Last Patrol
On the evening of 15 April 1945, the Esquimalt sailed from Halifax to go on an anti submarine patrol in the harbour approaches and then to rendezvous with HMCS Sarnia. In the early morning of 16 April she was fired upon by U-190, a German U Boat that had been operating around Halifax since early April. U-190's torpedo struck the Esquimalt's starboard side with the explosion knocking out the onboard power instantly, preventing any distress signal being sent. She started to list heavily to starboard pushing the lifeboat under water, but the crew managed to get four Carley floats clear of the ship. The Esquimalt sank in less than five minutes. Because of the lack of distress calls or signals from the Esquimalt, and the unfortunate timing of the attack itself, any rescue effort was substantially delayed which resulted in many men losing their lives to exposure. The crew was adrift on the carley floats in frigid waters with only light clothing for about six hours. Forty four men died as a result of the attack and the exposure that followed.
Read more about this topic: HMCS Esquimalt (J272)