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Twelve 6 inch guns were made available to the RCN to start the AMC program. The 6 inch guns were manufactured as early as 1896 and fitted with wing casemates of [[King Edward VII class battleship|King Edward]] class battleships launched between 1903 and 1905. They had no range or fire control equipment and had been designed to train over a small arc, which had to be reconfigured to travel about 300 degrees. Three inch guns designed for [[Light cruiser|light cruisers]] and of a newer vintage (1916) were also made available. |
Twelve 6 inch guns were made available to the RCN to start the AMC program. The 6 inch guns were manufactured as early as 1896 and fitted with wing casemates of [[King Edward VII class battleship|King Edward]] class battleships launched between 1903 and 1905. They had no range or fire control equipment and had been designed to train over a small arc, which had to be reconfigured to travel about 300 degrees. Three inch guns designed for [[Light cruiser|light cruisers]] and of a newer vintage (1916) were also made available. |
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After the attack on [[Pearl Harbor]], ''Prince David'' was transferred to |
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Canada's West Coast to join her sister ships for a refit and up-grade of weapons. Now based in [[Esquimalt]], they were to take up defensive duties in the Pacific Northeast, off [[British Columbia]]. As well as providing protection to shipping in the region, they were to reassure the public by their presence and satisfy American demands for a Canadian naval force in the area. |
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From 24 to 27 July 1942, the ''David'' participated in the filming of "Commandos Strike at Dawn" (some behind-the-scenes footage made during location filming in Canada is included in the [[CBC Television]] documentary "Canada's War in Colour"}. |
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[[Image:1942 Commandos.png |150px|thumb|left|1942 Movie poster, Commandos Strike at Dawn]][[Image:HMCS-Prince-David-Paul-Muni.png |150px|thumb|left|A star struck rating poses with the American actor Paul Muni]] |
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<blockquote>Mock bombardments of imaginary shore positions were carried out by ''Prince David'' in Saanich Inlet, and equally imaginary shore batteries fired back, while movie raiders rowed the ship's boats ashore as hard as they could. A ship-handling problem peculiar to this operation was |
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that in every scene where ''Prince David'' was to appear herself, she could present only her starboard side to the camera. It was calculated that cinema-goers would not likely accept the huge sound truck that had been hoisted aboard, and reposed on the weather deck port side, as a regular item in Combined Operations weaponry. The ship's company co-operated heartily, and kept up a high standard of discipline and war-readiness despite the distractions of this fling with film fame, and the glitter of hob-nobbing with the film famous.<ref>MacLeod, M. K. ''The Prince Ships, 1940-1945'', Canadian Forces Headquarters (CFHQ) Reports |
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31 Oct 1965, National Defence Directorate of History and Heritage, pages 65 & 66.</ref> |
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</blockquote> |
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After the Japanese occupation of [[Attu Island|Attu]] and [[Kiska Island|Kiska]] in the [[Aleutian Islands]], and fearing their attack posed a serious threat to the Northwest, a strong American naval force was deployed in Alaskan waters. Some estimates had put the Japanese naval strength at four 6-inch cruisers, eight destroyers and as many as eighteen submarines in the Aleutians. Late August of 1942, the ''Prince David'', ''Prince Henry'', ''Prince Robert'' and the corvettes HMCS Dawson and [[HMCS Vancouver]], were ordered to co-operate with American forces being transported to Kodiak. Operating under orders of the [[United States Navy]], and designated as Force "D", they escorted convoys between [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]] and Dutch Harbor (now [[Unalaska]]), Alaska as part of the Aleutian Islands campaign. ''Prince David'' and her sister ships made no actual contact with the enemy during their almost 3 month tour of duty in the northern waters. This was not to say, however, that the work was dull or uneventful. Seamen who were used to the open ocean seldom allow themselves to be impressed by anything the weather and navigational difficulties have to offer; but the men of the ''Prince'' ships soon realized that whatever the perils of the [[North Atlantic]], nothing compared with the sudden gales, erratic currents and uncharted shoals of the [[North Pacific]]. In 1942, the Canadian ships were equipped with only rudimentary [[radar]] which made navigation a source of constant danger. Fog gave way to gales which gave way to fog. |
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{|align="left" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0,15px 0 15px;" |
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! colspan="7" |HMCS Prince David - Commanding Officers<ref>''The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910 - 1985'', (Ken Macpherson and John Burgess), ''Appendix 4, Commanding Officers'', page 199.</ref> |
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|- |
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!width=160|Name |
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!width=200|Date |
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|- |
