HMCS Baddeck (K147)

History

Canada
Name:	Baddeck
Namesake:	Baddeck, Nova Scotia
Operator:	Royal Canadian Navy
Ordered:	22 January 1940
Builder:	Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec
Laid down:	14 August 1940
Launched:	20 November 1940
Commissioned:	18 May 1941
Out of service:	4 July 1945
Renamed:	Efthai in 1947 Yusuf Z. Alireza in 1948 Evi in 1955
Identification:	Pennant number: K147
Honours and awards:	Atlantic 1941–45, English Channel 1944–45, Normandy 1944
Fate:	Wrecked near Jeddah on 11 March 1966
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Flower-class corvette
Displacement:	925 long tons (940 t; 1,036 short tons)
Length:	205 ft (62.48 m)o/a
Beam:	33 ft (10.06 m)
Draught:	11.5 ft (3.51 m)
Propulsion:	Single shaft 2 × fire tube Scotch boilers 1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine 2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)
Speed:	16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range:	3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement:	85
Sensors and processing systems:	1 × SW1C or 2C radar 1 × Type 123A or Type 127DV sonar
Armament:	1 × BL 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk.IX single gun 2 × .50 cal machine gun (twin) 2 × Lewis .303 cal machine gun (twin) 2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers 2 × depth charge rails with 40 depth charges Originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed

HMCS Baddeck was a Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served in several theatres of operations during the war. After the war the ship was retired but the ship's name, pennant number and badge continue to be used by the K147 Baddeck Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps.

Flower-class corvettes like Baddeck serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different from earlier and more traditional sail-driven corvettes. The "corvette" designation was created by the French as a class of small warships; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877. During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s, Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class, needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity, in this case based on a whaling ship design. The generic name "flower" was used to designate the class of these ships, which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants.

Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part, to better represent the people who took part in building them. This idea was put forth by Admiral Percy W. Nelles. Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named. Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts, while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear. Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas.

Named for the village of Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Baddeck was ordered on 22 January 1940 as part of the 1939–40 Flower-class building program. She was laid down on 14 August 1940 by Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. in Lauzon, Quebec and launched on 20 November 1940. Baddeck was commissioned at Quebec City on 18 May 1941. During her service life, she was sent to or held in port on several occasions due to her unreliable engine. After her engine failed for the third time in late 1941, she underwent major repairs during the first half of 1942 to fix the problem.

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