HMCS Skeena (D59)



HMCS Skeena was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from 1931 to 1944. She was similar to the Royal Navy's A class and wore initially the pennant D59, changed in 1940 to I59.

She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Woolston, Hampshire and commissioned into the RCN on 10 June 1931 at Portsmouth, England. Skeena and her sister HMCS Saguenay (D79) were the first ships specifically built for the Royal Canadian Navy. She arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 3 July 1931.

Second World War
Skeena rescued 65 survivors of the British merchant ship Manipur, sunk by GS U-57 (1938) off Cape Wrath on 17 July 1940. On 2 September 1940 she rescued 19 survivors of the British merchant ship Thornlea, sunk by GS U-46 (1938) in the North Atlantic. On 14 October 1940 Skeena and the corvette HMS Periwinkle rescued 220 members of the crew of HMS Cheshire, which GS U-137 (1940) had damaged by torpedo. On 23 November 1940 Skeena rescued 6 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship Bruce, damaged by GS U-100 (1940) and 9 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship Salonica, sunk by U-100 nearby.

Skeena was assigned to North Atlantic convoy Escort Group C-3 escorting convoys ON 93, HX 191, ONS 104, SC 90, ON 115, HX 202, ON 121, SC 98, ON 131, HX 210, ON 141, SC 109, ONS 152 prior to refit in January 1943. On 31 July 1942, Skeena recorded her first victory with HMCS Wetaskiwin (K175) when they depth charged and sank GS U-588 while escorting ON 115 at 49.98333°N, -36.6°W.

Grounding
Skeena was lost in a storm on the night of 24 October 1944. She was anchored off Reykjavík, Iceland and dragged her anchor and grounded in 50 ft waves off Viðey Island with the loss of 15 crewmembers.

Her hulk was paid off and sold to Iceland interests in June 1945; she was then raised and broken up. Her propeller was salvaged and used in a memorial near the Viðey Island ferry terminal.