RCN sailors painting a Bangor class minesweeper in St. John’s, NF in 1942, possibly HMCS WASAGA. Alongside is a RN submarine on loan for ASW training of RCN ships. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ross Milligan, RCNR. (RTL-REM051)
Hard Landing -HMS PUNCHER
On HMS PUNCHER’s deck a Firefly is returned onto its wheels after flipping on its nose during a landing late in 1945. PUNCHER Is manned by RCN sailors. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Howard Abbott, RCNVR. (RTL-HA038)
Disembarking Wounded Sailors
Wounded and dead sailors from the cablelayer, HMTS Monarch are disembarked from HMCS TRENTONIAN in Portsmouth on 13 June 1944. TRENTONIAN and Monarch had been involved in a deadly friendly fire incident when an American destroyer, USS PLUNKETT opened fire on the two allied ships, mistaking them for enemy e-boats off the Normandy coast. TRENTONIAN […]
HMS PUNCHER -Arctic Ops
HMS BIRMINGHAM and another CVE, possibly HMS TRUMPETER sail in formation with Canadian manned escort aircraft carrier, HMS PUNCHER (foreground) in April 1945. HMS PUNCHER was attached to Operation NEWMARKET in the Arctic Ocean. The objective was to attack, U-Boat depot ships at Kilbotn, Norway. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Howard Abbott, RCNVR. (RTL-HA046)
HMS PEVENSEY CASTLE
HMS PEVENSEY CASTLE, Castle class corvette comes alongside a burning freighter, the MV Cromarty to assist with firefighting. HMCS TRENTONIAN (foreground) has already gone alongside the burning ship and transferred over firefighting equipment and has now started an Asdic sweep around the freighter and Castle class corvette in January 1945 in the Irish Sea. Roger […]
HMS Westlyn (Z154)
UK Harbour Defenses, HMS WESTLYN (Z154), Gate Vessel with anti-submarine net in 1944. Photo taken from HMCS WASAGA. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ross Milligan, RCNR. (RTL-REM144)
HMS CAPETOWN
HMS CAPETOWN an old Carlisle class cruiser built in 1922, off Omaha beach on 7 June 1944. She has been stripped of her main guns and has been assigned as Captain Southbound, controlling all ship traffic to the American beaches. For ease of recognition her name has been painted in large white letters on the […]
Bermuda at War
The harbour in Bermuda is full of Allied ships in February 1944. HMCS TRENTONIAN is in the foreground taking on fuel from a tanker. Several radar towers can be seen on the right of the photo. HMS MALABAR was established in 1939, the island was an active operational base for RN and RCN escorts in […]
Battle Damaged Barracuda -HMS PUNCHER
The damaged Barracuda of Lieutenant Cornish, returns to HMS PUNCHER following a minelaying operation off Haugesund Fjord, Norway on 22 February 1945. HMS PUNCHER is a Canadian manned escort aircraft carrier. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Howard Abbott, RCNVR. (RTL-HA039)
HMCS WASAGA Collision
Ross Milligan stands in the hole in HMCS WASAGA’s port side created when the danlayer HMS SURSAY had sliced into the minesweeper on 11 April 1945. The collision hit the seaman’s mess and playing cards can be seen strewn on the deck. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ross Milligan, RCNR. (RTL-REM130)