HMCS Alberni (K103)

HMCS "Alberni" (K103) was a "Flower"-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy.

Construction

She was ordered on 14 February 1940 from Yarrows Ltd. in Esquimalt, British Columbia and laid down on 29 April 1940. She was launched on 22 August 1940 and commissioned into the RCN on 4 February 1941. She is named after Alberni in British Columbia. The town of Alberni later merged with nearby Port Alberni to create one town after the tsunami of 1964 originating in Alaska wiped out much of Alberni.

Wartime service

"Alberni" sailed to the Panama Canal and joined the RCN's Atlantic Fleet in Halifax. She was assigned to the Newfoundland Escort Force and tasked as a mid-ocean convoy escort in the western North Atlantic.

"Alberni" played a vital role in SC42, and many other convoys afterwards.

On 3 May 1942 the "Alberni" (Lt. Cdr. G.O. Baugh, RCNR), along with warship|HMCS|Assiniboine|I18, rescued 47 survivors from the British tanker "British Workman" that was torpedoed and sunk by U-455 southeast of Cape Race at 44-07N, 51-53W.

Afterward, "Alberni" had her boilers replaced through the month of May.

On 27 October 1942, "Alberni" (Lt. I.H. Bell, RCNR), rescued 12 survivors from the American tanker "Gurney E. Newlin" that was torpedoed and damaged by U-436 at 54-51N, 30-06W. The "Gurney E. Newlin" was sunk the following day by U-606.

On 28 October 1942, "Alberni", along with warship|HMCS|Ville de Quebec|K242, rescued 81 survivors from the British whaling ship "Sourabaya" that was torpedoed and sunk the previous day by U-436 at 54-32N, 31-02W.

"Alberni" was assigned briefly to the Mediterranean Sea during 1943 and to the fleet operating in support of Operation Overlord in spring 1944.

She was torpedoed and sunk by U-480 commanded by Hans-Joachim Förster in the English Channel approximately convert|25|nmi|km southeast of St. Catherine's Head, Isle of Wight at 11:45 on 21 August 1944. 59 crew were lost after the torpedo struck the warship on her port side immediately aft of the engine room, causing her to sink in less than a minute. Lt. (acting) F. William was awarded the Royal Humane Society's bronze medal for his work in saving other members of the crew.

Memorial

In 2000 a memorial, The Alberni Project, was established to honour all the men who served on "Alberni" (K103) from the time she was commissioned in 1941 at Esquimalt until her sinking in 1944. With the help of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Royal Canadian Legion this memorial includes a growing dedication to preserving the times of the Battle of the Atlantic through the eyes and voices of all the Canadian Forces involved in the Battle of the Atlantic.

External links

* [http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/798.html HMCS "Alberni" on uboat.net]
* [http://www.alberniproject.org The Alberni Project - Canadian Heritage Website]
* [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/search3.php?query=Alberni&Submit=Find+Vessel HMCS "Alberni" on the Arnold Hague database at convoyweb.org.uk.]