HMCS Stratford was a Bangor-class minesweeper of the Royal Canadian Navy, built during World War II to fulfill convoy escort and minesweeping duties in Atlantic waters. The vessel was constructed by Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. in Lauzon, Quebec, with her keel laid on October 29, 1941. Launched on February 14, 1942, she was commissioned into service on August 29, 1942, in Toronto. The Stratford 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 was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single shaft, powered by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. These engines produced 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW), enabling 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 and had a crew complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted personnel. Armament on the Stratford included a single QF 12-pounder (3-inch) 12 cwt HA gun mounted 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. Throughout her service, Stratford was assigned to Newfoundland Force and primarily performed convoy escort duties. After a refit at Dartmouth in December 1944, she participated in workups from Bermuda in early 1945. However, on March 11, 1945, she collided with the destroyer HMCS Ottawa in the approaches to Halifax, resulting in significant damage to her forecastle. This collision rendered her unusable, and she remained inactive until her decommissioning on January 4, 1946. Subsequently, she was placed on the disposal list and sold for scrap, being broken up in 1946. The Stratford’s operational history highlights her role in Atlantic convoy protection during the war, before her ultimate end as a maritime scrap.

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