HMCS ''Provider'' was a Fairmile depot ship constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Commissioned in December 1942, ''Provider'' served as a base ship in the Caribbean Sea, in Quebec and at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Following the war, the vessel was sold into commercial service and converted into a

tanker Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum ta ...

in 1946. The ship re-entered service in 1947 and was renamed ''Maruba''. The ship sailed under this name until 1956, when it was sold and renamed ''Olaya''. Renamed ''Orgenos'' the same year, the tanker was acquired by the

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...

in 1960. In 1961, ''Orgenus'' was sold for scrap and broken up in Peru. The ship's registry was not deleted until 1992.

Description

''Provider'' was an

long overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...

and between perpendiculars with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a draught of . The ship had a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of , a gross register tonnage (GRT) of 2,367 tons and a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 3,455 tons. The vessel was powered by diesel engines turning two

screws A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

with a designed speed of , but a maximum speed of . The ship had a range of at . The ship was either armed with one naval gun and two cannon or one 12-pounder naval gun. The ship was designed to be a Fairmile B motor launch depot ship and was fitted with a machine shop, spare accommodations and extra fuel and store spaces. The vessel had a ship's company of 107, with 20 officers and 87 ratings.

Service history

The vessel was constructed at the

Marine Industries Marine Industries Limited (MIL) was a Canadian ship building, hydro-electric and rail car manufacturing company, in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, with a shipyard located on the Richelieu river about 1 km from the St. Lawrence River. It employed up to ...

shipyard at Sorel, Quebec, in 1941–1942 and given the yard number 105. The ship was launched in December 1942 and named ''Provider''. ''Provider'' was commissioned on 1 December, the second vessel of its design to enter Canadian service after

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

. ''Provider'' sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia and was transferred to the Caribbean Sea with two flotillas of Fairmile motor launches. However, while en route, ''Provider'' was damaged in a storm and was forced to return to Halifax. ''Provider'' departed Halifax on 29 December and arrived at Trinidad on 20 February 1943. There, ''Provider'' and the flotillas alleviated the shortage of patrol forces in the region, with ''Provider'' acting as the base ship for the Fairmiles. ''Provider'' sailed for

Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay ( es, Bahía de Guantánamo) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off ...

, Cuba and was joined there by the 73rd Flotilla of Fairmile motor launches. The two units then moved on to

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

, Florida. ''Provider'' returned to Halifax on 23 April 1943. ''Provider'' was then allocated to Gaspé Force, arriving at Gaspé, Quebec, on 23 April in the

Gulf of St. Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence () is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. The gulf is a semi-enclosed sea, covering an area of about and containing about of water, at an average depth of . ...

. The vessel was then sent further up the St. Lawrence River to Sept-Îles, Quebec, arriving on 29 June and remaining there until November. ''Provider'' then sailed for Halifax, before heading on to Bermuda to serve as base ship for the 70th and 78th Fairmile flotillas. The vessel returned to Halifax on 31 July 1944, before being attached to , the Canadian training base at Bermuda until the end of May 1945. The ship returned to Halifax to become the base supply ship before being paid off on 22 March 1946. The ship was sold in 1946 to Lunham & Moore (Tankers) Ltd and converted into a

. Registered in Montreal, the vessel was renamed ''Maruba'' and re-entered service in 1947. ''Maruba'' was sold to Empresa Petrolera Fiscal in 1956, renamed ''Olaya'' and registered in

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

. The same year, the vessel was renamed ''Orgenos''. In 1960, the

acquired ''Orgenos'' but the vessel was taken out of service in 1961 and sold for scrap. ''Orgenos'' was broken up in Peru in 1961, but the vessel's registry was not deleted until 1992.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Provider Auxiliary ships of the Royal Canadian Navy 1942 ships Auxiliary ships of the Peruvian Navy