The River-class frigate design was an upgraded version of the Flower-classcorvette,[1] remedying many of the Flower class' issues as an ocean escort. The initial vessels were constructed for the Royal Navy and were named for rivers, however, in Canada, they were named for cities.[2] Canada was informed of the design development in December 1940, but the plans were not delivered until late April 1941. The design was too large to fit through the canals on the St. Lawrence River, restricting the construction of the River-class ships to three shipyards, all with direct access to the sea.[3] The first fifteen Canadian ships followed the standard British design.[4]
The frigates measured 301 feet 4 inches (91.85 m) long overall and 283 ft 0 in (86.26 m) between perpendiculars with a beam of 36 ft 7 in (11.15 m) and a draught of 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m).[2][5] They had a standard displacement of 1,445 long tons (1,468 t) and had increased flare and sheer forward to improve the vessel's dryness at sea.[2][5] They were square amidships with deep bilge keels to alleviate rolling in heavy seas.[5] They had a complement of 10 officers and 135 ratings.[6]
The first 15 Canadian ships that followed the British design mounted a single 4-inch (102 mm) gun forward and one aft.[9] The remaining Canadian ships mounted twin 4-inch guns forward and a single 12-pounder naval gun aft.[10] The Canadian ships had eight 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon in four twin powered mounts for anti-aircraft defence. They also mounted four heavy machine guns. Two of the 20 mm mounts faced forward and two astern, with two located on the bridge wings and two at the break of the forecastle.[9] For anti-submarine warfare (ASW) the ships carried a Hedgehog ASW mortar forward and the frigates initially carried 100 depth charges, later rising to 145, to be fired from four throwers and two stern tracks and rails. Two of the throwers were located on the port side of the ship, and the other two on the starboard side.[9][10] 30 charges were kept for the rails and racks and 32 for the throwers.[5] During the war, all of the early ships that mounted single 4-inch guns forward were refitted to carry the twin mount instead. Furthermore, the 12-pounder guns were replaced by twin 40 mm (1.6 in) cannon.[4]
The River-class frigates were equipped with the Type 147B Sword sonar and ASDIC which were used in conjunction to find submarines below the surface. The combination of the two allowed for the frigates to maintain tracking targets even while firing. For tracking surfaced submarines, HFDF was installed. HFDF searched for the communication signals of opposing submarines, which had to surface to communicate.[11]
Service history
Ordered as part of the 1942–1943 River-class building programme,[12] the ship was constructed by Canadian Vickers at their yard in Montreal, Quebec. The vessel was laid down on 7 January 1944 as Alvington[13] and launched on 15 April.[14] The ship was renamed Royal Mount and named for the town of Mount Royal, Quebec. The ship's name was reversed to prevent confusion with any ship named Montreal.[15] The frigate was commissioned in the Royal Canadian Navy at Montreal on 25 August.[14]
Royal Mount sailed for Halifax and worked up at Bermuda in September 1944. Upon her return to Halifax, she was assigned to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) escort group C-1 as a trans-Atlantic convoy escort, joining up with the group in November. She remained with MOEF until May 1945, when she returned to Canada for the final time. Royal Mount underwent a refit from 26 May to 5 October 1945 at Sydney, Nova Scotia.[14] For service during the Second World War, Royal Mount was awarded the battle honour "Atlantic 1944–45".[16]
The frigate was decommissioned on 17 November and placed in reserve in Bedford Basin. Royal Mount remained there until her purchase in 1947 for scrap.[14] The ship was broken up at New York City with work completed in 1948.[17] The ship's bell lies in the entrance to the town hall of Mount Royal. The ship was commemorated during the Canadian Naval Centennial.[18]
Brown, David K. (2007). Atlantic Escorts Ships: Ships, Weapons & Tactics in World War II. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-84415-702-0.
Campbell, N. J. M. (1980). "Great Britain". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 2–85. ISBN0-85177-146-7.
Douglas, W.A.B.; Sarty, Roger & Whitby, Michael (2002). No Higher Purpose: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1939–1943 Volume II, Part I. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN1-55125-061-6.
Friedman, Norman (2006). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN1-86176-137-6.
Lenton, H. T. & Colledge, J. J. (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. New York: Doubleday and Company Inc. OCLC440734.</ref>
Macpherson, Ken & Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002 (Third ed.). St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN1-55125-072-1.
Macpherson, Ken & Burgess, John (1981). The ships of Canada's naval forces 1910–1981 : a complete pictorial history of Canadian warships. Toronto: Collins. ISBN0-00216-856-1.
Thomas, David A. (1998). Battles and Honours of the Royal Navy. Barnsley, UK: Leo Cooper. ISBN085052-623-X.