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|CDR. W.B. Armit, R.N.C.R.||28 Dec. 1940 to 24 Mar. 1941 |
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|- |
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|CDR. - K.F. Adams, R.C.N.||25 Mar. 1941 to 1 Dec. 1941 |
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|- |
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|CAPT. - V.S. Godfrey, R.C.N. ||2 Dec. 1941 to 18 Mar.1942 |
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|- |
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|A/LCDR. - T.D. Kelly, R.C.N.R.||19 Mar. 1942 to 16 Apr.1942 |
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|- |
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|CAPT. - V.S. Godfrey, R.C.N||18 Apr. 1942 to 17 Apr. 1943 |
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|- |
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|CDR. - T.D. Kelly, R.C.N.R. ||18 Apr. 1943 to 1 May 1943 |
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|- |
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|CDR. - T.D. Kelly, R.C.N.R. ||23 May 1943 to 11 June 1945 |
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|- |
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{|align="right" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0,15px 0 15px;" |
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! colspan="4" |529th Canadian L.C.A. Flotilla (Carried in Prince David)<ref>Schull, Joseph. ''Far Distant Ships, An official Account of Canadian Operations in World War II''. Stoddart. page 500. |
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</ref> |
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|- |
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|LT. R.G. Buckingham, R.C.N.V.R. ''Flotilla Officer''||L.C.A. 1150 |
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|- |
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|LT. G.E. Allin, R.C.N.V.R.||L.C.A. 1375 |
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|- |
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|LT. J. McBeath, R.C.N.V.R.||L.C.A. 1059 |
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|- |
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|LT. D. Graham, R.C.N.V.R.||L.C.A. 1151 |
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|- |
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|LT. J. Beveridge, R.C.N.V.R.||L.C.A. 1138 |
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|- |
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|L/SMN. Le Vergne, R.C.N.||L.C.A. 1137 |
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|} |
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Known as the Aleutian "[[Williwaw]]"; violent winds born in the "storm factory" of the [[Bering Sea]], roared down the narrow mountain passes to challenge labouring convoys with little sea room to begin with. |
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Many of the convoy ships, who could not exceed six knots while battling a four knot current and when hit with such a gale, often a [[Beaufort scale|force 10]], frequently had to disperse and find shelter as best they could.<ref>Schull, Joseph. ''Far Distant Ships, An official Account of Canadian Operations in World War II''. Stoddart. page 123. |
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</ref> |
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The ''Prince'' ships themselves were not known for their manoeuvrability, heavy and blocky, when forced to keep pace with a slow convoy and in order to maintain steerage, the ships often ran with the leeward shaft at twice the speed of the other. In spite these extreme conditions, there were surprisingly few mishaps. |
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On one occasion, while escorting two merchant ships to Dutch Harbour, ''Prince David'' encountered a thickening fog. Captain Godfery deployed a fog buoy as a precaution. SS Elias Howe, one of ''Prince David's'' charges, immediately sounded an emergency signal of six blasts on her whistle. Thinking that it was a [[periscope]], she opened fire on the fog buoy streaming from ''Prince David's'' stern. After the event Prince David's commanding officer with commendable objectivity, complimented Elias Howe on her "fine degree of alertness".<ref>Douglas, A.B.W, Roger Sarty, Michael Whitby, ''No Higher Purpose, The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy, Volume II, Part 1''. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. page 362.</ref> |
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It was becoming apparent, by the fall of 1942, that the ''Prince David'' and her sister ships were not equipped to defend themselves or their charges against well armed enemy ships that, it was feared may begin to operate off the West Coast. It was therefore decided to convert the ''Prince David'' and the ''Prince Henry'' to Landing Ships Infantry (Medium) in preparation for the coming invasion of Europe. |
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Revision as of 02:07, 18 October 2006
 | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 1929 |
| Launched: | 1930 |
| Commissioned: | 31 July, 1940, |
| Paid Off: | 11 June, 1945 |
| Fate: | Sold & renamed Charlton Sovereign, 1946. Broken up 1962 |
| General Characteristics | |
 | |
| Displacement: | 5736 tonnes |
| Length: | 385 ft. |
| Beam: | 57 ft |
| Draft: | 21 ft |
| Speed: | 22 knots |
| Propulsion: | Twin screw Parsons reaction three-stage single-reduction geared turbines; 1930 IHP. @267 RPM. Six Yarrow water tube five drum super-heat main boilers plus 2 Scotish marine three burner auxiliary boilers. |
| Range: | 3,500 nautical miles @ 20 knots |
| Officers: | 31 |
| Crew: | 386 men |
| Armament: | 4 x 6"/45 cal in 2 single mounts forward and 2 aft (as AMC).
