HMCS Sudbury (K162)
Encyclopedia
HMCS Sudbury was a that served the Royal Canadian Navy
during World War II
.
Sudbury was laid down at Kingston Shipbuilding Ltd., Kingston
on 25 January 1941 and launched on 31 May 1941. She was commissioned into the RCN on 15 October 1941.
She was declared surplus and decommissioned by the RCN on 28 August 1945.
, British Columbia
. She was converted to an ocean-going tugboat
and retained her original name.
Sudbury and her crew specialized in deep-sea salvage and completed many dramatic operations. Their most daring rescue took place in November-December 1955 when they saved the Greek freighter Makeconia in the North Pacific. Sudbury towed the disabled vessel for 40 days through some of the roughest weather imaginable before arriving safely at Vancouver
. The incident made headlines around the world and for the next decade Sudbury was one of the most famous tugs on the Pacific coast. She was eventually badly damaged during repairs by a boiler explosion, the fireman on watch having lingered too long in a quayside pub, and thus the hull was dismantled for scrap in 1966 and officially stricken in 1967.
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Sudbury was laid down at Kingston Shipbuilding Ltd., Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
on 25 January 1941 and launched on 31 May 1941. She was commissioned into the RCN on 15 October 1941.
She was declared surplus and decommissioned by the RCN on 28 August 1945.
Civilian service
Sudbury entered civilian service and underwent several ownership changes by the early 1950s when she was acquired in 1954 by Island Tug and Barge of VictoriaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. She was converted to an ocean-going tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
and retained her original name.
Sudbury and her crew specialized in deep-sea salvage and completed many dramatic operations. Their most daring rescue took place in November-December 1955 when they saved the Greek freighter Makeconia in the North Pacific. Sudbury towed the disabled vessel for 40 days through some of the roughest weather imaginable before arriving safely at Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. The incident made headlines around the world and for the next decade Sudbury was one of the most famous tugs on the Pacific coast. She was eventually badly damaged during repairs by a boiler explosion, the fireman on watch having lingered too long in a quayside pub, and thus the hull was dismantled for scrap in 1966 and officially stricken in 1967.
External links
- Haze gray and underway's web page devoted to SS Sudbury.
- Navy League page devoted to HMCS Sudbury.
- HMCS Sudbury on the Arnold Hague database at convoyweb.org.uk.
- Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Ship Technical Information
- Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Photo Archive