HMCS Fennel

There has been only one vessel named Fennel in the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS Fennel (K194) / Flower-class Corvette

Built at Sorel, Fennel was towed in December 1940 to Liverpool, NS, for completion and commissioned into the RN there on 16 January 1941. She left Halifax on 5 March with convoy HX.113 for the UK. While there received finishing touches at Greenock. In May 1941 Fennel was commissioned into the RCN, and following workups at Tobermory in June she was assigned to Newfoundland Escort Force, first serving as an ocean escort between St. John’s and Iceland, then between St. John’s, NL and Londonderry, UK.

In June 1942 she commenced a year’s service with the newly formed Western Local Escort Force. She underwent a refit, including fo’c’s’le extension, at New York from mid-July to late September 1942. In June 1943 she was detached to EG C-2 for one round trip to Londonderry, UK, and, on returning, she went to Baltimore, MD, for a refit, completing on 6 September. After working up at Pictou she resumed her ocean escort duties with C-2. On 6 March 1944, Fennel was one of seven escorts of HX.280 that hounded U 744 to its death.

In August 1944 she had two months’ refit at Pictou, NS, followed by three weeks’ workups in Bermuda. At year’s end she transferred to EG C-1 for the duration of the war. Fennel arrived at Greenock on 29 May 1945 from one of the last convoys, and was returned to the RN at Londonderry on 12 June. She was sold in 1946 for conversion to a whale-catcher, entering service in 1948 as the Norwegian Milliam Kihl. She was broken up at Grimstad, Norway, in 1966

• Builder: Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, QC
• Date laid down: 29 March 1940
• Date launched: 20 July 1940
• Date commissioned RCN: 15 May 1941  
• Fo’c’s’le extension completed: New York, NY, September 1942
• Date paid off: 12 June 1945
• Displacement: 965.2 tonnes
• Dimensions: 62.5 m x 10.1 m x 3.5 m      
• Speed: 16 knots
• Crew: 85
• Armament: one 4-inch one 2-pdr., two 20-mm, Hedgehog

Battle honours:

• Atlantic 1941-45