4 x 4" HA/LA in two twin mounts (as LSI M). 2 x 3" HA in two single mounts (as AMC). 2 x 40mm Bofors (as LSI M). several Vickers .303 twin MGs. 10 x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon Mk 5 in single mounts after Apr.20/42 refit. 2 stern mounted depth charge chutes for Mk.VIII 300 lb.canister depth charges (as AMC). |
| Pendant: | F56 |
| Manufacturer: | Cammell Laird & Co., Birkenhead, U.K.
Conversion to AMC by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Monteral, P.Q. Conversion to LSI(M) by Burrards Dry Dock Ltd., Vancouver, B.C. |
The HMCS Prince Robert (F56) was one of three Canadian National Railway passenger liners that were converted to Armed Merchant Cruisers for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) at the beginning of World War II, and for three years were the largest ships in the RCN.
When Canada officially declared war on Nazi Germany, September 10th, 1939, the Royal Canadian Navy consisted of 6 destroyers, 5 minesweepers and 2 training ships. And a mobilized strength of 397 officers and 2,276 ratings including reservists. At the succession of hostilities almost six years later, the RCN was the third largest navy in he Allied cause.
The three Prince ships were a unique part of Canada's war effort: taken out of mercantile service, converted to Armed Merchant Cruisers, reconfigured to Infantry Landing Ships (Medium) and Anti Aircraft Escort, paid off at war's end and then returned to mercantile service.
Pre War, 1930 - 1939
Three ships, the Prince Robert Prince David, and Prince Henry were ordered in 1929 from Cammell Laird & Co. by the Canadian National Railways' subsidiary, CN Steamships to operate as small luxury liners on the West Coast of Canada. CNSS Prince David arrived on the West Coast in the summer of 1930 and was put on the Vancouver - Victoria - Seattle daily service.
By the late 1930's, and with war looming, the Canadian chief of Naval Staff had designated the three Prince ships as candidates for conversion to Armed Merchant Cruisers, for the task of convoy escort. The British Admiralty had been depositing defensive equipment in Canada between the wars in order to arm fast liners as AMCs in the event of hostilities.
Twelve 6 inch guns were made available to the RCN to start the AMC program. The 6 inch guns were manufactured as early as 1896 and fitted with wing casemates of King Edward class battleships launched between 1903 and 1905. They had no range or fire control equipment and had been designed to train over a small arc, which had to be reconfigured to travel about 300 degrees. Three inch guns designed for light cruisers and of a newer vintage (1916) were also made available.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Prince David was transferred to Canada's West Coast to join her sister ships for a refit and up-grade of weapons. Now based in Esquimalt, they were to take up defensive duties in the Pacific Northeast, off British Columbia. As well as providing protection to shipping in the region, they were to reassure the public by their presence and satisfy American demands for a Canadian naval force in the area.
From 24 to 27 July 1942, the David participated in the filming of "Commandos Strike at Dawn" (some behind-the-scenes footage made during location filming in Canada is included in the CBC Television documentary "Canada's War in Colour"}.
Mock bombardments of imaginary shore positions were carried out by Prince David in Saanich Inlet, and equally imaginary shore batteries fired back, while movie raiders rowed the ship's boats ashore as hard as they could. A ship-handling problem peculiar to this operation was
that in every scene where Prince David was to appear herself, she could present only her starboard side to the camera. It was calculated that cinema-goers would not likely accept the huge sound truck that had been hoisted aboard, and reposed on the weather deck port side, as a regular item in Combined Operations weaponry. The ship's company co-operated heartily, and kept up a high standard of discipline and war-readiness despite the distractions of this fling with film fame, and the glitter of hob-nobbing with the film famous.[1]
After the Japanese occupation of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands, and fearing their attack posed a serious threat to the Northwest, a strong American naval force was deployed in Alaskan waters. Some estimates had put the Japanese naval strength at four 6-inch cruisers, eight destroyers and as many as eighteen submarines in the Aleutians. Late August of 1942, the Prince David, Prince Henry, Prince Robert and the corvettes HMCS Dawson and HMCS Vancouver, were ordered to co-operate with American forces being transported to Kodiak. Operating under orders of the United States Navy, and designated as Force "D", they escorted convoys between Kodiak and Dutch Harbor (now Unalaska), Alaska as part of the Aleutian Islands campaign. Prince David and her sister ships made no actual contact with the enemy during their almost 3 month tour of duty in the northern waters. This was not to say, however, that the work was dull or uneventful. Seamen who were used to the open ocean seldom allow themselves to be impressed by anything the weather and navigational difficulties have to offer; but the men of the Prince ships soon realized that whatever the perils of the North Atlantic, nothing compared with the sudden gales, erratic currents and uncharted shoals of the North Pacific. In 1942, the Canadian ships were equipped with only rudimentary radar which made navigation a source of constant danger. Fog gave way to gales which gave way to fog.
