HMCS Nootka (J35)
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HMCS ''Nootka'' was a that served in the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
from 1938–1945. She saw service during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as a local minesweeper working out of
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. She was named for
Nootka Sound Nootka Sound () is a sound of the Pacific Ocean on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in the Pacific Northwest, historically known as King George's Sound. It separates Vancouver Island and Nootka Island, part of the Canadian province of ...
. In 1943 she was renamed HMCS ''Nanoose'' to allow the unit name ''Nootka'' to be used by the
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
. Following the war the ship was sold for mercantile use, becoming the
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
''Sung Ling''. The ship's registry was deleted in 1993.


Design and description

In 1936, new
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
s were ordered for the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
.Johnston et al., p. 979 Based on the British ,Chesneau, p. 65 those built on the
West Coast of Canada The British Columbia Coast, popularly referred to as the BC Coast or simply the Coast, is a geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. As the entire western continental coastline of Canada along the Pacific Ocean is in the pr ...
would cost $403,000 per vessel.Johnston et al., p. 1075 At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy considered constructing more, but chose to build s instead upon learning of that design due to their oil-burning engines.Macpherson and Barrie, p. 167 The ''Fundy'' class, named after the
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...
, displaced . They were long, with a beam of and a draught of . They had a
complement Complement may refer to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-class collections into complementary sets * Complementary color, in the visu ...
of 3 officers and 35 ratings.Macpherson and Barrie, p. 32 The ''Fundy'' class was propelled by one shaft driven by vertical triple expansion engine powered by steam from a one-cylinder boiler. This created between and gave the minesweepers a top speed of . The ships were capable of carrying between of coal. The ships were armed with one QF Mk IV gun mounted forward on a raised platform.Macpherson and Barrie state that the ships were equipped with one
QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun The QF 12-pounder 12-cwt gun (Quick-Firing) (abbreviated as Q.F. 12-pdr. 2-cwt. was a common, versatile calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century.
.
Mark IV = Mark 4. Britain used
Roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...
s to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II.
The minesweepers were armed with two
20 mm Oerlikon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models employ ...
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...
cannon. They were later equipped with 25
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
s.


Construction and career

''Nootka'' was ordered on 23 August 1937. The ship's
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
on 1 February 1938 by Yarrows Ltd. at
Esquimalt, British Columbia The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...
and the vessel was launched on 26 September later that year. The minesweeper was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 6 December 1938 at Esquimalt.Macpherson and Barrie, p. 33 After commissioning, ''Nootka'' was assigned to Esquimalt. When the Second World War commenced, she remained a part of the Esquimalt force, performing local patrol duties. In March 1940, she and her sister, , transferred to the East Coast, joining the Halifax Local Defence Force upon arrival. ''Nootka'' performed local patrol and minesweeping duties in and around Halifax harbour. The minesweeper spent the rest of the war in this service. On 1 April 1943, ''Nootka'' gave up her name so it could be used by a newly constructed Tribal-class destroyer. The ship was renamed ''Nanoose'' but kept her
pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...
. ''Nanoose'' was
paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...
on 29 July 1945 at Halifax and laid up. In 1946 the minesweeper was sold to Chinese interests and converted for commercial use. She reappeared as the
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
''Sung Ling''. The ship's registry was deleted in 1993.


References


Notes


Citations


Sources

* * * * * *


External links


HMCS Nootka (i) at Readyayeready.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nootka (J35) Fundy-class minesweepers Ships built in Esquimalt 1938 ships World War II minesweepers of Canada