HMCS Trois-Rivières

There has been only one vessel named HMCS Trois-Rivières in the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS Trois-Rivières (J269) / 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.

Built at Sorel, Québec and commissioned there on 12 August 1942, HMCS Trois-Rivières arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 29 August and, after work-ups in Pictou, Nova Scotia, was assigned to Western Local Escort Force. In November 1942, she was transferred to Newfoundland Force, with which she served until the Command was disbanded in June 1945.

Between October 1943 and January 1944, HMCS Trois-Rivières was under repair at Dalhousie, New Brunswick, Halifax and Saint John, New Brunswick, and also had a major refit at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia from February to May 1945. She was paid off on 31 July, and handed over in late 1945 to serve the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as MacBrien. She was sold for scrap in 1960.

• Builder: Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, Québec
• Date laid down: 9 December 1940
• Date launched: 30 June 1941
• Date commissioned: 12 August 1942
• Date paid off: 31 July 1945
• Displacement: 601.5 tonnes
• Dimensions: 49.4 m x 8.6 m x 2.5 m
• Speed: 16 knots
• Crew: 83
• Armament: one 12-pounder (5.45 kg) gun, two 20-mm guns and depth charges

Battle honours

• Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944