HMCS Cobalt

There has been only 1 vessel named Cobalt in the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS Cobalt (K124)

Built at Port Arthur, now Thunder Bay, Ontario, and commissioned there on November 25, 1940, the Flower Class corvette HMCS Cobalt was taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in advance of completion to beat the St. Lawrence freeze-up, arriving December 24. Completing early in January 1941, she worked up and joined Halifax Force, but left on May 23 with the other 6 corvettes that first formed Newfoundland Escort Group.

For the next 6 months she operated as an ocean escort between St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Iceland, proceeding in mid-November to Liverpool, Nova Scotia for a 3-month refit. Following completion she made 2 round trips to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, before being assigned in May 1942 to Western Local Escort Force, with which she was to spend the balance of the war. HMCS Cobalt served with Escort Group W-6 from June 1943; with W-5 from April 1944; and with W-7 from February 1945. During the second of 2 other extensive refits at Liverpool, Nova Scotia from April to July 20, 1944 her forecastle was lengthened.

HMCS Cobalt was paid off at Sorel, Quebec, on June 17, 1945 and subsequently sold for conversion to a whale-catcher, entering service in 1953 as the Dutch Johanna W. Vinke. On December 31, 1961 she suffered a boiler explosion while whaling, and was declared a constructive total loss. She was broken up at Cape Town, South Africa in 1963.

• Builder: Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Port Arthur, Ontario
• Laid down: April 1, 1940
• Launched: August 17, 1940
• Date commissioned: November 25, 1940
• Date paid off: June 17, 1945
• Displacement: 950 tons
• Dimensions: 62.5 m x 10.1 m x 3.5 m
• Speed: 16 knots
• Crew: 85
• Armament: one 4-inch (102-mm) gun, one 2-pound (0.9 kg) gun, two 20-mm guns (2 x I), one Hedgehog mortar and depth charges.

Battle honours

• Atlantic 1941-45