 HMCS Quebec (C66) |
|
| Career (Canada) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 1939 |
| Laid down: | 20 July 1939 |
| Launched: | 7 August 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 21 October 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | June 1956 |
| Out of service: | 1 August 1947 |
| Renamed: | 14 January 1952 |
| Motto: | As HMCS Quebec Nos canons parleront |
| Honours and awards: |
Okinawa, 1945 |
| Fate: | scrapped 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Crown Colony class light cruiser |
| Length: | 169. 3 m (555. 5 ft) |
| Beam: | 18. 9 m (62 ft) |
| Draught: | 5. 0 m (16. 5 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
Four oil fired 3-drum Admiralty-type boilers, 4-shaft geared turbines, 4 screws, 54. 1 megawatts (72,500 shp) |
| Speed: | 33 knots |
| Complement: | 907 |
| Armament: | Nine 6-inch (150 mm) guns (3 × 3), eight 4 inch guns (4 × 2), eight 40 mm Bofors AA (4 × 2) guns, 3 quadruple 2 pounder ("pom-pom") AA mounts, 12 20 mm AA (6 × 2) guns. The Bofors 40 mm gun is a famous Anti-aircraft Autocannon designed by the Swedish firm of Bofors. Six 21 inch (2 × 3) torpedo tubes |
| Armour: | Main belt: 83 mm, deck: 51 mm, turrets: 51 mm, Director control tower: 102 mm. |
| Aircraft carried: | Originally had 2 Supermarine Walrus aircraft, removed November 1943. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout |
HMCS Quebec (C66) was a Crown Colony class light cruiser that served the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Uganda (C66) during World War II and under its last name during the Cold War. Design They were built due to the limitations that the Second London Naval Treaty imposed on cruisers which lowered the Washington limit of 10000 tons A light cruiser is a Warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light Armoured cruiser " describing a small ship that carried armour in the same way For the history of Canada's naval forces after 1968 see Canadian Forces Maritime Command The Royal Canadian Navy ( RCN) was the World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the
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Royal Navy service
She was laid down on 20 July 1939 as one of the "Ceylon" sub-class (the 2nd group of 3 ships built in 1939). Home Fleet operations In March 1943 after training at Scapa Flow, HMS Uganda sailed as convoy escort to protect a convoy bound for Sierra Leone from Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island The cruiser was built at the Vickers-Armstrong Walker yard and launched on 7 August 1941. Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 3 January 1943 as HMS Uganda (C66). The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Home Fleet operations In March 1943 after training at Scapa Flow, HMS Uganda sailed as convoy escort to protect a convoy bound for Sierra Leone from
Her service history included:
- Home Fleet (1943)
During this time she was based at Scapa Flow and saw service with convoy operations off western Europe and northwestern Africa in March, as well as escort for RMS Queen Mary carrying Winston Churchill and his staff to Washington for the Third Washington Conference (codename: TRIDENT). Scapa Flow ( Old Norse: Skalpaflói) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Third Washington Conference ( Code named TRIDENT was held in Washington D She returned via Naval Station Argentia to Plymouth for refit. Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994 Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London.
- Mediterranean Fleet (1943–1944)
Following refit in June 1943, she served in the Mediterranean with Operation Husky and Operation Avalanche. The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis The process Allied invasion of Italy, was the Allied landing on mainland Italy in September 1943 by General Harold Alexander 's 15th Army Group During the latter duty, she was struck by a radio-controlled glider bomb on 13 September and was towed to Malta for emergency repairs. Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands She made Charleston, South Carolina on 27 November 1943 to undertake comprehensive repairs. Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina.
- Refit (1944)
Her refit at Charleston in 1944 saw several modifications, most notably removal of two hangars for Supermarine Walrus aircraft intended for reconnaissance work. A hangar is an enclosed structure to hold Aircraft in protective storage WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The hangar space was redesigned for radio and radar rooms as well as other crew amenities. During this refit, the Government of Canada undertook negotiations with the United Kingdom to acquire HMS Uganda.
Royal Canadian Navy service
HMS Uganda was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1944 when was recommissioned as HMCS Uganda (C66). For the history of Canada's naval forces after 1968 see Canadian Forces Maritime Command The Royal Canadian Navy ( RCN) was the Trafalgar Day is the celebration of the victory won by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson 's British fleet over the combined French and Spanish
World War II
The Uganda quickly became the pride of the RCN as she was the largest and most powerful ship in the fleet; she also became the first Canadian warship to circumnavigate the globe.
