HMCS Sudbury (K162)

HMCS "Sudbury" (K162) was a Flower class corvette that served the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.

"Sudbury" was laid down at Kingston Shipbuilding Ltd., Kingston on 25 January 1941 and launched on 31 May 1941. She was commissioned into the RCN on 15 October 1941.

She was declared surplus and decommissioned by the RCN on 28 August 1945.

Civilian service

"Sudbury" entered civilian service and underwent several ownership changes by the early 1950s when she was acquired in 1954 by Island Tug and Barge of Victoria, British Columbia. She was converted her to an ocean-going tugboat and retained her original name.

The "Sudbury" and her crew specialized in deep-sea salvage and completed many dramatic operations. Their most daring rescue took place in November-December 1955 when they saved the Greek freighter "Makeconia" in the North Pacific. The "Sudbury" towed the disabled vessel for 40 days through some of the roughest weather imaginable before arriving safely at Vancouver. The incident made headlines around the world and for the next decade the "Sudbury" was one of the most famous tugs on the Pacific coast. The "Sudbury" was eventually badly damaged during repairs by a boiler explosion, and was dismantled for scrap in 1966 and officially stricken in 1967.

External links

* Haze gray and underway's web page devoted to [http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/sudbury/ SS Sudbury] .
* Navy League page [http://www.navyleaguesudbury.ca/hmcssudphotoen.htm devoted to HMCS Sudbury] .
* [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/search3.php?query=Sudbury&Submit=Find+Vessel HMCS "Sudbury" on the Arnold Hague database at convoyweb.org.uk.]