HMCS Bras d'Or (1919)

HMCS Bras d'Or was an auxiliary minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy between 1939 and 1940 when it sank with all hands in a storm. Previous to its service in the RCN it served as Lightship No. 25 in the Department of Marine and Fisheries (Canada).

Early History
Bras d'Or was ordered by a New York ship owner who also ordered five other trawlers of the same class. Soon after her launch, the ship owner went bankrupt and the Bras d'Or and her sisters were sold incomplete. She was finally finished in 1926 by the shipyard in Sorel, Quebec for lightship service with the Department of Marine and Fisheries as Lightship No. 25.

Naval Requisition
With the lead up to war many civilian departments within the Canadian Government had their ships requisitioned for use in the naval service. Bras d'Or was requisitioned on 15 September 1939 and was converted to an Auxiliary Minesweeper and received her new name and posting. Her first posting was to Halifax (former city), Nova Scotia where she was tasked to patrol the harbour approaches to free up major warships for convoy duty.

On the 14th of November 1939 the Bras d’Or and HMCS Fraser (H48) collided in the approaches of Halifax Harbour. The incident lead to a board of inquiry that was clouded in suspicion regarding the findings. Many believed that the board had tried to protect a regular naval officer, Commander W.B. Creery, RCN Captain of the Fraser, at the expense of a reserve officer, Lt A.K. Young, RCNR Captain of the Bras d’Or.

St. Lawrence Patrol
Bras d’Or was posted to Rimouski, Quebec as part of the St. Lawrence Patrol, responsible for searching shallow waters for mines that were believed to be laid by Nazi U-boats.

During its short time spent in the St. Lawrence the Bras d'Or was very active patrolling for mines. On the 10th of June 1940 she intercepted and captured the Italian freighter Capo Noli in its attempt to escape to axis occupied Europe. The crew of the Italian freighter ran their ship aground and set her on fire in an attempt to destroy the vessel, however the Bras d'Or crew was able to board and douse the fire. The Capo Noli was eventually renamed and put into Canadian Government service as a freighter named Bic Island, named after the island it had tried to destroy itself on.

The Bras d'Or Is Overdue
On the 17th of October 1940 the Bras d'Or was ordered to proceed to Clarke City, Quebec to shadow the Romanian freighter Inginer N. Vlassopol and to ensure that she made way to Sydney, Nova Scotia. While departing Rimouski the Bras d'Or grounded herself on a shoal only minutes outside of port. She managed to free herself and continue on to Clarke City. She departed Clarke City on the 18th shadowing the Romanian freighter. Both ships encountered poor weather on the way to Sydney and as darkness fell both ships turned on their navigation lights, an odd thing for a naval vessel to do during war time. At 0350 on the 19th the First Officer of the Inginer N. Vlassopol reported that the lights of the Bras d'Or had suddenly vanished.

Aftermath
The Romanian freighter arrived in Sydney with out the Bras d'Or and the authorities in Sydney announced that she was 9 days overdue. The Master of the Romanian freighter was interviewed by A/Cdr J.D. Prentice and the Master reported that the Bras d'Or had been with her until he had gone to bed, and that his First Officer had reported the lights on the Bras d'Or going out.

It is believed that she had sustained unnoticed hull damage when she had run aground just outside of Rimouski, and that it combined with the poor weather and sea conditions led to its destruction. The entire Atlantic seaboard had been experiencing poor conditions and the fishing vessel Bluebird from Newfoundland was also lost in the storm.

The Royal Canadian Navy released a 225 word statement regarding the overdue Bras d'Or and gave a small bio of its Captain and a recount of it capturing the Capo Noli.

Commanding Officers

 * LT A.K. Young, RCNR 9/10/39-25/4/40
 * LT C.A. Hornsby, RCNR 26/4/40-19/10/40

Crew Lost

 * Armes, Walter G., OS
 * Brenton, George W., Tel
 * Brown, Walter J., AB
 * Burton, Joseph P.L., Skpr
 * Chaddock, Harold G., Sto
 * Clancy, Harold G., AB
 * Conrad, Elward R., Skpr
 * Cumming, Malcom, Lt(E)
 * D'Entremont, Joseph F., LS
 * Doherty, William J., AB
 * Ellis, Gerald K., Cook
 * Gordon, Gilbert B., Stwd
 * Hacker, John W., Sto PO
 * Hill, Leonard, Engnmn
 * Hillier, Walter M., AB
 * Hornsby, Charles A., Lt, Captain
 * Jones, Hugh J.F., PO
 * Keating, William D., AB
 * Korning, Isben, Tel
 * May, Clarence L., AB
 * Murphy, Harry, Engnmn
 * Pelletier, Joseph E.R., AB
 * Pettipas, Guy D., Sto
 * Ruel, Herman, Skpr
 * Stasin, John J., O. Sig
 * Stewart, Joseph E., Sto
 * Walters, Gordon W. AB
 * Watson, Matthew, ERA
 * Webb, Miles L., Sig
 * Young, James L., Sto

Legacy
A second ship named HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400) was commissioned into the Canadian Forces in 1968. HMCS Bras d'Or was a hydrofoil that served in the Canadian Forces from 1968 to 1971. During sea trials in 1969, the vessel exceeded 63 knots (117 km/h; 72 mph), making her the fastest unarmed warship in the world.

Located in Rothesay, New Brunswick, Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps Bras d'Or (#268) remains as a memory to the Bras d'Or. As of 2013 the corps was parading 30 cadets each night. The Bras d'Or Sea Cadet Corps is the home to the 2007 National Top Sea Cadet of the Year, New Brunswick's Top CIC Officer of the Year, and New Brunswick's Top Sea Cadet of the Year.