HMCS Esquimalt
Minesweeper · Canada · Lost 1945 · Nova Scotia & Sable Island
Torpedoed off Chebucto Head in April 1945, HMCS Esquimalt was the last Canadian warship sunk by enemy action in the Second World War.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMCS Esquimalt was a Bangor-class minesweeper of the Royal Canadian Navy, commissioned in 1942 and based at Halifax for much of the war. On 16 April 1945, while on anti-submarine patrol in the Halifax approaches, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-190 and sank quickly off Chebucto Head. Forty-four of her 71-man crew died, many from exposure while awaiting rescue in the cold water. She was the final Canadian warship lost to enemy action in the war, just weeks before Germany's surrender.
Vessel
- 1941
- Pennant J272
- Marine Industries Ltd.
- Sorel, Quebec
- Steel
- 162 ft
- 28 ft
- 592
- Diesel, twin screw
- Royal Canadian Navy
Loss
- April 16, 1945
- Enemy action
- About 5 miles off Chebucto Head, near Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Atlantic Ocean, Halifax approaches
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Not established
- 71
- 44
- Lieutenant Robert Cunningham MacMillan, RCNVR
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- War grave
Position
- 44.47° N 63.17° W
- Approximate position
- Chebucto Head, Halifax approaches
Position derived from the commonly cited loss coordinates of 44°28'N, 63°10'W, rounded.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Canada.ca, Royal Canadian Navy Ships' Histories: Esquimalt
Build, service history, loss date, and casualty figures.
uboat.net, Allied Warships: HMCS Esquimalt
Loss position and U-boat attack details.
The Canadian Encyclopedia, 'Sinking of HMCS Esquimalt'
Narrative of the attack and survivor accounts.
