HMCS MAHONE

HMCS MAHONE, a Bangor class minesweeper built by North Van Ship Repairs, Ltd, was commissioned on 29 September, 1941.  Her specifications were as follows:

Length overall 180’

Breadth, extreme2 8’ 6”

Draught, full load, aft 11’ 9”

Speed, maximum 16½ knots

Displacement, standard 672 tons

Endurance, cruising 2,950 miles.

Her twin screws were driven by two triple-expansion, steam reciprocating engines of 2,400 horse-power.  Her original armament consisted of one 4-inch gun mounting and two 0.5” Colt machine-guns, but this was later augmented by a single Oerlikon and two additional Colts.  She was also equipped with depth-charge rails and two throwers.

Following commissioning MAHONE sailed for Halifax.  Like most ships of her class she was to spend very little time on the work for which she was originally intended.  Owing to the failure of the enemy to make a concerted effort to mine Canadian waters, Bangors were used as escort ships for the most part, and this was to become HMCS MAHONE’s role throughout the war.  Based at various times on Halifax, Gaspe, and Sydney, for more than three years she plied the waters of the Canadian East Coast, chiefly as escort to small coastwise convoys.  Never did she venture further afield than Boston, Mass. and St. John’s, Nfld.  When not on convoy work she carried out routine anti-submarine sweeps or performed one of the many other tasks undertaken by those maids-of-all-work, the Bangors.  It was not a spectacular role but it was arduous, dangerous – and essential.

When the war ended, it was difficult to foresee any immediate need for Bangor minesweepers in Canadian waters, and MAHONE was paid off on 6 November, 1945.  A month later she was turned over to the War Assets Corporation who disposed of her to Marine Industries, Limited.  In 1951 she was taken over again by the RCN and underwent a thorough refit and conversion after which she was reclassified as a coastal escort.  It was during this conversion that she was fitted with “hedgehog” – an ahead-throwing, anti-submarine weapon considerably superior to the conventional depth-charge.

Following her conversion MAHONE was towed to the Point Edward Naval Base at Sydney, where she remained in reserve until brought out for a general overhaul late in 1957.  Early in the New Year she will be transferred to Turkey under the programme of Mutual Aid to member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Naval Historical Section,

Naval Headquarters,

Ottawa, Ontario.  12 December, 1957.