HMCS ''Somers Isles'' was a temporary training facility and

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...

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 ...

(RCN) in

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

from 1944 to 1945 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 ...

. Following the war, the base was closed. Beginning in mid-1944, work-up training for naval ships stationed on the East Coast of 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 Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'' Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: ''Piktuk'') is a town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Pictou County, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pict ...

Background

During the Second World War, the RCN required an area to perform work up training 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 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 ...

. However, to improve overall training and specifically

asdic Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

training, the RCN transferred its training facilities to Bermuda, a colony of the United Kingdom. The RCN had previous experience with Bermuda, as prior to this, the RCN worked with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in establishing an

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

training program at Casemates Barracks starting in 1939. The base was located at Convict Bay, St. George's Parish. It was originally built for the use of the Royal Navy, and was named for the

prison hulk A prison ship, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoner of war, prisoners of war or civilian internees. Some prison ships were hulk (ship type), hulked. W ...

s moored there by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

to house convict labourers. After the Royal Navy relocated the Royal Naval Dockyard and Admiralty House to

Ireland Island Ireland Island is the north-westernmost island in the chain which comprises Bermuda. It forms a long finger of land pointing northeastwards from the main island, the last link in a chain which also includes Boaz Island and Somerset Island. ...

and Spanish Point, respectively, Convict Bay was transferred to the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

in the 1860s and absorbed into the adjacent St. George's Garrison. The

Bermuda Militia Artillery The Bermuda Militia Artillery was a unit of part-time soldiers organised in 1895 as a reserve for the Royal Garrison Artillery detachment of the Regular Army garrison in the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda. Militia Artillery units of the Un ...

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 The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

destroyers to RN and RCN service in 1940 under the

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

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

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. The base was commissioned on 1 August 1944 and given and named for the alternative name for Bermuda, the Somers Islands. 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. By May 1945, 119 Canadian ships had passed through the facility. Towards the end of the war, the base was used to prepare

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s for service in the Pacific theatre. 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 at ''Somers Isles'' for target practice, but this idea was abandoned when the base was shuttered and the Motor Launches were deemed obsolete.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Bermuda's connections with and ties to Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somers Isles Royal Canadian Navy bases Military of Bermuda St. George's Parish, Bermuda World War II sites in Bermuda