British "C-Crusader Class Destroyers. All were Transferred to Royal Canadian Navy
The five ships of the C class were assigned to Home Fleet upon their completion, although they reinforced the Mediterranean Fleet during the Italian invasion of Abyssinia of 1935–36 and enforced the Non-Intervention Agreement during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39. They were transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1937–39 and spent most of their time during World War II on convoy escort duties in the Atlantic Ocean. Crescent was sunk when she was accidentally rammed by the British cruiser HMS Calcutta in 1940. Crusader was sunk by a German submarine in 1942, though she had sunk an Italian submarine in 1940. The other ships of the class sank three German submarines during the war. They were all worn out by the end of the war and were scrapped in 1946–47.
Pennant
number Name Builder Laid down Launched Completed Fate
C class
D18 (changed in 1940 to I18) Kempenfelt J. Samuel White, Cowes[13] 18 October 1930[13] 29 October 1931[13] 30 May 1932[13] To Canada as HMCS Assiniboine 1939, wrecked on Prince Edward Island, 10 November 1945, scrapped 1952[4]
H00 Comet HM Dockyard, Portsmouth[13] 12 September 1930[13] 30 September 1931[13] 2 June 1932[13] To Canada as HMCS Restigouche 1938, scrapped 1946[14]
H60 Crusader HM Dockyard, Portsmouth[13] 12 September 1930[13] 30 September 1931[13] 2 May 1932[13] To Canada as HMCS Ottawa 1938, torpedoed by German submarine U-91, 13 September 1942[15]
H83 Cygnet Vickers Armstrongs, Barrow 1 December 1930[13] 29 September 1931[13] 15 April 1932[13] To Canada as HMCS St. Laurent 1937, scrapped 1947[16]
H48 Crescent Vickers Armstrongs, Barrow 1 December 1930[13] 29 September 1931[13] 1 April 1934[13] To Canada as HMCS Fraser 1937, sunk in collision with HMS Calcutta in Gironde estuary, 25 June 1940[17]
Late-war picture of Assiniboine. Note the Type 271 radar above the bridge, the Hedgehog mortar shells to the right of 'A' gun and the 20 Oerlikon mount on the bridge wing.
Restigouche showing her early war modifications, including shortened aft funnel, 12-pounder AA gun in lieu of the rear torpedo mount, and 'Y' gun replaced by additional depth charge storage.
Canadian destroyer HMS Ottawa (H60). She was originally the Royal Navy C class destroyer HMS Crusader (H60) from 1932-1938.
Photograph of Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Laurent (H83) (originally HMS Cygnet).
HMCS Fraser on 22 June 1940, three days before her loss
