HMCS ARNPRIOR K494

Castle Class Corvette

Laid down as HMS Rising Castle K398, she was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd., Belfast, Ireland. After completion, in the midst of a dockyard strike, she was transferred and commissioned into the RCN on 08 Jun 1944 as HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 (renamed on the day she was commissioned). After working up at Tobermory she joined EG C-1 at Londonderry in August, leaving on 19 Aug 1944 to join her first convoy, ONM.249. ARNPRIOR was continuously employed as an ocean escort for the balance of the war. At the beginning of Jun 1945, she left Greenock for St. John's, where she underwent a two-month refit, and from September was based at Halifax. She was paid off there on 14 Mar 1946, and sold later that year to the Uruguayan Navy, which renamed her Montevideo and operated her as a training ship until 1975. (Mcpherson / Burgess - Ship's of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-1981)

Log entries for HMCS ARNPRIOR for her first transatlantic convoy and shortly thereafter:

20 Aug 1944 - 20:00 zig-zagging in position;  23:23 engine stopped;  23:33 investigate contact;  23:40 in station

22 Aug 1944 - 09:30 rounding up stragglers;  10:25 fog lifts slightly

28 Aug 1944 - arrive St. John's

30 Aug 1944 - swimming and baseball party ashore

06 Sep 1944 - off to Londonderry

04 Oct 1944 -  ARNPRIOR comes along side HMCS CHEBOGUE which had been torpedoed to lend assistance.

The following paragraph from a letter written by A/LCdr, Stuart Thom, dated 29/5/45 held in the National Library and Archives Canada, gives an account of the Arnprior's convoy duty:  "It was not our good fortune to participate in any spectacular engagements with the enemy, but during the course of our 14 North Atlantic convoys, not one ship was lost. On no occasion ... did we miss a sailing date because of some defect and we never failed to finish a voyage on schedule". (Researched by / Courtesy of Gary King)

Ship's company photos          Photos and Documents          The Ship's Bell

Convoys escorted during the Second World War

Former Crew Members

Photos and Documents

(ARN001) Letter from Lt. S. D. Thom, CO, HMCS ARNPRIOR to the Senior Canadian Naval Officer London re the disposition of officers appointed to HMCS ARNPRIOR while she is under construction - dated 18 Apr 1944  //  Officers mentioned in the letter:  Lt R.I. Medland,  C.V. Laughton and J.C. Staples, all RCNVR and Mate J.C. Bennett, RCNR  //  Source: Library and Archives of Canada  //  Courtesy of Gary King

(ARN002) HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 (centre) and HMCS Hallowell K666 (right).  Ship on left unknown  //  From the Photo collection of Hugh A. Benson  //  Courtesy of Doug Benson

(ARN003) HMCS ARNPRIOR K494  //  From the collection of Tom Coyle, Sto 1c, RCNVR  //  Courtesy of Elaine Desnoyers

(ARN004) HMCS ARNPRIOR K494  //  From the collection of John Boothman  //  Courtesy of Dave Boothman

(ARN005) HMCS ARNPRIOR alongside in St John's, Nfld with the surrendered U-190 across the jetty from her.  ML Q095 in the background  //  Courtesy of Bill Perks

(ARN006) The White Ensign flies over the Kreigsmarine Naval Ensign on the surrendered U-190 at St. John's, NFLD. HMCS ARNPRIOR in the background  //  From the collection of Nick Vukson  //  Courtesy of John Vukson

(ARN007) HMCS ARNPRIOR K494  //  DND / RCN Photo