HMCS Moncton (K139)

History
Royal Canadian NavyCanada
Namesake	Moncton, New Brunswick
Ordered	24 Jan 1940
Builder	St. John Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Saint John
Laid down	17 Dec 1940
Launched	11 Aug 1941
Commissioned	24 Apr 1942
Decommissioned	12 Dec 1945
Honours and; awards	Atlantic, 1942-1944
Fate	Sold in 1955 to the Netherlands as mercantile Willem Vinke. Scrapped in 1966 at Santander.
General characteristics
Class and type	Flower-class corvette (original)
Displacement	925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length	205 feet (62.48 m)o/a
Beam	33 feet (10.06 m)
Draught	11.5 feet (3.51 m)
Propulsion	list error: mixed text and list (help); single shaft; 2 x fire tube Scotch boilers; 1 x 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine; 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW);
Speed	16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range	3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement	85
Sensors and ; processing systems	list error: mixed text and list (help); 1 x SW1C or 2C radar; 1 x Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar;
Armament	list error: mixed text and list (help); 1 x BL 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk.IX gun; 2 x .50 cal machine gun (twin); 2 x Lewis .303 cal machine gun (twin); 2 x Mk.II depth charge throwers; 2 x depth charge rails with 40 depth charges; originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed;

HMCS Moncton (K139) was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy.

Construction

She was ordered on 24 January 1940 from St. John Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Saint John and laid down on 17 December 1940. She was launched on 11 August 1941 and commissioned into the RCN on 24 April 1942. She is named after Moncton, New Brunswick.

Moncton was the last of the RCN's original 64 Flower-class orders and her construction had been significantly delayed due to heavy demands on her builder for priority repair work on war-damaged ships.

Wartime service

Following her commissioning, Moncton sailed to Halifax and was assigned to Atlantic Coast Command (AT) but unallocated as she was fitting out and performing sea trials for the remainder of April. In May she began work-ups with her new crew out of Halifax and she joined the RCN's Atlantic Fleet on 12 May 1942.

From June 1942 to June 1943, Moncton was tasked to Western Local Escort Force (WLEF) for convoy escort operations. During her assignment to WLEF, Moncton participated in the escort of the following convoys

In June 1943, WLEF was divided into separate escort groups and Moncton was tasked to EG W5 (HQ in Halifax) during June-July. Moncton collided with merchant Jamaica Producer on 28 July 1943. From August-September 1943 Moncton underwent repairs at Dartmouth Marine Slips, Dartmouth. She returned to EG W5 and operated in convoy escort operations from October-December.

Moncton was transferred to the RCN's Pacific Fleet in January 1944 and departed for Esquimalt, via Guantanamo Bay, Cristóbal, Balboa and San Pedro.

Upon her arrival, she was tasked to the Esquimalt Force (unallocated) and underwent an extensive refit at Vancouver from 5 May - 7 July, 1944 where her forecastle was extended and she was brought into line with the modified Flower-class design. From July 1944 to December 1945 she was tasked to Pacific Coast Command (unallocated).

Following V-J Day, she was placed in reserve status at Esquimalt and decommissioned from the RCN on 12 December 1945.

Convoy List

This is a list of the convoys that HMCS Moncton participated in escorting:

MONCTON in Convoy SC.87 (Jun 1942: Sydney CB - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.103 (Jun 1942: Liverpool - Boston)

MONCTON in Convoy SC.90 (Jul 1942: Sydney CB - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.109 (Jul 1942: Liverpool - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.93 (Jul 1942: Sydney CB - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.114 (Jul 1942: Liverpool - Dispersed)

MONCTON in Convoy BX.32 (Aug 1942: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy BX.32B (Aug 1942: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy BX.35 (Aug 1942: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy HX.203 (Aug 1942: Halifax - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.121 (12 Aug 1942: Liverpool - Dispersed)
MONCTON in Convoy BX.35B (Aug 1942: Boston - Halifax)

MONCTON in Convoy ON.127 (Sep 1942: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.99 (Sep 1942: Halifax - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.128 (Sep 1942: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.103 (Sep 1942: NYC - Liverpool)

MONCTON in Convoy ON.135 (Oct 1942: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.137 (Oct 1942: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.142 (Oct 1942: Liverpool - NYC)

MONCTON in Convoy SC.108 (Nov 1942: NYC - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy HX.214 (Nov 1942: NYC - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.145 (Nov 1942: Liverpool - NYC)

