In 1939 Europe was at war and by 1940 continental Europe, from France to Norway, had been occupied by German forces. Britain stood alone and the sea lanes across the Atlantic were its only lifeline.
Supplying that critical lifeline were convoys of merchant ships bringing vital food, fuel and war material from North America. The role of the Royal Canadian Navy escorts including the tireless Flower Class corvettes like HMCS Quesnel (K133) was to protect the merchant ships against enemy submarine attacks and ensure the "safe and timely arrival of the convoy" at its destination. The escorts played a crucial role in ensuring Allied victory at sea during the pivotal Battle of the Atlantic.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic as well as the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe.
More than 100 of the corvettes including Quesnel, named after Quesnel, B.C., proudly bore the names of Canadian cities, towns and communities from coast to coast along with recognizing the people who built the 205-foot ships in Maritime, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia shipyards.
HMCS Quesnel was built by Victoria Machinery Depot Co. Ltd., Victoria, B.C. and commissioned in May 1941 at Esquimalt, B.C. For the next year the ship patrolled off the west coast as a member of Esquimalt Force.
In June 1942, Quesnel towed the torpedoed cargo ship SS Fort Camosun into Victoria, B.C. Transferred to the Atlantic coast to replace an Operation Torch (North Africa) nominee, the ship arrived in Halifax, N.S. in mid-October and was assigned to Western Local Escort Force until June 1944. With the division of the force into escort groups in June 1943, HMCS Quesnel became a member of Escort Group W-1. During this period the ship underwent a refit, including forecastle extension, from early September to end-December 1943 in Pictou, N.S. This refit was followed by operational readiness training in St. Margaret’s Bay and Bermuda.
In June 1944, HMCS Quesnel joined Quebec Force and spent five months escorting Labrador-Quebec convoys. In November, the ship was transferred to Halifax Force, going to Sydney, N.S., for refit and, on completion late in January 1945, to Bermuda for readiness training. Quesnel resumed escort duty late in March, temporarily attached to Escort Group W-5 and W-8 of Western Local Escort Force until the end of the war. The ship was paid off in July 1945 in Sorel, Q.C. and broken up in 1946 in Hamilton, O.N.
HMCS Quesnel was awarded battle honours "Atlantic 1942 - 1945 and Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944".
Of the 123 corvettes to serve in the RCN during the war only HMCS Sackville remains, named after the town of Sackville, N.B. and commissioned in Saint John, N.B. in 1941. The "Last Corvette", restored to its 1944 configuration, is a National Historic Site and was designated Canada's Naval Memorial in 1985. Owned, maintained and operated by the volunteer Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, Sackville is a popular visitor attraction on the historic Halifax, N.S. waterfront during the summer months. During the winter the ship is berthed in His Majesty's Canadian Dockyard.
