HMCS ANNAN (K404)

HMCS ANNAN

HMCS ANNAN

The History of HMCS ANNAN

HMCS Annan (K404) was a River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy. Named for a river in Scotland, she was the only vessel to carry the name in RCN service.

Built by Hall, Russell and Co. Ltd. at Aberdeen, Scotland, for the Royal Navy, her keel was laid on 10 June 1943 and she was launched on 29 December 1943. She was transferred newly completed to the RCN at Aberdeen and commissioned as HMCS Annan on 13 June 1944. Displacement was about 1,468 tonnes, with dimensions of roughly 91 metres by 11.2 metres by 2.7 metres. She could make 19 knots and carried a crew of 141. Armament included a twin 4-inch gun mount, four 20-mm guns and a Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar, plus depth charges.

After working up at Tobermory, she joined Escort Group 6 at Londonderry. The group, made up of Canadian frigates, carried out patrol and convoy escort duties in UK waters. She took part in operations linked to the Normandy landings and later patrolled the Faroes-Shetlands gap against U-boats. On 16 October 1944, while on anti-submarine patrol south of the Faroes, Annan and other ships of the group forced the German submarine U-1006 to the surface. After an exchange of gunfire, Annan sank the U-boat with depth charges and rescued 46 survivors. She earned the battle honours Atlantic 1944 and North Sea 1944.

In April 1945 Escort Group 6 moved to Halifax, but Annan sailed for the United Kingdom on 29 May and was handed back to the Royal Navy at Sheerness on 20 June 1945, when she was paid off from RCN service. In November 1945 she was sold to the Danish Navy, renamed Niels Ebbesen, and used mainly as a training ship. She was broken up at Odense, Denmark, in 1963.

HMCS ANNAN Statistical Data

  • Pendant: K404
  • Type: Frigate
  • Class: RIVER Class EX-RN
  • Displacement: 1445 tonnes
  • Length: 301.5 ft
  • Width: 36.6 ft
  • Draught: 9 ft
  • Speed: 19 kts
  • Compliment: 8 Officers and 133 Crew
  • Arms: 2-4" (1 x II), 4-20mm, Hedgehog
  • Builder: Hall, Russell & Co. Ltd., Aberdeen, Scotland
  • Keel Laid: 10-Jun-43
  • Date Launched: 29-Dec-43
  • Date Commissioned: 13-Jun-44
  • Paid off: 20-Jun-45

Photos

Newly built HMS Annan at anchor. (Imperial War Musuem Collection, via Wikimedia Commons)

Newly built HMS Annan at anchor. (Imperial War Musuem Collection, via Wikimedia Commons)

HMCS Annan - "Annan gets a UBT" 3 tier depth charge rails. (Library and Archives Canada)

HMCS Annan - "Annan gets a UBT" 3 tier depth charge rails. (Library and Archives Canada)

Keywords: HMCS ANNAN, Royal Canadian Navy Ship, Frigate, RIVER Class EX-RN Class