H.M.C.S. Wetaskiwin - Wetaskiwin, AB
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 52° 58.235 W 113° 22.471
12U E 340549 N 5871637
On the south wall of a building in the compound surrounding the Wetaskiwin Legion is this mural of The H.M.C.S. Wetaskiwin, named for the city in which this mural was painted.
Waymark Code: WMZ9AN
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 10/03/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Outspoken1
Views: 1

The mural occupies essentially the entire wall of the building. It is signed but is mostly illegible. The first name appears to be "Scott", the date about "1999"; the last name is illegible.

The H.M.C.S. Wetaskiwin was a FLOWER Class 950 tonne Corvette, built by the Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd in Vancouver. B.C. Commissioned on December 17, 1940, she was the the first west coast-built corvette to enter service in the Royal Canadian Navy. She went on to do convoy duty in the North Atlantic through World War II. On July 31, 1942 the Wetaskiwin and the destroyer HMCS Skeena combined to sink UBoat U-588. She was paid off (decommissioned) on June 19, 1945, and sold the next year to the Venezuelan Navy, which renamed her Victoria. She remained in service with the Venezuelan Navy until 1962, at which time she was discarded.

WETASKIWIN Statistical Data
  • Pendant: K175
  • Type: Corvette
  • Class: FLOWER Class 1939-1940
  • Displacement: 950 tonnes
  • Length: 205.1 ft
  • Width: 33.1 ft
  • Draught: 11.5 ft
  • Speed: 16 kts
  • Compliment: 6 Officers and 79 Crew
  • Arms: 1-4" Gun, 1-2 pdr, 2-20mm, Hedgehog
  • Builder: Burrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd. Vancouver. B.C.
  • Keel Laid: 11-Apr-40
  • Date Launched: 18-Jul-40
  • Date Commissioned: 17-Dec-40
  • Paid off: 19-Jun-45
The History of the WETASKIWIN
Commissioned at Esquimalt on December 17, 1940, she was the first west coast-built corvette to enter service. On patrol out of Esquimalt until she left on March 17, 1941, for the Atlantic, she arrived at Halifax on April 13 and left on May 23 for St. John's to become one of the founding members of NEF. In June she escorted her first convoy, HX.130, to Iceland, and during the next eight months made six round trips there with eastbound convoys. She returned to Halifax on January 24, 1942, and in February commenced a major refit at Liverpool, N.S. After working up in May she joined EG C-3, arriving in Londonderry on June 5 for the first time from convoy HX.191. During this period Wetaskiwin participated in two major convoy actions: SC.42 (September, 1941); and SC.48 (October, 1941).

On July 31, 1942, while escorting ON.115, she shared with Skeena the sinking of 588. In mid-January, 1943 she arrived at Liverpool, N.S., for refit, which was completed on March 9 and followed by further repairs at Halifax. In May, 1943, she joined EG C-5, and that December went to Galveston, Texas, for a long refit, including extension of her fo'c's'le. Following its completion on March 6, 1944, she returned briefly to Halifax before proceeding to Bermuda for work-ups late in April. Returning northward, she re-joined C-5, leaving Londonderry on September 23 for the last time to join EG W-7, WLEF, for the remainder of the war.

She was paid off at Sorel on June 19, 1945, and sold in 1946 to the Venezuelan Navy, which renamed her Victoria. She was discarded in 1962.
From Ready Aye Ready
H.M.C.S. Wetaskiwin in Action on the Atlantic - Photo courtesy of Wiki
City: Wetaskiwin

Location Name: Legion No. 86

Date: ca 1999

Media: Paint on masonry

Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

Artist: Not listed

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