HMCS Stadacona

Stadacona in Royal Canadian Navy service

HMCS Stadacona was a commissioned patrol boat of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) that served in the First World War, and postwar until 1920. Before entering RCN service, she was the private steam yacht Columbia. After the war, Stadacona made hydrographic surveys. The vessel was sold for commercial use in 1920 and was burned for salvage in 1948. Stadacona is a historic name associated with Canada, the voyages Jacques Cartier, the colony of Samuel de Champlain, and Quebec City.

Origins

The vessel was built by Crescent Shipyard, Elizabeth, New Jersey as the American steam yacht Columbia, the second yacht of that name built for J. Harvey Ladew of New York, and modeled on the United States Coast Survey steamer that had been built in the same yard.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn Possible conversion into a naval auxiliary was a part of the design with coal-fired triple-expansion steam engines, capable of a guaranteed , allowing for steaming range of and a sail plan allowing even longer ranges.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

She was acquired by Aemilius Jarvis on behalf of the RCN in July 1915 along with the yacht Waterus from the New York shipbrokers Cox and Stevens for $155,000. (The sales were blocked by the then-neutral US government, and prolific champion yachtsman Commodore Jarvis subsequently had to sneak the ships from the US to Canada.) Columbia was renamed Stadacona, after a small Iroquois village which had previously occupied the site of Quebec City.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Canadian service

Stadacona was one of a number of American private yachts acquired by the RCN during the First World War. The vessel was commissioned into the RCN on 13 August 1915. Stadacona was then sent to the Canadian Vickers shipyard in Montreal, Quebec to fit out. The vessel was given one gun forward and a 12-pounder gun was added aft later in the war. The vessel then sailed to Sydney, Nova Scotia to begin her career as a patrol vessel in September.Template:Sfn In 1916 Stadacona was among the vessels assigned to patrol the Cabot Strait.Template:Sfn The vessel became flagship of the Canada's East Coast fleet based at Halifax under Vice Admiral Sir Charles Coke on 30 April 1916.Template:Sfn Stadacona remained flagship of the fleet after Walter Hose took over command from Sir Charles Coke on 14 August.Template:Sfn In August 1918 the German U-boat captured the fishing trawler Triumph off the East Coast of Canada. Using the trawler to get close to the Atlantic fishing fleets, the Germans sank several Canadian and American fishing trawlers. Stadacona was among the vessels dispatched to deal with the submarine. However, the Germans scuttled Triumph once the fishing trawler ran out of fuel.Template:Sfn

In early 1919 Stadacona, accompanied by a number of s, was sent to the west coast via the Panama Canal. She served as a dispatch vessel until being paid off on 31 March 1920, and transferred to government service.Template:Sfn The vessel was then used primarily used for hydrographic surveys and occasionally for fisheries patrol along the west coast until sold in 1924.Template:Sfn

Sale and subsequent career

Sold in 1924, Stadacona became the West Coast rum running depot ship Kuyakuzmt during Prohibition before being rebuilt in 1929 at Vancouver as the yacht Lady Stimson.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1931 the yacht was converted to a tugboat and renamed Moonlight Maid.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn During World War II the tugboat was acquired by the United States Army and converted to a cargo vessel in 1942 and operated as the coastal freighter, US Army FS-539.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1948, she was burned for salvage at Seattle, Washington and broken up by Foss Launch & Tug Co.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

See also

• HMCS Stadacona was also the name of an RCN shore establishment in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Bibliography

• Template:Csr

External links

• Converted civilian vessels
• Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Ship Technical Information
• Canadian Navy Heritage Project: Photo Archive