HMCS St. Laurent (H83)

Career Canada
Class and type:	C class destroyer
Named after:	St. Lawrence River
Ordered:	9 July 1930
Builder:	Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down:	1 December1930
Launched:	29 September 1931
Commissioned:	17 February 1937
Decommissioned:	10 October 1945
Status:	Sold to be broken up for scrap on 9 November 1945.
General characteristics
Displacement:	1,375 tons (1,397 tonnes) standard 1,942 tons (1,974 tonnes) deep
Length:	329 feet (100 m) o/a
Beam:	33 feet (10.1 m)
Draught:	12.5 feet (3.8 m)
Propulsion:	3 x Admiralty 3-drum water tube boilers, Parsons geared steam turbines, 36,000 shp (26800 kW) on 2 shafts
Speed:	35.5 kn (66 km/h)
Range:	5,500 nmi (10,190 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement:	181 (10 officers, 171 ratings)
Armament:	4 x QF4.7 inches (119 mm) Mk. IX L/45 guns, single mounts CP Mk.XIV 1 x QF 12 pdr 20 cwt Mk.I L/45 3 inches (76 mm), single mount HA Mk.? (removed 1936) 2 x QF 2 pdr Mk.II L/39 (40 mm) guns, single mounts Mk.II 8 (4x2) tubes for 21 inches (533 mm) torpedoes 3 racks for 6 x depth charges (C) 1 rack for 20 x depth charges (D)
Notes:	Formerly HMS Cygnet.

HMCS St. Laurent (H83) was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1937-1945. She was formerly HMS Cygnet (H83) of the Royal Navy's C-class and wore pennant H83 during her service. She was built by Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness and commissioned into the RN around 1932. She ended her service with the RN on 17 February 1937 when she was commissioned into the RCN.

World War II

St. Laurent was assigned to the RCN's Atlantic Fleet during World War II. During the first year and half of the war, she was largely busy rescuing survivors of the Battle of the Atlantic. On 2 July 1940, under command of H.G. DeWolf, St. Laurent rescued 118 crewmembers, 109 guards and 586 German and Italian prisoners of war who had been aboard the unescorted British passenger ship SS Arandora Star which was torpedoed by U-47 125 nautical miles (232 km) northeast of Malin Head, Ireland. On 4 September 1940, St. Laurent rescued 89 survivors of the British merchant ship Titan which had been torpedoed by U-47 80 nautical miles (148 km) southwest of Rockall. On 15 September 1940, St. Laurent rescued 13 survivors of the Canadian merchant ship Kenordoc which had been shelled and damaged by U-99 44 nautical miles (81 km) northwest of Rockall. On 2 December 1940, St. Laurent rescued survivors from HMS Forfar that had been torpedoed and sunk by U-99 500 nautical miles (926 km) west of Ireland. On 3 December 1940, St. Laurent rescued 53 survivors from the British tanker Conch which had been torpedoed by U-99 370 nautical miles (685 km) west of Ireland. After refitting at Halifax in 1941, St. Laurent had her first victory on 27 December 1942 when she was credited with sinking U-356 north of the Azores, along with the corvettes HMCS Chilliwack (K131), HMCS Battleford (K165) and HMCS Napanee (K118). On 10 March 1944, St. Laurent was credited with sinking U-845 in the North Atlantic, along with the destroyer HMS Forester, corvette HMCS Owen Sound (K340) and corvette HMCS Swansea (K328). St. Laurent was decommissioned on 10 October 1945.

See also

• List of ships of the Canadian Navy

References

•  • e River class destroyers
A class	HMCS Saguenay (D79) • HMCS Skeena (D59)	Royal Canadian Navy
C class	HMCS Assiniboine (I18) • HMCS Fraser (H48) • HMCS Ottawa (H60) (I) • HMCS Restigouche (H00) • HMCS St. Laurent (H83)
D class	HMCS Kootenay (H75) • HMCS Margaree (H49)
E class	HMCS Gatineau (H61)
F class	HMCS Qu'Appelle (H69) • HMCS Saskatchewan (H70)
G class	HMCS Ottawa (H31) (II)
H class	HMCS Chaudière (H99)
List of ships of the Canadian Navy