HMCS Wetaskiwin was a of 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...

. She was ordered from Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd.

Burrard Dry Dock

Burrard Dry Dock Ltd. was a Canadian shipbuilding company headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia . Together with the neighboring North Van Ship Repair yard and the Yarrows Ltd...

 in North Vancouver

North Vancouver, British Columbia

There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...

 and laid down on 11 April 1940. She was launched

Ship naming and launching

The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...

 on 18 July 1940 and commissioned on 17 December 1940. She was named after the city of Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

.

Background

Flower-class corvettes like Wetaskiwin serving with the Royal Canadian Navy 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...

 were different to earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes. The "corvette" designation was created by the French in the 19th century as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877. During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...

 reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design. The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.

War duty

Wetaskiwin escorted trade convoys between Halifax Harbour

Halifax Harbour

Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...

 and the Western Approaches

Western Approaches

The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...

 through the battle of the Atlantic. Wetaskiwin participated in the battles for convoy SC 42 and convoy SC 48

Convoy SC 48

SC 48 was a North Atlantic convoy of the SC series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.It was notable for being the occasion of the Kearny incident, which brought the United States one step closer to war with Germany.-Prelude:...

 before being assigned to Mid-Ocean Escort Force

Mid-Ocean Escort Force

Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...

 (MOEF) group C3. With group C3, she was credited with destruction of U-588 in defense of convoy ON 115 and participated in the battle for convoy SC 109. After yard overhaul, Wetaskiwin was assigned to MOEF group A3 for the battle of convoy HX 233. When group A3 disbanded, Wetaskiwin was assigned to MOEF group C5 and participated in the battle for convoy HX 305. Wetaskiwin escorted North American coastal convoys with the Western Local Escort Force

Western Local Escort Force

Western Local Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys from North American port cities to the Western Ocean Meeting Point near Newfoundland where ships of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force assumed responsibility for safely delivering the convoys...

 from October 1944 until May 1945. The ship was decommissioned following the end of hostilities and sold for civilian use in 1946.

Trans-Atlantic convoys escorted

Convoy	Escort Group	Dates	Notes
HX HX convoys The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom...  147		29 August-8 September 1941	64 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland Iceland Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
SC 42		10–16 September 1941	Newfoundland to Iceland; 15 ships torpedoed & sunk
ON ON convoys The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic .-History:...  16		20–26 September 1941	42 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 48 Convoy SC 48 SC 48 was a North Atlantic convoy of the SC series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.It was notable for being the occasion of the Kearny incident, which brought the United States one step closer to war with Germany.-Prelude:...		9–17 October 1941	Newfoundland to Iceland; 9 ships torpedoed & sunk
ON 27		23 October-2 November 1941	61 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
SC SC convoys The SC convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys that ran during the battle of the Atlantic during World War II.They were east-bound slow convoys originating in Sydney, Cape Breton ; from there they sailed to ports in the UK, mainly Liverpool.For a time after the entry of the...  54		12–22 November 1941	70 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 40		30 November-4 December 1941	28 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 60		19–28 December 1941	22 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 52		5–11 January 1942	42 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
HX 191	MOEF group C3 Mid-Ocean Escort Force Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...	28 May-5 June 1942	24 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
ON 104	MOEF group C3	17–27 June 1942	36 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 90	MOEF group C3	6–16 July 1942	32 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 115	MOEF group C3	25 July-2 August 1942	Northern Ireland to Newfoundland; 3 ships torpedoed (2 sank)
HX 202	MOEF group C3	12–17 August 1942	43 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 121	MOEF group C3	17–20 August 1942	34 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
SC 98	MOEF group C3	2–12 September 1942	69 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 131	MOEF group C3	19–28 September 1942	54 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 210	MOEF group C3	7–14 October 1942	36 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 141	MOEF group C3	26 October-3 November 1942	59 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
SC 109	MOEF group C3	16–28 November 1942	Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; 2 ships torpedoed (1 sank)
ON 152	MOEF group C3	10–28 December 1942	15 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 221	MOEF group C3	31 December 1942-5 January 1943	36 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
HX 233	MOEF group A3 Mid-Ocean Escort Force Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...	12–20 April 1943	Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; 1 ship torpedoed & sunk
ON 182	MOEF group C5 Mid-Ocean Escort Force Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...	7–16 May 1943	56 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 240	MOEF group C5	25 May-3 June 1943	56 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 188	MOEF group C5	11–20 June 1943	56 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 245	MOEF group C5	29 June-5 July 1943	84 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 193	MOEF group C5	17–25 July 1943	80 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 250	MOEF group C5	5–11 August 1943	75 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 199	MOEF group C5	27 August-4 September 1943	59 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 256	MOEF group C5	15–21 September 1943	59 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 205	MOEF group C5	6–16 October 1943	66 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 262	MOEF group C5	24 October-2 November 1943	59 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 211	MOEF group C5	14–24 November 1943	49 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 295	MOEF group C5	15–23 June 1944	80 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 243	MOEF group C5	4–12 July 1944	89 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 300 Convoy HX 300 Convoy HX-300 was the 300th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax to Liverpool. These HX convoys had been established shortly after declaration of war; and the first sailed on 16 September 1939...	MOEF group C5	24 July-3 August 1944	166 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland in the largest convoy of the war
ON 248S	MOEF group C5	11–21 August 1944	102 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 305	MOEF group C5	30 August-9 September 1944	Newfoundland to Northern Ireland; 2 ships torpedoed & sunk
ON 255	MOEF group C5	23 September-4 October 1944	84 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland

Ship's badge

Between 1910 and 1948, there were no official badges or insignia for the Royal Canadian Navy's ships. During the Second World War, many ships in the rapidly expanding RCN had an unofficial badge, often using humorous imagery or cartoon characters and other references to popular culture. In the case of corvettes, they were usually mounted on the shield for the ship's 4-inch gun or on the outside of the bridge. Wetaskawins badge featured a queen of hearts sitting in a puddle of water, which was a reference to the ship's nickname: "Wet Ass Queen".

External links

• Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Ship Technical Information
• Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Photo Archive