Warships Of The Bay Of Quinte

Dundurn Press
April 2011

This is the story of six of Canadas Warships HMCS NAPANEE, HMCS BELLEVILLE, HMCS HALLOWELL, HMCS TRENTONIAN, HMCS QUINTE (I), and the HMCS QUINTE (II). These histories give a unique account of the small ships that have been the backbone of the Canadian Navy during the Second World War and the Cold War. The stories record the accomplishments of these hardworking ships as well as the mistakes. This rich and vivid account of an important part of Canadas Naval Service draws from the records of the ships, interviews with their crews, letters, diaries, newspaper articles, community libraries and photographs.

You will learn about the HMCS NAPANEE as she fights a five day battle against twenty-four German submarines in on one of Canadas most tragic convoy battles. Be with HMCS BELLEVILLE as she fights to rescue a torpedoed merchant ship and find out about how a German submarine sinks the HMCS TRENTONIAN late in the war killing six of her crew.

REVIEWS

Northern Mariner Magazine -“While the colour cover painting is striking and the illustrations inside well chosen, the narrative in the chapters is the real strength of the book. (Ken) Mcpherson provides a short foreword to Warships of the Bay of Quinte, obviously pleased that someone younger shares his passion and continues the cause of celebrating the ship’s of Canada’s Navy”

Canadian Naval Review -This rich and vivid account of an important part of Canadas Naval Service draws from the records of the ships, interviews with their crews, letters, diaries, newspaper articles, community libraries and photographs.

Sea Breezes Magazine (UK) – “Drawing from ship records, interviews with the crew, newspaper cuttings, personal diaries and letters, the author has compiled a well-researched account of these key vessels and their roles through the war time years. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Canadian naval history.

Starshell Magazine -“With almost 400 named warships in the wartime Navy and another 105 since then, this type of book is surprisingly rare, valuable, and being written about forty years too late. It is hoped Litwillers example will be followed by others, or more even from his pen on other ships largely unknown to Canadians.”

The Canadian Historical Review -“The ship histories are thorough and well footnoted. The author has made good use of the substantial literature on Canada and the Atlantic war that has developed since the 1980s, and closely consulted the full files on each ship available at Library and Archives Canada, and the Directorate of History and Heritage at National Defence Headquarters. He has also searched local sources, with some notable finds of press clippings and personal correspondence. The book is well illustrated with both official and personal photographs.”

Maritime Engineering Journal Roger Litwiller obviously spent considerable hours doing exhaustive research on all six vessels and he has a knack for translating this research into text that is easy enough for a landlubber to understand and enjoy while not boring the bellbottoms off professional sailors. His bibliography is extensive, and a gold mine for anyone wishing to follow up with further reading.

Trident News -Litwillers book describes six ships named for communities in the Bay of Quinte region at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. HMC Ships Napanee, Belleville, Hallowell, Quinte, Quinte(II) and Trentonian, all of which served during the Second World War and the Cold War, are each featured in a chapter of the book. Along with details about each ships history, Litwiller includes many black and white photos, as well as lists of awards earned by the ships companies, names of commanding officers, battle honours, and ship specifications. The book includes an epilogue, extensive notes, a glossary of abbreviations and terms, and a bibliography.