HMCS Sarnia was a Bangor-class minesweeper serving in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Built to a British design, the vessel measured 180 feet (54.9 meters) in length overall, with a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 meters) and a draught of 9 feet 9 inches (3.0 meters). Displacing approximately 672 long tons (683 tonnes), she had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted personnel. Powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single shaft, Sarnia used steam generated by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. These engines produced around 2,400 indicated horsepower, allowing her to reach a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h). She could carry up to 150 long tons (152 tonnes) of fuel oil. Her armament included a single QF 3-inch (76 mm) 20 cwt gun forward, a QF 2-pounder Mark VIII aft, and later, single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns on the bridge wings. For anti-submarine warfare, she was equipped with two depth charge launchers and four chutes, capable of deploying 40 depth charges. Sarnia was also fitted with LL and SA minesweeping gear designed to clear magnetic and acoustic mines. Constructed by Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. at Lauzon, Quebec, her keel was laid on 18 September 1941, and she was launched on 21 January 1942. She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Toronto on 13 August 1942. During her wartime service, Sarnia escorted convoys along the Atlantic coast, initially between Quebec and Sydney, then serving with Newfoundland Force until September 1944. After a major refit in Lunenburg, she participated in convoy escort and local defense roles, notably rescuing survivors from the torpedoed HMCS Esquimalt in April 1945. She also engaged in anti-submarine operations, including an unsuccessful depth charge attack on U-190. Following the war, Sarnia was decommissioned on 28 October 1945 and placed in reserve. She was later reacquired and refitted in 1951, with her pennant number changing to 190. In 1958, she was transferred to the Turkish Navy and renamed Büyükdere, serving until 1972, when she was decommissioned and broken up in Turkey. HMCS Sarnia's service highlights her role in Atlantic wartime convoy defense and minesweeping operations, reflecting the strategic importance of such vessels during WWII.

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