- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see HMCS Petrolia in game.
HMCS Petrolia at St John’s, Newfoundland (n.d)
Description:
HMCS Petrolia was one of 12 Castle-class Corvettes to serve with the Royal Canadian navy during the Second World War.
The Castle-class of Corvettes were, in essence, an improved and enlarged Flower-class corvette. They would improve on the base failings of the Flowers, namely range and habitability, but keeping the easy to work on machinery and cheap cost of production. They would be a cheaper alternative to the River-class, which were too expensive for true mass production.
Canada would acquire 12 of these types while they were still being built in the UK for the Royal Navy, replacing some planned RCN Flower-class vessels. They would be transferred from the RN halfway through construction.
This suggestion is for Petrolia as she commissioned in 1944.
HMCS Petrolia underway, June 1944
History:
Laid down as the HMS Sherborne Castle by Harland & Wolff, in Belfast. She would be laid down on the 21st of June 1943, however soon after being laid down she would be transferred to the RCN. She would launch on the 24th of February 1944, finally commissioning on the 29th of June the same year. She would be renamed to HMCS Petrolia, after Petrolia, Ontario the day she was commissioned.
She would work up and conduct trials at Tobermory, then moved to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force as part of Escort Group C-4 at Londonderry in August. Her first convoy would be ONS.251 (Liverpool - Halifax) in September the same year.
She would escort her convoys from the UK, most often Liverpool, to Chesapeake Bay. There, convoy escort duty would be taken over by the West Escort Force, and taken to Halifax or New York. Having left the convoy they would refuel, repair, and have other general maintenance undertaken before preparing to take another convoy back.
She would continue to operate convoy duties, and along with RN vessels, would escort HX, SC, and ON convoys, with US efforts concentrated in CU and UG convoys. Her last convoy would be in June 1945, and she would be placed in refit by August at Charlottetown. Due to the large amount of escort vessels then in commission with the Royal Canadian Navy, she would be placed in extended maintenance reserve as excess in October 1945.
HMCS Petrolia soon after commissioning in 1944.
As the Castle-class were considered far less capable than the Algerine-class and River-class, due to their small size, poor handling, and limited armament compared to Frigate type vessels, many would be sold on as mercantile vessels due to their recent build dates as well as good hull and engine quality. Petrolia would be decommissioned for sale on the 8th of March 1946.
Petrolia would be sold to a New York based shipping company, and renamed to the SS. Maid of Athens, then was sold onto the Indian registry in 1947, and renamed once again to Bharat Laxmi. She would remain in mercantile service here until 1965, when she was broken up at Bombay.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMCS Petrolia | |||||
| Country: Canada | |||||
| Type: Corvette | |||||
| Class name: Castle | |||||
| Year of commission: 1944 | |||||
| Refit: 1944 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 252ft (77m) | |||||
| Beam: 36ft 8in (11.1m) | |||||
| Draught: 13ft 6in (4.1m) | |||||
| Displacement: 1,077 standard | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: 2x Oil fired boilers, driving VTE @ 2,750ihp (2,050kW) across one shaft | |||||
| Speed: 16.5kt | |||||
| Endurance: 6,200nmi @ 15kt | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: 112 | |||||
| Primary armament: 1x1 QF-4inch Mk XIX | |||||
| Secondary armament: 2x2 20mm Oerlikon, 2x1 20mm Oerlikon | |||||
| Tertiary armament: 1x3 Squid AS Mortar, 15DC, one rail two DCT | |||||
| Radar: Type 272 | |||||
| Sonar: Type 144Q, Type 147B | |||||
| Other systems: H/F D/F |
HMCS Petrolia at Halifax, Nova Scotia. (n.d)
Sources:
Macpherson, K & Burgess, J. (1982). The Ships of Canada’s Naval Forces 1910-1981 (p.108)
Macpherson, K & Milner, M (2002) Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy. 1939-1945 (pp.152-158)
HMCS Petrolia (K 498) of the Royal Canadian Navy - Canadian Corvette of the Castle class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net
https://forposterityssake.ca/Navy/HMCS_PETROLIA_K498.htm
https://www.canada.ca/en/navy/services/history/ships-histories/petrolia.html
HMS Sherborne Castle - Wikipedia
HMCS PETROLIA | Ships of the Royal Canadian Navy