HMCS Minas

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

HMCS Minas (J165 / 189)

The Bangor class minesweeper HMCS Minas was built at Vancouver, British Columbia, and commissioned there October 2, 1941. She sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 13, arriving on October 19.

After brief service with Sydney Force, she was assigned to Newfoundland Force in January 1942. That November, she transferred to Western Local Escort Force and, when it was divided into escort groups in June, she became a member of Escort Group W-7. In December, she was reassigned to W-4.

On February 1, 1943, she collided with HMS Liscomb outside Halifax, necessitating a month’s repairs. HMCS Minas left Halifax for the United Kingdom on February 20, 1944, with HMCS Blairmore, HMCS Fort William and HMCS Milltown via the Azores. Upon arrival on March 8, she was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla for invasion duties, and was on hand on D-Day. In September, she proceeded to Canada to refit at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, returning to Plymouth, England, in January 1945. There she joined the 31st Flotilla until she sailed again for Canada on September 4.

HMCS Minas was paid off into reserve at Shelburne, Nova Scotia, on October 6, 1945, and later moved to Sorel, Quebec, but was reacquired by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1952 and re-commissioned on March 15, 1955, for training on the west coast. Paid off on November 7, 1955, she was sold in August 1958 and broken up at Seattle, United-States, the following year.

• Builder: Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia
• Laid down: October 18, 1940
• Date launched: January 22, 1941
• Date commissioned: August 2, 1941
• Date paid off: October 6, 1945
• Displacement: 682.8 tonnes
• Dimensions: 54.9 m x 8.7 m x 2.5 m
• Speed: 16 knots
• Crew: 83
• Armament: one 4-inch (102-mm) gun, two 20-mm (2 single mounts) guns and depth charges.

Battle honours

• Atlantic 1941-1944
• Normandy 1944