H . M . C
. S .
SA G U E N A Y ( D 7 9 )
A-Class destroyer modified to suit RCN requirements
and ordered by the Canadian Government from John I
Thornycroft at Woolston
on 29th February 1929 with HMCS SKEENA. The ship was laid down as Yard No. 1091 on 27th September 1929 and launched on 11th July
1930. Build was completed on 22nd May 1931 and she was then commissioned for service in the Royal
Canadian Navy. Before the outbreak of war in September 1939 this destroyer was
deployed with the Eastern Division of the RCN based at Halifax.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
As this ship belonged to the
Royal Canadian Navy there is no record
in the
Admiralty Listing of Battle Honours
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Similarly details are not
available in the Admiralty Record of Ships Badges.
D e t a i
l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September Deployed for Local Escort of Atlantic convoys to and from
Newfoundland.
Transferred to America and West Indies Station
and deployed for interception of
blockade runners based at Kingston,
Jamaica with RN ships.
October Deployed with HM Cruisers ORION and CARADOC for patrol
duties.
23rd Sighted German freighter EMY FRIEDRICH during patrol
with HMS ORION.
(Note : Enemy ship scuttled on approach.)
November West Indies deployment in continuation.
December Transferred to Halifax and took passage to resume Atlantic
convoy escort duties.
1 9 4 0
January Deployed at Halifax for Local Escort.
February Halifax deployment in continuation.
to (For details of Atlantic convoy defence see Naval
Staff History, ALLIED CONVOY
September SYSTEM IN WW2 by A Hague, U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC
(HMSO)
and THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by D MacIntyre)
October Transferred to RN Escort Group for convoy defence in NW
Approaches based in UK.
Took passage to join Group in Western Approaches
Command.
November Deployed for convoy escort in NW Approaches including
HX47.
December
1st Hit by torpedo fired from Italian submarine ARGO
300 miles from Irish coast
during escort of HX47.
Bow structure destroyed and three of ship’s
company killed.
Withdrawn from escort and took passage under own
power to Barrow for repair
in commercial shipyard.
1 9 4 1
January Under repair including fit of new Bow structure.
to Nominated for service with Newfoundland Escort
Force based in St. Johns on completion
April of repair.
May Post refit trials.
23rd Took passage from
Greenock to resume convoy defence
with new Group.
June Deployed with Newfoundland Escort Force.
to
July
August Detached for escort of HM Battleship PRINCE OF WALES
during passage in western
Atlantic.
(Note : HMS PRINCE OF WALES was taking Winston
Churchill to Placenta Bay,
Newfoundland for Atlantic Charter Meeting with
US President.
9th Joined escort during final stage of passage to
Placenta Bay.
12th Released from escort and resumed Atlantic convoy
defence duties.
September Atlantic convoy defence deployment with Newfoundland
Escort Force in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Deployed with escort for Convoy OS52
Sustained serious structure damage in adverse
weather conditions.
On arrival at St. Johns with OS52 withdrawn from
service and taken in hand for repair.
February Under repair
to Nominated for service with 3rd Canadian Escort
Group on completion of post repair
April trials and work-up.
May Joined HM Canadian Destroyer SKEENA, HM Canadian
Corvettes WETASKIWIN,
SACKVILLE, GALT and CAMROSE for escort of Convoy HX191.
For details of changes in convoy defence and
enemy tactics see SEEK AND STRIKE,
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR and Naval Staff History.)
June Atlantic convoy escort in continuation.
July Joined escort of Convoy ON115 with HM Canadian
Destroyers SKEENA and HAMILTON,
HM Canadian Corvettes AGASSIZ, SACKVILLE and
WETASKIWIN.
August Atlantic convoy defence in continuation.
to
October
November
15th Involved in collision with Panamanian mercantile
AZRA during escort of convoy and sustained
serious damage to stern structure when Depth
Charges exploded after release.
Ships disabled and taken in tow to St John, New
Brunswick for repair.
(Note: There were no casualties.)
November On survey ship declared beyond economic repair.
Structure sealed to allow passage under tow to
Halifax.
December Ship in use for shore training of new entry ratings as a
tender to HMCS CORNWALLIS.
1 9 4 3 t o 1 9 4 4
Training deployment at Halifax in continuation.
1 9 4 5
January Training deployment at Halifax.
