HMCS Camrose ( K154 ) HMCS " Camrose " was a Royal Canadian Navy which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War . She was named for Camrose , Alberta . Background . Flower - class corvettes like " Camrose " 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 . " Camrose " was ordered on 22 January 1940 as part of the 1939 - 1940 Flower - class building program and laid down atby Marine Industries Ltd . at Sorel on 17 September 1940 . She was launched on 16 November 1940 and commissioned 30 June 1941 at Sorel . " Camrose " had three refits during her career , the first being at Lunenburg in February 1942 until May 1942 . The second refit took place at Pictou in April 1943 and took five and a half months to complete , among the work being done was an extension to the fo ' c ' sle . Her final major refit took place again at Pictou in September 1944 . Wartime Service . Initially assigned to Halifax Force in July 1941 , she was transferred to Newfoundland Command in October of that year . She worked as an ocean escort on convoys from St . John ' s to Iceland until February 1942 when she was laid up for a refit . Upon her return to active service , she returned to Newfoundland Command . In June 1942 she was reassigned to the Western Local Escort Force ( WLEF ) . In October that year she was sent to the United Kingdom to take on escort duties for convoys supplying Operation Torch . " Camrose " would spend five months escorting convoys from the UK to Gibraltar . In April she was sent for another refit , only returning to active service after five months . Upon completion of her workups , she was assigned to escort group EG - 6 with the Royal Navy . During this time she escorted convoys from the UK to Gibraltar or Freetown . While on escort duty in the North Atlantic on 8 January 1944 , " Camrose " was involved in the sinking of the German submarine " U - 757 " alongside the HMS " Bayntun " . In May 1944 she was assigned to Western Approaches Command at Greenock . As part of her invasion duties , she escorted convoys to and from Normandy . In September 1944 she returned to Canada and went for another refit . Upon her resumption of duties in January 1945 she was made part of escort group EG 41 of the Royal Navy out of Plymouth . She served with that group until VE - Day . " Camrose " took part in the reoccupation of St . Helier in the Channel Islands . In June 1945 she returned to Canada for good and on 22 July 1945 she was paid off at Sydney , Nova Scotia . After the war she was broken up at Hamilton in 1947 .