History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | Meon |
Namesake | River Meon |
Ordered | 24 June 1942 |
Builder | A. & J. Inglis, Glasgow |
Laid down | 31 December 1942 |
Launched | 4 August 1943 |
Sponsored by | Bletchley, Buckinghamshire |
Commissioned | 31 December 1943 |
Decommissioned | 7 February 1944 |
Identification | pennant number: K 269 |
Fate |
|
Canada | |
Name | Meon |
Commissioned | 7 February 1944 |
Decommissioned | 23 April 1945 |
Identification | pennant number: K 269 |
Honours and awards | Atlantic 1944–45, English Channel 1944, Normandy 1944 [1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944 [2] |
Fate | returned to Royal Navy 1945 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | River-class frigate |
Displacement |
|
Length | |
Beam | 36.5 ft (11.13 m) |
Draught | 9 ft (2.74 m); 13 ft (3.96 m) (deep load) |
Propulsion | 2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) |
Speed |
|
Range | 646 long tons (656 t; 724 short tons) oil fuel; 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h) |
Complement | 157 |
Armament |
|
HMS Meon was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War. The vessel was used primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic, but also took part in the Invasion of Normandy. After the war, the ship was converted to a headquarters vessel for amphibious operations, and saw service in the Persian Gulf from 1952 to 1965, before being scrapped in 1966. She was named for the River Meon in the United Kingdom and was sponsored by the town of Bletchley in Buckinghamshire. [3]
Meon was ordered on 24 January 1942. [4] The ship was laid down on 31 December 1942 by A. & J. Inglis at Glasgow and launched 4 August 1943. [4] [5] She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 31 December 1943. [4]
After commissioning and trials, Meon sailed with convoy ON 220 to Canada. [5] Once there she was recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 7 February 1944. After working up with her new Canadian crew, she joined convoy escort group 9 in May 1944. Following the ship's arrival in Londonderry Port to join the group, the vessel spent until October 1944 in the waters around the United Kingdom. [5] It was during this period that Meon participated in Operation Neptune, the sea component of the invasion of Normandy and was present on D-day. [5] [6]
Arriving at Halifax on 19 October 1944, Meon joined local convoy escort group 27 and was named Senior Officer's ship. She remained with the group until the end of March 1945, when the vessel returned to the United Kingdom and was handed back over to the Royal Navy at Southampton on 23 April 1945. [5]
Following return from the Canadians, Meon was converted at Southampton into a combined operations headquarters ship for use in South-East Asia. The ship's 4-inch guns were removed, as were the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortars, with armament reducing to three Bofors guns, allowing extra communications equipment and accommodation to be added. The conversion was completed in December 1945, and Meon was laid up in reserve at Harwich. [7] [8] After being used as an accommodation ship at Harwich, Meon, still in reserve, moved to Sheerness in 1949. [8]
Meon recommissioned in April 1951, and in July 1952 was transferred to the Persian Gulf to serve as HQ ship for the Amphibious Warfare Squadron (Gulf). [8] In 1953, back in British waters for a refit, [8] Meon took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. [9] In 1956 Meon took part in the Suez Crisis, commanding landing craft during Operation Musketeer. [8] In late June 1961, in response to Iraqi threats to annex Kuwait, Meon took part in Operation Vantage, helping landings of British troops and equipment in Kuwait. [10] The vessel remained in the Gulf until 1965. [8] The ship was laid up at Portsmouth until being sold to Hughes Bolckow Ltd and being broken up at Blyth, Northumberland from 14 May 1966. [8] [4] [5]
HMS Loch Alvie was a Loch-class frigate of the Royal Navy, named after Loch Alvie in Scotland. She was ordered by the Royal Navy during World War II, but did not see action with them, having transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy before commissioning. After the war she returned to the Royal Navy and would pass in and out of service until 1963.
HMCS Red Deer was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. The minesweeper saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence. She was named for Red Deer, Alberta. After the war the vessel was briefly reacquired by the Royal Canadian Navy, but was not recommissioned and was sold for scrap and broken up in 1959.
HMCS Algonquin was a V-class destroyer, laid down for the Royal Navy as HMS Valentine (R17) and transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on completion during the Second World War. She saw service in the Second World War escorting the aircraft carriers that bombed the Tirpitz in March 1944 and providing naval gunfire support to the Normandy landings. The destroyer was to participate in the Pacific Campaign but the war ended before her arrival in that theatre. Algonquin was converted in 1953 to a frigate and spent the majority of her remaining career in the Atlantic, being paid off in 1970.
