Minesweepers: Fundy Class

[Brian James]

Fundy Class Minesweeper (Ice strengthened Hull version of the RN Basset Class Minesweeper/Trawler) HMCS Comox pictured in 1938.The vessels were intended for use as Mine-sweepers and for Anti-Submarine Warfare, and the design was based on commercial types, adapted for naval use. Comox was ordered on August 23rd 1937 and was laid down on February 5th 1938 by Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd Shipyard. at Vancouver, British Columbia with the yard number 117 and launched on August 9th later that year.She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on November 23rd 1938.

[TerraNova]

There were only four of this class of minesweeper and they were completed by 1938. All were "improved" versions of the Bassett Class. They were allocated two to each coast. Once the much larger wartime Bangor Class program started to churn out ships, the Fundy Class became obsolete due rto the change in technology to oil burning and eventually diesel power. All four of the Fundy class survived the war. Three were bought by Chinese interest and converted to tugs while one served the RCN for a short period as a research vessel before becoming a commercial freighter.

Brian