HMCS St. Julien
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| History | |
|---|---|
  Canada | |
| Name | St. Julien |
| Namesake | Battle of St. Julien |
| Ordered | 2 February 1917 |
| Builder | Polson Iron Works Limited, Toronto, Ontario |
| Launched | 2 August 1917 |
| Commissioned | 13 November 1917 |
| Decommissioned | 1920 |
| Renamed | Re-designated Lightship No. 22 |
| Fate | Sold 1958 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Battle-class naval trawler |
| Displacement | 320 long tons (330 t) |
| Length | 130 ft (40 m) |
| Beam | 23 ft 5 in (7.14 m) |
| Draught | 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m) |
| Propulsion | 1 x triple expansion, 480 ihp (360 kW) |
| Speed | 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h) |
| Armament | 1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun |
HMCS St Julien was one of twelve Battle-class naval trawlers constructed for and used by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the First World War. Following the war the ship was transferred to the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries and converted into a lightvessel. Re-designated Lightship No. 22, the ship remained as such until 1958. The ship was sold for commercial use and renamed Centennial and was in service until 1978.
The RCN's Battle-class trawlers formed part of the Canadian naval response to Admiralty warnings to Canada about the growing German U-boat threat to merchant shipping in the western Atlantic.[1] Intended to augment anti-submarine patrols off Canada's east coast, these ships were modelled on contemporary British North Sea trawlers, since the standard types of Canadian fishing vessels were considered unsuitable for patrol work.[2]
Twelve vessels were ordered on 2 February 1917 from two shipyards, Polson Iron Works of Toronto and Canadian Vickers of Montreal.[3] Those vessels built at Polson Iron Works displaced 320 long tons (330 t) and were 130 feet (40 m) long overall with a beam of 23 feet 5 inches (7.14 m) and a draught of 13 feet 5 inches (4.09 m).[4] They were propelled by a steam-powered triple expansion engine driving one shaft creating 480 indicated horsepower (360 kW) giving the vessels a maximum speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[3][5]
All twelve trawlers were equipped with a QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun mounted forward.[4][a] This was considered to be the smallest gun that stood a chance of putting a surfaced U-boat out of action, and they also carried a small number of depth charges.[1][6] The trawlers were named after battles of the Western Front during the First World War that Canadians had been involved in. They cost between $155,000 and $160,000 per vessel.[3][b][c]