CGS Margaret
Encyclopedia
CGS Margaret was a Canadian Government Ship, and was the first vessel to be built specifically for the Customs Preventive Service. Delivered in 1914, she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy
and served as HMCS Margaret during World War I
. Following the war, Margaret was returned to the Customs Preventive Service, and was transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
in 1932. Sold shortly thereafter, she was subsequently acquired by the Brazilian Navy
and renamed Rio Branco.
cruiser, the CGS Margaret was built at Thornycroft
's Woolston Works and delivered to the Department of Customs
at Halifax in April 1914. With her two six-pounders, she was suitable for a patrol vessel, and given her similarities to a 1907 coastal defence cruiser that was never built, Margaret may in fact have been ordered in anticipation of war with Germany. The CGS Margaret became HMCS Margaret when she was transferred, together with CGS Canada
, to the Royal Canadian Navy
on 4 August 1914 following the outbreak of World War I
. Commissioned in 1915, Margaret was used as an escort and patrol vessel in Atlantic coastal waters during the war, and was one of the first vessels in which Rear Admiral
Leonard W. Murray
served at the start of his distinguished military career. Margaret was at Dockyard Jetty 2 in Halifax Harbour during the Halifax Explosion
. She broke her moorings and suffered minor damage, while two of her crew were killed ashore.
During the war, Morse's Tea and Coffee Company produced a series of 50 cards of ships; no.35 was HMCS Margaret.
ian state of São Paulo
, which named her Ruth, during the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932. Confiscated by the Brazilian government, she was renamed Rio Branco and was converted to a hydrographic survey
ship for the Brazilian Navy in 1934. After serving as a coastal escort vessel in World War II
, the Rio Branco returned to hydrographic work and was discarded in 1957 or 1958.
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...
and served as HMCS Margaret during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Following the war, Margaret was returned to the Customs Preventive Service, and was transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
in 1932. Sold shortly thereafter, she was subsequently acquired by the Brazilian Navy
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
and renamed Rio Branco.
Origins and Military service
Originally intended as a customsCustoms
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
cruiser, the CGS Margaret was built at Thornycroft
John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
's Woolston Works and delivered to the Department of Customs
Minister of Customs
The office of Minister of Customs was a position in the Cabinet of the Government of Canada responsible for the administration of customs revenue collection. This position was originally created by Statute 31 Vict., c...
at Halifax in April 1914. With her two six-pounders, she was suitable for a patrol vessel, and given her similarities to a 1907 coastal defence cruiser that was never built, Margaret may in fact have been ordered in anticipation of war with Germany. The CGS Margaret became HMCS Margaret when she was transferred, together with CGS Canada
HMCS Canada
CGS Canada was a Canadian Government Ship that served as a patrol ship in the Fisheries Protection Service of Canada, an enforcement agency that was part of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. She is considered to the nucleus of the Royal Canadian Navy for her role in training Canadian naval...
, to the Royal Canadian Navy
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...
on 4 August 1914 following the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Commissioned in 1915, Margaret was used as an escort and patrol vessel in Atlantic coastal waters during the war, and was one of the first vessels in which Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Leonard W. Murray
Leonard W. Murray
Rear Admiral Leonard Warren Murray, CB, CBE was a officer of the Royal Canadian Navy who played a significant role in the Battle of the Atlantic. He commanded the Newfoundland Escort Force from 1941–1943, and from 1943 to the end of the war was Commander-in-Chief, Canadian Northwest Atlantic...
served at the start of his distinguished military career. Margaret was at Dockyard Jetty 2 in Halifax Harbour during the Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
. She broke her moorings and suffered minor damage, while two of her crew were killed ashore.
During the war, Morse's Tea and Coffee Company produced a series of 50 cards of ships; no.35 was HMCS Margaret.
Customs service
Following the end of the war, HMCS Margaret was returned to the Customs Preventive Service (CPS), and carried out her first patrols in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the East Coast in the spring of 1919. Converted from coal to oil burning in 1925, her armament was also reduced in 1927 to one six-pounder and seventeen rifles. During these years, much of her work consisted of customs patrols against rum running. In 1932, the CPS was absorbed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the service's personnel and ships were transferred to the RCMP's Marine Section.Brazilian service
Following the transfer of the CPS's responsibilities to the RCMP in 1932, the number of personnel was reduced and some former CPS vessels were discarded. Margaret was among the CPS vessels sold later that year as a result of these cutbacks, and was acquired by the BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian state of São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, which named her Ruth, during the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932. Confiscated by the Brazilian government, she was renamed Rio Branco and was converted to a hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/drilling and related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, sea floor and submerged...
ship for the Brazilian Navy in 1934. After serving as a coastal escort vessel in 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...
, the Rio Branco returned to hydrographic work and was discarded in 1957 or 1958.
External links
- Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Ship Technical Information
- Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Photo Archive
- World War 1 Canadian Ship Listing - Converted civilian vessels
- Ships of the Halifax Explosion
- History of NHi Rio Branco (in Portuguese)
- McDougall, David J. "The Origins and Growth of the Canadian Customs Preventive Service Fleet in the Maritime Provinces and Eastern Quebec, 1892-1932," The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du nord, V, No. 4 (October 1995), 37-57.
- Tucker, Gibert Norman. Naval Service of Canada: Volume I: Origins and Early Years. Ottawa: King's Printer, 1952.