Uganda's first crew in RCN service was notable. The Commanding Officer was Captain Rollo Mainguy, OBE, who later became Chief of the Naval Staff. Vice-Admiral Edmond Rollo Mainguy, OBE CD RCN ( 11 May 1901 - 29 April 1979) was a Canadian naval officer and a post-war Chief of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The First Officer (executive officer) was Commander Hugh Pullen, and other officers including Lieutenant Commanders Landymore and Littler were all eventually promoted to flag rank following the war. A flag officer is a commissioned officer who is senior enough to be entitled to fly a Flag to represent where he exercises command Lieutenant John Robarts, Aircraft Recognition Officer, went on to become Premier of Ontario. John Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC ( January 11, 1917 – October 18, 1982) was a Canadian This is a list of the premiers of the province of Ontario, Canada, since Confederation in 1867 Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec The other members of her crew of 907 comprised a carefully selected group; additional training on cruisers was provided through personnel exchanges with the RN. The first crew for Uganda was drawn from every province in Canada as well as the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British dominion from 1907 (before which the territory had the status of a British colony to 1949 Eight-seven percent were reservists (RCNVR and RCNR) while the balance were regular members of the RCN.
Uganda's first RCN assignment came shortly after her recommissioning. She was tasked to join the British Pacific Fleet's operational area south of Sakishima Gunto. The British Pacific Fleet (BPF was a multinational Allied naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The ( Okinawan: Sachishima) are an island chain located at the south end of the Japanese Archipelago. Uganda left Halifax, Nova Scotia on 31 October 1944 and steamed via the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Alexandria, the Suez Canal, and on via Aden and Colombo, Ceylon to the fleet base at Fremantle, Australia, where she arrived on 4 March 1945. The City of Halifax (est 1841 is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation Aden (ˈeɪdən Arabic: عدن) is a city in Yemen, 170 kilometers east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Fremantle (commonly known as Freo is a Port City in Western Australia, located southwest of Perth, the state capital at the mouth of For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. She joined the 4th Cruiser Squadron and spent the rest of the month working up. The conditions for the crew were arduous since the ship had not been modified for tropical conditions, which would have provided better air circulation throughout the ship and more fresh water capacity.
Credit: Gerald Milne Moses / Canada. Miyakojima ( Miyako: mjaːku Okinawan: naːku mjaːku Japanese: 宮古島 is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands Department of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-136073
Uganda proved valuable during operations undertaken by the British Pacific Fleet because her radar and aircraft identification capabilities were amongst the best in the fleet, owing to her 1944 refit in Charleston. Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships On 10 April 1945, the strike against Sakishima was cancelled and the Task Force was ordered to attack Formosa instead. The ( Okinawan: Sachishima) are an island chain located at the south end of the Japanese Archipelago. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. For three days Uganda and her RN counterparts attacked airfields on Formosa before being redirected back to Sakishima Gunto. The islands were attacked between 15–20 April before the fleet was tasked to Leyte Gulf. Leyte Gulf is the body of water immediately east of the Island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific
There she joined the United States Third Fleet, under command of legendary Admiral Raymond Spruance 300 nautical miles (560 km) east of Japan and became the only RCN warship to fight in the Pacific Theatre against the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Third Fleet is one of six numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Raymond Ames Spruance ( July 03, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy Admiral in World War II. For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article
Out of the Action
It was while Uganda was involved in operations with the US Navy's Third Fleet that a directive came through from RCN Headquarters that Captain Mainguy poll the crew on whether they would volunteer for the Pacific War and eventually Operation Downfall, the codename for the invasion of the Home Islands. The Pacific War was the part of World War II —and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in East Asia, between Operation Downfall was the overall Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The, which forms the Country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland washing upon the northwestern
The requirement that only volunteers would be sent to the war zones had become a major issue in the recent federal election in Canada, which was facing a desperate shortage of soldiers during the closing days of the European War. The European Theatre of Operations ( ETO) was an area of heavy fighting across Europe during World War II, from Nazi Germany's Invasion of Poland As a result, "zombies" (conscripted soldiers who refused combat duty) had been ordered into combat roles. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. The ComBat was an Aluminium Cricket bat and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA cricket ground in Perth in December 1979. This had caused a political controversy and Prime Minister Mackenzie King, trailing in opinion polls, promised that only volunteers would fight against Japan. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. William Lyon Mackenzie King PC OM CMG ( December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian An opinion poll is a survey of Public opinion from a particular sample. A volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. King narrowly won re-election, largely because of the military vote. The rate of re-enlistment fell dramatically following the end of the war in Europe. While this was going on the RCN wanted the crew of Uganda to volunteer for the Pacific War, which they were currently participating in.
