HMCS Gaspé (J94)
HMCS "Gaspé was a that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1938 to 1945. She saw service during the Second World War as part of the local defence of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was named for Gaspé Bay in Quebec. Following the war the ship was sold for mercantile use, becoming the tugboat Sung Li". The ship's registry was deleted in 1993. Design and description. In 1936, new minesweepers were ordered for the Royal Canadian Navy. Based on the British , those built on the east coast would cost $318,000 per vessel. At the outbreak  of the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy considered constructing more, but chose to build s instead upon learning of that design due to their oil-burning engines. The "Fundy" class, named after the lead ship, displaced . They were long, with a beam of and a draught of . They had a complement of 3 officers and 35 ratings. The "Fundy" class was propelled by one shaft driven by vertical triple expansion engine powered by steam from a one-cylinder boiler. This created between and gave the minesweepers a top speed of . The ships were capable of carrying between of  coal. The ships were armed with one QF Mk IV gun mounted forward on a raised platform. The minesweepers were armed with two 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannon. They were later equipped with 25 depth charges. Service history. "Gaspé" was ordered on 23 August 1937 for the Royal Canadian Navy. The vessel's keel was laid down on 24 January 1938 by Morton Engineering and Dry Dock Co. at Quebec City. The ship was launched on 12 August later that year. "Gaspé" was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 21 October 1938 at Quebec City. After commissioning, "Gaspé  was one of two of the Fundy"-class minesweepers assigned to the east coast of Canada. She was stationed at Halifax, Nova Scotia when the war broke out. At the onset of war, "Gaspé" and sister ship were the only warships available to patrol the entrance to Halifax's harbour. She served with the Halifax Local Defence Force as a local minesweeper. On 14 January 1945, she picked up 56 survivors of the British tanker "British Freedom" that was torpedoed and sunk east of Halifax by the . The ship was paid off on 23 July 1945 at Halifax. "Gaspé" was sold  into mercantile service in 1946. The ship re-emerged as the tugboat "Sung Li", working out of Shanghai. The ship's registry was deleted in 1993.