55125-052-7}}</ref>

==Construction== ''Trail'' was ordered 14 February 1940 as part of the 1939–1940 Flower-class building program. She was laid down by [[Burrard Dry Dock|Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd.]] at [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]] and launched 16 October 1940.<ref name=uboat>{{cite web | url = http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/846.html | work = Uboat.net | title = HMCS ''Trail'' (K 174) | access-date = 27 August 2013}}</ref> She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Vancouver 30 April 1941.<ref name=Macpherson>{{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |last2=Burgess |first2=John |year=1981 |title=The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910–1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships |publisher=Collins |location=Toronto|pages=88, 231–232 |isbn=0-00216-856-1}}</ref>

During her career, ''Trail'' had three major refits. The first took place at [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia]] beginning in April 1942 and lasted until June. The second overhaul was done at [[Lunenburg, Nova Scotia|Lunenburg]] from mid-July 1943 until September of that year. Her final significant refit took place from mid-July 1944 until 23 October 1944 at Liverpool. During this refit, ''Trail'' had her [[fo'c'sle]] extended.<ref name=uboat/><ref name=Macpherson/>

==Service history== After commissioning, ''Trail'' was reassigned to the east coast of Canada and left [[Esquimalt, British Columbia|Esquimalt]] 31 May 1941. She arrived in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] 27 June after transiting through the Panama Canal. In August 1941 she was assigned to Newfoundland Command where she escorted convoys between [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] and [[Iceland]]. During her service with this unit, she was part of escort groups 17N, N11, N13, and N12. She remained with Newfoundland Command until April 1942 when she departed for a refit.<ref name=Macpherson/>

After returning to service, ''Trail'' joined Halifax Force in June 1942 escorting convoys between [[Labrador]] and [[Quebec City]]. During her time with Halifax Force, in late August she picked up survivors from the American passenger ship ''Chatham'' that had been torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-517||2}} in the Belle Isle Strait.<ref name=uboat/> Six days later on 3 September 1942, ''Trail'' helped {{HMCS|Shawinigan|K136|6}} rescue 17 survivors from the Canadian merchant ship ''Donald Stewart'', which had also been sunk by the ''U-517''.<ref name=uboat/> In November 1942 she was reassigned to the [[Western Local Escort Force]] (WLEF). She was assigned to escort group W-6 in June 1943. In April 1944 she was assigned to group W-5 just before departing for her last major refit. In December 1944, after working up, ''Trail'' joined escort group W-4, which she remained with for the rest of the war.<ref name=Macpherson/>

Following the cessation of hostilities, ''Trail'' returned to Canada and was [[paid off]] at [[Sorel, Quebec]] 17 July 1945. She was sold for scrap in August 1950 and [[Ship breaking|broken up]] at [[Hamilton, Ontario]].<ref name=lenton/><ref name=Macpherson/><ref name=miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=6112481|shipname=Trail|access-date=14 July 2016}}</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{refbegin}} * {{Cite web |url=http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/ww2/flower/ |title=Flower Class |author=Hazegray |work=Canadian Navy of Yesterday and Today |access-date=27 August 2013 |archive-date=14 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214165524/http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/ww2/flower/ |url-status=dead }} * {{Cite web |url=http://www.readyayeready.com/ships/shipview.php?id=1436&ship=TRAIL |title=HMCS Trail |publisher=Ready, Aye, Ready |access-date=27 August 2013 }} {{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trail, HMCS}} [[Category:Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy]] [[Category:1940 ships]] [[Category:Ships built in North Vancouver]]