HMCS Stratford

There has been only one vessel named HMCS Stratford in the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS Stratford (J310) / Bangor-class minesweeper

The Bangor class ships were built in order to replace the old Basset-class minesweepers, as they were larger, faster, had much greater endurance, and burned oil as opposed to coal. Most of the Bangors were named after Canadian towns and cities, the rest after bays. As enemy mines were laid only once in 1943 in Canadian waters, the Bangors were used primarily as escorts to coastal shipping or as local escorts to ocean convoys. Sixteen of them, however, assisted in sweeping the approaches to Normandy before D-Day, and stayed to help clear German and Allied minefields in the Channel for some months afterward.

Commissioned at Toronto, Ontario on 29 August 1942, HMCS Stratford arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 22 September and was assigned to Newfoundland Force. She remained with this force as a convoy escort throughout her wartime career. She did not require a major refit until December 1944, work that was carried out at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. On its completion, she proceeded to Bermuda from 15 February to 8 March 1945 for workups.

Upon her return, she collided with the destroyer HMCS Ottawa in the Halifax approaches on 11 March 1945, receiving extensive damage to her forecastle. Thereafter inactive, she was not paid off until 4 January 1946, and later sold for scrap.

• Builder: Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec
• Date laid down: October 29, 1941
• Date launched: February 14, 1942
• Date commissioned: August 29, 1942
• Date paid off: January 4, 1946
• Displacement: 682.8 tonnes
• Dimensions: 54.9 m x 8.7 m x 2.5 m
• Speed: 16 knots
• Crew: 83
• Armament: one 3-inch (76-mm) gun, three 20-mm guns (3 x I) and depth charges

Battle honours

• Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942
• Atlantic 1942-1944