to
June
July
30th Paid-off and placed on Disposal List
P o s t W a
r N o t e s
HMCS SAGUENAY was sold for breaking-up by
International Iron and Metal at Hamilton, Ontario and arrived there under tow in 1946.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMCS
SAGUENAY
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined
convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date
convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
16/09/39 16/09/39 HX 001 17/09/39 30/09/39
19/09/39 19/09/39 HXF 001 20/09/39 29/09/39
25/09/39 25/09/39 HXF 002 26/09/39 04/10/39
12/12/39 12/12/39 HX 012 13/12/39 27/12/39
19/12/39 19/12/39 HXF 013 20/12/39 30/12/39
20/12/39 20/12/39 HX 013 22/12/39 04/01/40
27/12/39 27/12/39 HXF 014 29/12/39 08/01/40
29/12/39 29/12/39 HX 014 30/12/39 12/01/40
12/01/40 12/01/40 HXF 016 13/01/40 24/01/40
14/01/40 14/01/40 HX 016 15/01/40 28/01/40
28/01/40 28/01/40 HXF 018 29/01/40 08/02/40
31/01/40 31/01/40 HX 018 10/02/40 16/02/40
04/02/40 04/02/40 HXF 019 05/02/40 17/02/40
07/02/40 07/02/40 HX 019 08/02/40 22/02/40
18/02/40 18/02/40 HX 021 19/02/40 04/03/40
02/03/40 02/03/40 HX 024 03/03/40 17/03/40
10/03/40 10/03/40 HX 026 11/03/40 26/03/40
18/03/40 18/03/40 HX 028 19/03/40 02/04/40
25/03/40 25/03/40 HX 030 26/03/40 09/04/40
02/04/40 02/04/40 HX 032 03/04/40 17/04/40
10/04/40 10/04/40 HX 034 11/04/40 26/04/40
18/04/40 18/04/40 HX 036 19/04/40 03/05/40
26/04/40 26/04/40 HX 038 27/04/40 12/05/40
04/05/40 04/05/40 HX 040 05/05/40 19/05/40
12/05/40 12/05/40 TC 004 14/05/40 21/05/40
20/05/40 20/05/40 HX 044 21/05/40 03/06/40
24/05/40 24/05/40 HX 045 25/05/40 08/06/40
28/05/40 28/05/40 HX 046 29/05/40 12/06/40
02/06/40 02/06/40 HX 047 03/06/40 17/06/40
05/06/40 05/06/40 HX 048 06/06/40 20/06/40
09/06/40 09/06/40 HX 049 10/06/40 24/06/40
11/06/40 11/06/40 TC 005 13/06/40 21/06/40
13/06/40 13/06/40 HX 050 14/06/40 30/06/40
07/07/40 07/07/40 HX 056 08/07/40 22/07/40
11/07/40 11/07/40 HX 057 12/07/40 26/07/40
15/07/40 15/07/40 HX 058 16/07/40 31/07/40
19/07/40 19/07/40 HX 059 20/07/40 03/08/40
27/07/40 31/07/40 HX 061 10/08/40 11/08/40
04/08/40 04/08/40 HX 063 05/08/40 19/08/40
08/08/40 08/08/40 HX 064 10/08/40 23/08/40
08/08/40 08/08/40 SHX 064 unknown unknown
12/08/40 12/08/40 HX 065 14/08/40 27/08/40
12/08/40 12/08/40 SHX 065 unknown unknown
16/08/40 16/08/40 HX 066 18/08/40 31/08/40
16/08/40 16/08/40 SHX 066 unknown unknown
20/08/40 20/08/40 HX 067 22/08/40 04/09/40
20/08/40 20/08/40 SHX 067 22/08/40 unknown
24/08/40 24/08/40 HX 068 26/08/40 08/09/40
28/08/40 28/08/40 HX 069 30/08/40 12/09/40
28/08/40 28/08/40 SHX 069 unknown unknown
05/09/40 05/09/40 HX 071 06/09/40 20/09/40
09/09/40 09/09/40 HX 072 10/09/40 21/09/40
21/09/40 21/09/40 HX 075 22/09/40 07/10/40
26/09/40 26/09/40 HX 076 27/09/40 10/10/40
30/09/40 30/09/40 HX 077 01/10/40 15/10/40
08/10/40 08/10/40 HX 079 09/10/40 23/10/40
24/10/40 04/11/40 HX 083 05/11/40 07/11/40
24/10/40 05/11/40 SC 009 09/11/40 09/11/40
09/11/40 21/11/40 SC 011 26/11/40 26/11/40
20/11/40 30/11/40 HG 047 01/12/40 04/12/40
06/04/41 16/04/41 HX 119A 20/04/41 22/04/41
09/05/41 12/05/41 HP 12/05/41 24/05/41
10/06/41 14/06/41 HX 132 23/06/41 28/06/41
10/06/41 16/06/41 SC 034 23/06/41 29/06/41
21/06/41 26/06/41 OB 338 03/07/41 03/07/41
06/07/41 09/07/41 HX 137 17/07/41 22/07/41
17/07/41 22/07/41 OB 348 30/07/41 31/07/41
26/08/41 27/08/41 TC 012B 01/09/41 01/09/41
08/09/41 08/09/41 CT 002 14/09/41 14/09/41
16/12/41 18/12/41 SC 060 27/12/41 31/12/41
31/12/41 05/01/42 ON 052 11/01/42 11/01/42
11/04/42 19/04/42 SC 079 27/04/42 27/04/42
08/05/42 09/05/42 ON 093 15/05/42 17/05/42
24/05/42 28/05/42 HX 191 05/06/42 06/06/42
16/06/42 18/06/42 ON 104 27/06/42 02/07/42
03/07/42 06/07/42 SC 090 16/07/42 16/07/42
24/07/42 25/07/42 ON 115 01/08/42 08/08/42
09/08/42 12/08/42 HX 202 17/08/42 21/08/42
12/08/42 17/08/42 ON 121 20/08/42 27/08/42
29/08/42 02/09/42 SC 098 12/09/42 13/09/42
18/09/42 19/09/42 ON 131 28/09/42 04/10/42
01/10/42 07/10/42 HX 210 15/10/42 16/10/42
25/10/42 26/10/42 ON 141 02/11/42 10/11/42
13/11/42 13/11/42 HJ 018 15/11/42 15/11/42