HMCS Huron was a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and the Korean War. She was the first ship to bear this name, entering service in 1943. She was named for the Huron people. During the Second World War the vessel saw service in Operation Neptune in the Bay of Biscay and along the French coast in support of the invasion of Normandy and escorted convoys to the Soviet Union. Following the war, the ship was placed in reserve. The destroyer was activated in 1950 as a training ship, but with the onset of the Korean War, was modernized and deployed twice to Korea. Following the war, Huron reverted to a training ship and took part in Cold War-era North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) naval exercises until being paid off for the final time in 1963 and broken up for scrap in 1965.
HMCS Sioux was a V-class destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy which fought in the Second World War and the Korean War. She was launched as HMS Vixen for the British Royal Navy before being transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy. She was then named for the Sioux people of Canada's western provinces.
HMCS Kokanee was a River-class frigate that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort. After the war she was sold to India and converted into a pilot vessel.
HMCS Granby was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence. After the war, she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, however never saw service with them. She was recommissioned as a deep-diving tender in 1953 and served as such until 1966. She was named for Granby, Quebec.
HMS Nene was a River-class frigate, designed for anti-submarine operations, that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. In 1944 she was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy and recommissioned as HMCS Nene, who returned her to the Royal Navy in 1945. Following the war she remained in reserve until disposed of in 1955.
HMS Rutherford (K558) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley-class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.
HMCS Drummondville was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. Entering service in 1941, she was sold for mercantile service after the war. In 1963, as Fort Albany, the ship was involved in a collision near Sorel, Quebec and sank. The ship was later raised and broken up.
HMS Annan was a River-class frigate built for the Royal Navy but was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy before commissioning. She served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War and saw action primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was returned to United Kingdom following the war and quickly sold to Denmark, who renamed the vessel Niels Ebbesen. She was primarily used as a training vessel until 1963 when she was broken up in Odense. She was named for the River Annan in Scotland in UK and Canadian service and Niels Ebbesen in Danish service.
HMS Ettrick was a River-class frigate that fought for the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. The vessel primarily saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort. The ship was named for the Ettrick Water in Scotland.
HMCS Waskesiu was a River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy. The frigate served as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. It was the first frigate constructed and commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy. Following the war, the vessel was sold to India where it was renamed Hooghly. Named after the town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, there was already a warship named "Prince Albert". The Royal Canadian Navy then named the ship after the town closest to Prince Albert National Park.
HMS Monnow was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy. The frigate served as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. Named for the River Monnow in the United Kingdom, the vessel was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1944, keeping the same name, and finished the war with them. Returned to the Royal Navy following the war, it was sold to the Royal Danish Navy and renamed Holger Danske. It served until 1960 when it was scrapped. The ship is significant as it is one of the few ships employed by the Royal Canadian Navy never to visit Canada.
HMS Teme was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy that was built during the Second World War. The frigate was named for the River Teme, a river that flows along the English-Welsh border. She was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and served as HMCS Teme. She was torpedoed by a German submarine on 29 March 1945 and subsequently declared a constructive total loss. The ship was broken up in Wales in 1946.
HMCS Gananoque was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Named for the town of Gananoque, Ontario situated on the Saint Lawrence River, the minesweeper entered service in 1941 and participated in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the Saint Lawrence, mainly as a convoy escort. Following the end of the war in 1945 Gananoque was decommissioned and placed in reserve. The vessel was reacquired in 1952, but never reentered service and was sold for scrap in 1959 and broken up.
HMCS Mahone was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the ship took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the Saint Lawrence as a convoy escort. Following the war, the minesweeper was decommissioned and placed in reserve. Reacquired during the Korean War, Mahone was never recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy and was instead sold to the Turkish Navy in 1958. Renamed Beylerbeyi, the minesweeper remained in service until 1972 when she was discarded.
HMCS Medicine Hat was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the minesweeper was primarily used as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence. Following the war the vessel was laid up until reacquired during the Korean War. Never re-entering service with the Royal Canadian Navy, Medicine Hat was sold to the Turkish Navy in 1957. Renamed Biga, the minesweeper was discarded in 1963.
HMCS Kenora was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1942, the minesweeper took part in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort and in the invasion of Normandy. Following the war, the vessel was laid up until reacquired in 1952 during the Korean War. Never re-entering service with the Royal Canadian Navy, Kenora was sold to the Turkish Navy in 1957. Renamed Bandirma by the Turkish Navy, the vessel was discarded in 1972.
HMS Ballinderry was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy which served during the Second World War.