The crew of Uganda, for one reason or another, felt that they had volunteered for "hostilities only", (i. e. , hostilities against Nazi Germany) but now found themselves fighting a different enemy in a quite different part of the world. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers
On 7 May 1945, the vote was held onboard Uganda and 605 crew out of 907 refused to volunteer for continuing operations against Japan. The British Admiralty was furious and said it could not replace the ship until 27 July at the earliest. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. An embarrassed Royal Canadian Navy offered to replace Uganda with HMCS Prince Robert, an anti-aircraft flak ship that was being refitted in Vancouver. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal
HMCS Uganda was detached from the US Navy's Third Fleet on 27 July when HMS Argonaut (61) arrived. History Argonaut's first mission was to bring reinforcements several 3 Uganda proceeded to Eniwetok, and then to Pearl Harbor for refuelling before heading for Esquimalt. Enewetak (or Eniwetok) is an Atoll in the Marshall Islands of the central Pacific Ocean. Pearl Harbor is a Harbor on the Island of O{{okina}}ahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. The City of Esquimalt (ɨsˈkwaɪmɔlt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. En route to Pearl Harbor, one boiler suffered a liner collapse which would have resulted in the ship's withdrawal from active combat at any rate. Uganda limped into Pearl Harbor on 4 August but was not welcomed because of the resentment that her crew was "quitting" the war. Uganda departed after refuelling and proceeded for Esquimalt. En route to Canada, the crew heard news about the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. They arrived in Esquimalt on 10 August, the day that Japan announced its acceptance of the Instrument of Surrender. The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that established the Armistice ending the Pacific War and with it World War II. Had Uganda remained in the Pacific War, she would probably have steamed into Tokyo Bay on 30 August to witness the official surrender onboard USS Missouri; as it was, no Canadian ships were present at the ceremony. is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was. Construction See also Iowa class battleship, Armament of the Iowa class battleship Missouri was one of the ''Iowa''-class "
Following World War II, HMCS Uganda remained on the Pacific coast at the RCN base in Esquimalt and was paid off into reserve status on 1 August 1947.
Korean War and Cold War
Canada's entry into the Korean War and commitment of Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force and RCN units to the British Commonwealth Forces Korea necessitated the reactivation of HMCS Uganda. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Land Force Command ( LFC) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces. British Commonwealth Forces Korea (BCFK was the formal name from 1952 of the Commonwealth army naval and air units serving with the United Nations (UN in the
The vessel was recommissioned on 14 January 1952 as HMCS Quebec (C66) and moved immediately from Esquimalt to her new station at Halifax to replace units which had departed for Korea. Canada's Pacific coast once again saw a cruiser presence after the war when the RCN's second cruiser HMCS Ontario (C53) was posted to Esquimalt to replace HMCS Quebec. Later use of the name HMCS Ontario became the name of a Sea Cadet Summer Training establishment located in Kingston Ontario, Canada, at the
HMCS Quebec subsequently served two tours in the Korean War theatre. In 1953, HMCS Quebec was the flagship for Rear Admiral Bidwell and led the RCN ships to Spithead for the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. flagship is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels a designation given on account of being either the largest fastest newest most heavily armed or for publicity purposes the most well Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a Monarch with regal power specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head and the For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The RCN vessels consisted of an aircraft carrier, two cruisers, one destroyer, and two frigates.
As part of a post-Korean War realignment within the RCN, HMCS Quebec was paid off in June 1956 and scrapped in Japan in 1961.
Her unit name lives on in the form of HMCS Quebec, a cadet summer training centre for the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets. Cadet Summer Training Centre HMCS Québec (CSTC HMCS Québec) is a Royal Canadian Sea Cadets summer training centre more commonly known by its French language Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (RCSC is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada.
References
See also
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