HMCS Sackville facts for kids
HMCS Sackville in October 2006, moored behind the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and restored to her 1944 condition.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Canada |
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| Name | Sackville |
| Namesake | Sackville, New Brunswick |
| Builder | Saint John Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company Ltd. |
| Laid down | 28 May 1940 |
| Launched | 15 May 1941 |
| Commissioned | 30 December 1941 |
| Decommissioned | 8 April 1946 |
| Refit | Thompson Bros. Machinery Co. Ltd., Liverpool, Nova Scotia, commenced 14 January 1943, machinery replacement, minesweeping gear removed, bridge wings extended to fit Oerlikon 20 mm AA Galveston, Texas, 28 February 1944 – 7 May 1944, forecastle extended, new bridge, hedgehog fitted, mast moved abaft of bridge, new boats, new electronics |
| Identification | Pennant number: K181 |
| Honours and awards |
Atlantic 1942-44 |
| Status | Museum ship, Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Flower-class corvette |
| Displacement | 950 tons |
| Length | 62.5 m (205 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | Single shaft, 2 fire tube Scotch boilers, 1 4-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, 2,750 hp (2,050 kW) |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Armament |
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| Notes | Now a museum ship owned by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, moored in season at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic |
| Official name: HMCS Sackville National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 1988 |
HMCS Sackville is a special kind of warship called a Flower-class corvette. She served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. After the war, she became a research vessel for scientists. Today, she is a museum ship in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Sackville is the very last Flower-class corvette still existing from that time.
Contents
Wartime Service: Protecting Convoys
Sackville was built in Saint John, New Brunswick, starting in early 1940. She was launched, or put into the water for the first time, on May 15, 1941. The ship was officially ready for duty with the Royal Canadian Navy on December 30, 1941.
Her main job during World War II was to protect groups of merchant ships, called convoys. These convoys carried important supplies across the Atlantic Ocean from North America to Britain. German submarines, known as U-boats, tried to sink these ships. Sackville and other warships would escort the convoys to keep them safe.
Battles Against U-boats
In August 1942, Sackville was part of a convoy called ON-115. This convoy faced fierce attacks from German U-boats. Even with heavy fog, Sackville fought bravely.
- On August 3, Sackville found a U-boat, U-43, on the surface. She attacked it with depth charges, which are bombs dropped into the water. U-43 was badly damaged and had to go back to France for repairs.
- The next day, Sackville attacked another U-boat, U-704. This made the submarine stop its attack. Sackville then rescued two sailors from a damaged merchant ship.
- Just hours later, Sackville used her radar to find U-552. She hit the U-boat with a shell and then a depth charge. U-552 was also heavily damaged but managed to escape.
Sackville's actions were very important. They helped the 41 ships in the convoy escape with only two losses.
Later Wartime Roles
Sackville continued to escort convoys until January 1943, when she went for a major upgrade, called a refit. She got new equipment and her bridge was changed. After this, she went back to protecting convoys.
In February 1944, she had another big refit in Galveston, Texas. Her front part was extended, and she received new electronics. However, a leak was found in one of her boilers. Because of this, she was no longer suitable for long convoy trips.
Instead, Sackville was used for training. Later, she was changed into a "loop layer." This meant she would lay special cables, called indicator loops, across harbour entrances. These loops helped detect enemy submarines. She served in this role until April 1946, when she was put into storage.
Civilian Service: A Research Vessel
Most warships like Sackville were taken apart after the war. But Sackville was kept in storage. In 1952, she was brought back into service. This time, she became a research vessel for the Department of Marine and Fisheries.
All her weapons were removed. Her hull was painted black instead of her wartime camouflage. A laboratory was built on her back deck in 1964. She continued to serve as a research ship until December 1982.
Museum Ship: Preserving History
Sackville became very important because she was the only Flower-class corvette left. Other ships of her kind had been destroyed or sold.
On October 28, 1983, Sackville was given to the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust. They worked to restore her to how she looked in 1944 during the war.
Today, Sackville is a museum ship. During the summer, you can visit her next to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In winter, she is safely kept at the naval dockyard. Halifax was a very important port during World War II for gathering convoys, so it's a fitting home for her.
In September 2003, during Hurricane Juan, Sackville broke free from her moorings. She bumped into another ship, the schooner Larinda. Luckily, the court later decided that the Trust had done everything needed to secure Sackville.
Every spring, Sackville is towed to Point Pleasant Park for the Commemoration of the Battle of the Atlantic ceremonies. This event remembers the sailors who fought in the Battle of the Atlantic. Sackville often hosts veterans and has even been used for burials at sea for veterans' ashes. In 2018, the ship had major repairs costing CAN$3.5 million.
Recognition and Legacy
In 1988, Sackville was named a National Historic Site of Canada. This was because she is the last surviving Flower-class corvette.
On November 4, 1998, Canada Post issued a 45¢ stamp featuring HMCS Sackville. This was part of a series about naval vessels.
HMCS Sackville Memorial Centre
Plans have been discussed for a large memorial centre. This centre might include a permanent home for the ship on land. It would also feature a Canadian Naval memorial and museum.
Greyhound Film Connection
HMCS Sackville was used as the model for the corvette HMCS Dodge in the 2020 movie, Greyhound. The filmmakers used 3D scans of Sackville's outside to create the computer-generated version for the movie.
Gallery
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Sackville as restored, moored alongside the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Canada. The paint scheme on her hull is dazzle camouflage.
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Sackville, Halifax Harbour, October 2006.
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Sackville, Halifax Harbour, October 2006 showing the four-inch deck gun and Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar. The lighthouse-like structure behind the bridge contains the radar.
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Sackville, Halifax Harbour, October 2006, showing the 40 mm anti-aircraft gun and depth charge releasing device at stern of ship.
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Sackville, Halifax Harbour, 1 July 2007, alongside a 2-masted sailing ship. A green maple leaf badge is visible on the ship's funnel, a common insignia of Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.
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Bow view
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Stern view
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See also
- List of ships of the Canadian Navy
- List of museum ships
- Ship replica
- Ships preserved in museums
