HMCS Weyburn ( K173 ) HMCS " Weyburn " was a Royal Canadian Navy which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War . She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic . She was named for Weyburn , Saskatchewan . She was sunk by mine in 1943 . Background . Flower - class corvettes like " Weyburn " serving with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were different to earlier and more traditional sail - driven corvettes . The " corvette " designation was created by the French as a class of small warships ; the Royal Navy borrowed the term for a period but discontinued its use in 1877 . During the hurried preparations for war in the late 1930s , Winston Churchill reactivated the corvette class , needing a name for smaller ships used in an escort capacity , in this case based on a whaling ship design . The generic name " flower " was used to designate the class of these ships , which – in the Royal Navy – were named after flowering plants . Corvettes commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War were named after communities for the most part , to better represent the people who took part in building them . This idea was put forth by Admiral Percy W . Nelles . Sponsors were commonly associated with the community for which the ship was named . Royal Navy corvettes were designed as open sea escorts , while Canadian corvettes were developed for coastal auxiliary roles which was exemplified by their minesweeping gear . Eventually the Canadian corvettes would be modified to allow them to perform better on the open seas . Construction . " Weyburn " was ordered 1 February 1940 as part of the 1939 - 1940 Flower - class building program . She was laid down at Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company , Port Arthur on 21 December 1940 and launched on 26 July 1941 . She was commissioned 26 November 1941 at Montreal , Quebec . During her career , " Weyburn " underwent two major refits , one not soon after entering service . It took place at Halifax beginning in March 1942 and completing in April . Her second refit took place at Liverpool where she had extra AA weaponry in the form of two additional 20 - mm Oerlikons put in place . She never had her fo ' c ' sle extended . War service . " Weyburn " was initially assigned to Halifax Force but needed repairs soon after entering service . She joined the Western Local Escort Force ( WLEF ) after workups . In July 1942 , " Weyburn " was reassigned to the Gulf Escort Force , escorting convoys from Quebec to Sydney , Nova Scotia as the U - boat threat had penetrated the Gulf of St . Lawrence . During her time with the force , she rescued 42 survivors from the torpedoed British merchant " Frederika Lensen " in the Gulf of St . Lawrence near Anticosti Island . In September 1942 , " Weyburn " was among the Canadian corvettes assigned to Operation Torch , the invasion of North Africa . En route across the Atlantic she picked up three survivors from the British tanker " Athelsultan " that had been torpedoed southeast of Cape Farewell . She arrived in the United Kingdom in October and went to Liverpool for a refit that involved adding extra anti - aircraft armaments . In November 1942 , " Weyburn " sailed on her first Torch convoy and continued in this service until February 1943 . Sinking . On 22 February 1943 , " Weyburn " struck a mine east of Gibraltar which had been laid by " U - 118 " three weeks earlier . The mine ripped open the portside amidships , splitting the funnel from bottom to top , buckling the decks . The sea entered the engine room causing pipes to burst . After the initial explosion , all firing pins from the depth charges were safely removed except for two , which had jammed . This was done in hope that should the ship sink , the depth charges would not explode as the ship went under . HMS " Wivern " came to " Weyburn " s aid , nudging her bow against the corvettes stern to take the crew off . Roughly twenty minutes into the rescue operation , something gave way inside " Weyburn " and the ship sank . As the ship sank the two depth charges whose pins had not been removed exploded , killing those in the water and killing and severely injuring members of the " Wivern " s crew in the forward half of the ship . " Wivern " herself was severely damaged and had to be towed back to port .