The USS MacKenzie (DD-175) was a Wickes-class destroyer constructed for the United States Navy shortly after World War I. Laid down on July 4, 1918, by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, she was launched on September 29, 1918, and commissioned on July 25, 1919. As a Wickes-class vessel, she featured the typical design of the era, built for speed and versatility in fleet operations. Her initial service placed her within the Pacific Fleet, where she operated with Destroyer Squadrons 2 and 4 until her decommissioning at Mare Island on May 27, 1922. After remaining in reserve for several years, MacKenzie was recommissioned at San Diego on November 6, 1939, reflecting the growing naval needs on the eve of World War II. In 1940, as part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in exchange for strategic base rights off North America. She arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 20, 1940, and was decommissioned from the U.S. Navy on September 24. The same day, she was handed over and recommissioned as HMCS Annapolis, named after the Annapolis River in Nova Scotia, following Canadian naming conventions for destroyers. HMCS Annapolis primarily served as a convoy escort along the eastern coast of North America, operating with the Halifax and Western Local Escort Forces, protecting ships from east of St. John’s, Newfoundland, to New York until 1944. During her service, her No. 4 boiler was damaged and was not replaced, leading to modifications in her superstructure. From April 1944, she was stationed at HMCS Cornwallis near Annapolis, Nova Scotia, functioning as a training ship until the end of World War II. After the war, she was transferred to the War Assets Corporation and sold for scrapping in June 1945. An important maritime artifact from the vessel is her ship’s bell, now held by the town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The ship played a notable role in the naval efforts of World War II, transitioning from American service to Canadian, exemplifying the cooperation between Allied navies during the conflict.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.