Allied Warships

HMCS Prince David (F 89)

Armed Merchant Cruiser of the Prince class

NavyThe Royal Canadian Navy
TypeArmed Merchant Cruiser
ClassPrince 
PennantF 89 
Built byCammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down12 Feb 1930 
Launched 
Commissioned28 Dec 1940 
End service11 Jun 1945 
History

Conversion to armed merchant cruiser completed on 28 December 1940.
Rebuilt as Landing Ship Infantry LSI(M) from 1 March 1943 and recommissioned as such on 6 January 1944.
As LSI(M) she was armed with 2 4" AA guns (1x2), 1 40mm AA, 6 20mm AA (6x1).
She carried 2 LCM's, 1 LCS(M) and 5 LCA's or LCP(L)'s and 444 troops.

Decommissioned 11 June 1945.
Sold into mercantile service in 1946 as Charlton Monarch.
Scrapped at Swansea, Wales in 1951.

 

Commands listed for HMCS Prince David (F 89)

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CommanderFromTo
1T/Cdr. William Barclay Armit, RCNR28 Dec 194024 Mar 1941
2Cdr. Kenneth Frederick Adams, RCN25 Mar 19411 Dec 1941
3A/Capt. Valentine Stuart Godfrey, RCN2 Dec 194118 Mar 1942
4T/Lt. Thomas Douglas Kelly, RCNR19 Mar 194216 Apr 1942
5A/Capt. Valentine Stuart Godfrey, RCN17 Apr 194217 Apr 1943
6T/Lt.Cdr. Thomas Douglas Kelly, RCNR18 Apr 194311 Jun 1945

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Notable events involving Prince David include:


16 Apr 1941
HMS Caradoc (Capt. J.S. Bethell, RN) arrived at Barbedos.

She departed to patrol east of Martinue later the same day to relieve HMCS Prince David (Cdr. K.F. Adams, RCN) which she did around 0545Q/17. (1)

11 May 1941
HMS Caradoc (Capt. J.S. Bethell, RN) and HMCS Prince David (Cdr. K.F. Adams, RCN) both departed Port of Spain, Trinidad to establish a patrol about 200 nautical miles to the east of Martinique. The object of the patrol was to intercept an enemy raider or a laden Vichy-French merchant vessel proceeding from the French West Indies to France of French North Africa. (2)

21 May 1941
HMS Diomede (Capt. J.W. Farquhar, RN) intercepted the Vichy-French tanker Shéhérazade (13467 GRT, built 1935) about 800 nautical miles east-south-east of Bermuda in position 29°37'N, 49°16'W.

The Canadian armed merchant cruiser HMCS Prince David (Cdr. K.F. Adams, RCN) which had also been ordered to search for the tanker arrived at the spot about two hours later. (3)

8 Jul 1941
HMS Despatch (Commodore 2nd cl. C.E. Douglas-Pennant, DSC, RN) and HMCS Prince David (Cdr. K.F. Adams, RCN) both arrived at St. Lucia from patrol. (4)

27 Aug 1941
HMS Rodney (Capt. J.W. Rivett-Carnac, DSC, RN) departed Bermuda as a possible German warship (thought to be a Hipper-class cruiser) was reported in the North Atlantic, in position 34°30'N, 51°47'W, steering 140° at 25 knots, by the Canadian armed merchant cruiser HMCS Prince David (Cdr. K.F. Adams, RCN). HMS Rodney was ordered to proceed to position 25°00'N, 40°00'W to try to intercept. (5)

15 Sep 1941
Around 1430P/10, HMS Newcastle (Capt. E.A. Aylmer, DSC, RN), parted company in position 34°58'N, 46°30'W, with the troopship Durban Castle (17388 GRT, built 1938) and the armed merchant cruisers Queen of Bermuda (Capt. A.T.G.C. Peachey, RN) and HMCS Prince David (Cdr. K.F. Adams, RCN).

HMCS Prince David had joined them at 1100P/10.

HMS Newcastle then set course for Bermuda while the other ships continued their passage towards the U.K. (6)

Sources

  1. ADM 53/113818 + ADM 199/402
  2. ADM 53/113819 + ADM 199/402
  3. ADM 53/114121
  4. ADM 53/114076 + ADM 199/402
  5. ADM 53/115030 + ADM 199/402
  6. ADM 53/114789 + ADM 53/114922 + ADM 199/402

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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