HMCS St. Stephen was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Considered an unsung hero of the Battle of the Atlantic, she served primarily as a convoy escort. She was named for our very own town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick and became an enduring symbol of Canadian endurance.
St. Stephen was ordered in February 1943 as part of the 1943–1944 River-class building program and was launched 6 February 1944. Each of the ships built under this program were given the name of towns and cities throughout Canada.
This River Class Frigate measured 86.2 meters in length, and could reach a speed of 20 knots, or 37km/hour, with the help of its triple drum boiler-driven, twin steam engines. Because of this, the ship proudly displayed its motto: “Seized Fast”. The ship also had a range of 13,890 nautical km, nearly double that of a Navy Corvette. This combined with its heavy armament made it a formidable force for the Royal Canadian Navy.
St.Stephen was allocated to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force escort group C-5. She spent the better part of her service as a trans-Atlantic convoy escort. She returned to Canada in June 1945 to undergo a tropicalization refit at Dartmouth NS, for possible service in the southern Pacific Ocean. This meant adding refrigeration and water-cooling capabilities and changing the camouflage. The refit was cancelled however in August 1945, due to the surrender of Japan.
After the war, St. Stephen was refit and recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy as a weather ship.
