Bang bang Bangor

Following a break I did another scratch built vessel. I wanted one that could have met the Kriegsmarine in Channel. Banging on S-Boote.

The small size Bangor class minesweepers are designed for coastal area work. Built in many variations with different propulsion and length. Diesel engine had been 6 m shorter because they had no boiler rooms. 10 Canadian and 4 British are built with Diesel. But none of these RCN ones served in Europe.

So I decided to do a reciprocating engine one. I gave it the Canadian 45° bow section end (below stack), not the 90° typical for British built .A dozen of these came over for D Day

There had been many variations of armament, British built had 1 12pdr QF (7,6 cm) gun and a quad 0.5 (12,7mm) Mark III MG. Or whatever was available.

Canadian ones got a 4 in (10,6 cm) QF gun and a 2pdr MK VIII. Two .303 MG at bridge got replaced by most with 2 cm guns.
My model has the 2 cm and aft a twin 40 mm for late war.

The missing thing is the number. I have not yet decided about it.

The small size made them bad sea boats, even worse than Flower class corvettes. Diesel ones had the poorest handling. The shallow draught made them Rock and Roll and the bow dived deep against head seas.
Designed for 40 men it was overcrowded with 60 + officers. (Canadian reciprocating engine ones 70 men). Worse, it had not enough room provided for the acoustic and magnetic minesweeping gear carried.
Some operated as escorts without minesweeping gears but more DC. Like Diesel RCN Esquimalt (J272) that was plagued by constant mechanical problems. Torpedoed and sunk on 16 April 1945 by U 190, last Canadian warship sunk. Being the only Diesel Bangor war loss.
Quick construction caused many problems. Not all builders had been as good as Harland and Wolff / Scotland that built the type ship.

Bangors operated everywhere. Jobs like minesweeping in English Channel, at Dieppe or D-Day. Or escorting in Pedestal convoy and sweeping around Malta. Canadian ones defended the coasts of Canada against mines and submarines.