HMCS Kenogami ( K125 ) HMCS " Kenogami " ( K 125 ) was a Royal Canadian Navy that served during World War II . She served primarily in convoy escort duties during the Battle of the Atlantic . Background . Flower - class corvettes like " Kenogami " 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 . " Kenogami " was ordered 1 February 1940 as part of the 1939 - 1940 " Flower " - class building program . She was laid down by Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co . at Port Arthur on 20 April 1940 and was launched on 5 September 1940 . She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy ( RCN ) on 29 June 1941 at Montreal . " Kenogami " underwent two major refits during her career . The first took place in June 1942 until August at Halifax . The second began in June 1944 at Liverpool , Nova Scotia and was completed in October of that year . During the second refit , her fo ' c ' sle was extended . War Service . After arrival at Halifax , " Kenogami " briefly served with Halifax Force . In August 1941 she was assigned to Newfoundland Command where she worked with escort groups 24N , N16 and N17 . " Kenogami " took part in the severe convoy battle for SC 42 . The convoy lost a total of eighteen merchant ships . On 10 September 1941 , " Kenogami " , under the command of Lieutenant Commander R . Jackson , RCNVR , rescued 34 survivors from the crew of the British merchant ship " Sally Mærsk " , which was torpedoed and sunk by " U - 81 " east - northeast of Cape Farewell at . The following day , " Kenogami " and rescued 41 survivors from the crew of the British merchant " Berury " , which was torpedoed and sunk by east of Cape Farewell at . " Kenogami " , later the same day , rescued a further 7 survivors from the crew of the British merchant " Stonepool " , which was also torpedoed and sunk by " U - 207 " east of Cape Farewell at . Initially , " Kenogami " was supposed to turn around at Iceland , but the attack had been overwhelming and she escorted the convoy all the way to the United Kingdom . In February 1942 " Kenogami " made her first " Newfie " - " Derry " run , but on her return she transferred to the Western Local Escort Force ( WLEF ) . She stayed with WLEF during her refit until October 1942 when she transferred to Mid - Ocean Escort Force ( MOEF ) escort group C - 1 . She stayed with group C - 1 until June 1943 . " Kenogami " took part in another severe convoy battle for ONS 154 in fall 1942 as an ocean escort . The convoy lost fourteen ships . On 30 October 1942 , " Kenogami " under the command of Lt . P . J . B . Cook , rescued 90 survivors from the crew of the British merchant " Barrwhin " , which was torpedoed and sunk the previous day by south of Iceland at . In March 1943 , " Kenogami " escorted one Gibraltar convoy . In May that year , she was attached to the Royal Navy escort group B - 4 . She returned to Canada in June 1944 for a refit and joined WLEF escort group W - 8 upon completion of workups . In April 1944 , " Kenogami " transferred to group W - 4 and in December , group W - 8 . She remained with that group until the end of the war . " Kenogami " was paid off on 9 July 1945 at Sydney . She was scrapped in January 1950 in Hamilton . Trivia . On 12 April 1941 , " Kenogami " and fired a shot over the bow of the US - flagged American Export liner out of Lisbon . After crew aboard " Azalea " questioned Wenzel Habel , the captain of the unarmed passenger liner , " Siboney " was allowed to go on her way .