MONCTON in Convoy ON.150 (Dec 1942: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.112 (Dec 1942: NYC - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy HX.218 (Dec 1942: NYC - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy HX.221 (Dec 1942: NYC - Liverpool)

MONCTON in Convoy HX.222 (Jan 1943: NYC - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.158 (Jan 1943: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.160 (Jan 1943: Liverpool - NYC)

MONCTON in Convoy HX.226 (Feb 1943: NYC - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.167 (Feb 1943: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.120 (Feb 1943: NYC - Liverpool)

MONCTON in Convoy ON.174 (Mar 1943: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.124 (Mar 1943: NYC - Liverpool)

MONCTON in Convoy BX.44 (Apr 1943: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy BX.46 (Apr 1943: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy XB.48 (Apr 1943: Halifax - Boston)
MONCTON in Convoy XB.44 (Apr 1943: Halifax - Boston)
MONCTON in Convoy XB.46 (Apr 1943: Halifax - Boston)
MONCTON in Convoy BX.44 (Apr 1943: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy BX.46 (Apr 1943: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy XB.44 (Apr 1943: Halifax - Boston)
MONCTON in Convoy XB.46 (Apr 1943: Halifax - Boston)

MONCTON in Convoy BX.48 (May 1943: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy XB.55 (May 1943: Halifax - Boston)
MONCTON in Convoy BX.48 (May 1943: Boston - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy ONS.7 (May 1943: Liverpool - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.130 (May 1943: Halifax - Liverpool)

MONCTON in Convoy ON.190 (Jun 1943: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy ONS.10 (Jun 1943: Liverpool - Halifax)
MONCTON in Convoy SC.133 (Jun 1943: Halifax - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy XB.60 (Jun 1943: Halifax - Cape Cod Canal)

MONCTON in Convoy ON.193 (Jul 1943: Liverpool - NYC)
MONCTON in Convoy HX.248 (Jul 1943: NYC - Liverpool)

MONCTON in Convoy ON.210 (Nov 1943: Liverpool - NYC)

MONCTON in Convoy HX.269 (Dec 1943: NYC - Liverpool)
MONCTON in Convoy ON.214 (Dec 1943: Liverpool - NYC)

Your query found 5 BX convoys containing "MONCTON".
Your query found 8 HX convoys containing "MONCTON".
Your query found 19 ON convoys containing "MONCTON".
Your query found 2 ONS convoys containing "MONCTON".
Your query found 11 SC convoys containing "MONCTON".
Your query found 5 XB convoys containing "MONCTON".
Your query found 7 shorter convoys containing "MONCTON".

57 convoys found containing MONCTON. 28,156 convoys searched on 7 February 2008.

The information for the convoys was obtained from two of the links below:
www.convoyweb.org.uk/ and www.warsailors.com

Commanding officers

Moncton had 6 commanding officers during her service in the RCN:

Lt. Cdr. A.R.E. Coleman, RCNR (24 April 1942 – 11 October 1942)
Lt. A.W. Ford, RCNR (12 October 1942 – 3 February 1944)
Lt. Cdr. A.T. Morrell, RCNR (4 March 1944 – 3 April 1944)
Lt. Cdr. R.J. Roberts, RCNR (4 April 1944 – 26 January 1945)
Lt. W. McCombe, RCNR (27 January 1945 – 26 June 1945)
Lt. Cdr. C.G. Trotter, RCNR (27 June 1945 – 12 December 1945)

Crew commendations

Lt. D. Logie, RCNVR, for his leadership as Acting Executive Officer while in charge of damage control party following collision with Jamaica Producer.

D.R. D'Aubin, RCNVR, an Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his leadership among the engine room personnel who were successful in raising steam to reach port following collision with Jamaica Producer.

Civilian service

Moncton was sold by Crown Assets in 1955 into mercantile service and was re-flagged under the Netherlands as the whaling ship Willem Vinke. She was scrapped in 1966 at Santander, Cantabria, Spain, in 1966.

References

"Ships Of Canada's Naval Forces", Author: Ken Macpherson, Published:1 November 2002, Published By:Vanwell Publishing Ltd
http://www.convoyweb.org.uk
http://www.warsailors.com
http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/project_pride/home/index_e.asp Additional photos of HMCS Moncton can be found at the Royal Canadian Navy Heritage project.