HMCS Barrie was one of 111 Canadian-built corvettes which made up the bulk of the Royal Canadian Navy's convoy escorts during the battle of the Atlantic.

Canada's corvettes were intended for patrol and anti-submarine work near Canadian ports but, by mid-1941, had to take on the role of mid-ocean escorts. As built, Canadian corvettes had light armament, inadequate ASDIC (sonar), radar, and navigation systems, and cramped crew accommodations. Refits solved many of these problems, but Canadian corvettes were modified more slowly than most Allied vessels due in part to Canada's limited shipyard facilities.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19870211-071