| HMCS Prince David - Commanding Officers[2] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Date | |||||
| CDR. W.B. Armit, R.N.C.R. | 28 Dec. 1940 to 24 Mar. 1941 | |||||
| CDR. - K.F. Adams, R.C.N. | 25 Mar. 1941 to 1 Dec. 1941 | |||||
| CAPT. - V.S. Godfrey, R.C.N. | 2 Dec. 1941 to 18 Mar.1942 | |||||
| A/LCDR. - T.D. Kelly, R.C.N.R. | 19 Mar. 1942 to 16 Apr.1942 | |||||
| CAPT. - V.S. Godfrey, R.C.N | 18 Apr. 1942 to 17 Apr. 1943 | |||||
| CDR. - T.D. Kelly, R.C.N.R. | 18 Apr. 1943 to 1 May 1943 | |||||
| CDR. - T.D. Kelly, R.C.N.R. | 23 May 1943 to 11 June 1945 | |||||
| 529th Canadian L.C.A. Flotilla (Carried in Prince David)[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LT. R.G. Buckingham, R.C.N.V.R. Flotilla Officer | L.C.A. 1150 | ||
| LT. G.E. Allin, R.C.N.V.R. | L.C.A. 1375 | ||
| LT. J. McBeath, R.C.N.V.R. | L.C.A. 1059 | ||
| LT. D. Graham, R.C.N.V.R. | L.C.A. 1151 | ||
| LT. J. Beveridge, R.C.N.V.R. | L.C.A. 1138 | ||
| L/SMN. Le Vergne, R.C.N. | L.C.A. 1137 | ||
Known as the Aleutian "Williwaw"; violent winds born in the "storm factory" of the Bering Sea, roared down the narrow mountain passes to challenge labouring convoys with little sea room to begin with. Many of the convoy ships, who could not exceed six knots while battling a four knot current and when hit with such a gale, often a force 10, frequently had to disperse and find shelter as best they could.[4] The Prince ships themselves were not known for their manoeuvrability, heavy and blocky, when forced to keep pace with a slow convoy and in order to maintain steerage, the ships often ran with the leeward shaft at twice the speed of the other. In spite these extreme conditions, there were surprisingly few mishaps. On one occasion, while escorting two merchant ships to Dutch Harbour, Prince David encountered a thickening fog. Captain Godfery deployed a fog buoy as a precaution. SS Elias Howe, one of Prince David's charges, immediately sounded an emergency signal of six blasts on her whistle. Thinking that it was a periscope, she opened fire on the fog buoy streaming from Prince David's stern. After the event Prince David's commanding officer with commendable objectivity, complimented Elias Howe on her "fine degree of alertness".[5]
It was becoming apparent, by the fall of 1942, that the Prince David and her sister ships were not equipped to defend themselves or their charges against well armed enemy ships that, it was feared may begin to operate off the West Coast. It was therefore decided to convert the Prince David and the Prince Henry to Landing Ships Infantry (Medium) in preparation for the coming invasion of Europe.
- ^ MacLeod, M. K. The Prince Ships, 1940-1945, Canadian Forces Headquarters (CFHQ) Reports 31 Oct 1965, National Defence Directorate of History and Heritage, pages 65 & 66.
- ^ The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910 - 1985, (Ken Macpherson and John Burgess), Appendix 4, Commanding Officers, page 199.
- ^ Schull, Joseph. Far Distant Ships, An official Account of Canadian Operations in World War II. Stoddart. page 500.
- ^ Schull, Joseph. Far Distant Ships, An official Account of Canadian Operations in World War II. Stoddart. page 123.
- ^ Douglas, A.B.W, Roger Sarty, Michael Whitby, No Higher Purpose, The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy, Volume II, Part 1. Vanwell Publishing Ltd. page 362.