HMCS TRENTONIAN anchored at Milford Haven, UK, freshly painted in the Western Approaches disruptive pattern, in July 1944. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Bruce Keir, RCNVR. (RTL-BK149)
During the Second World War many Royal Canadian Navy ships had mascots. They ranged in a variety of dogs and cats, one ship was rumoured to have a pet pig. For many of the young sailors, away from home these fury shipmates brought a sense of normalcy, a sense of home to them. You might say they were the precursor to today’ Therapy Animals.
This is the story of the mascot in the RCN corvette, HMCS TRENTONIAN.
A truly historic fighting ship, TRENTONIAN was built at Kingston in the Great Lakes and was commissioned into the RCN in December 1943. She almost immediately started escorting convoys on the North Atlantic, rescued a damaged RN submarine, took part in the Normandy Invasion, suffered a Friendly Fire Incident with the US Navy and post invasion escorted convoys from the UK into the newly liberated ports of Fortress Europe.
Sadly her day of infamy came on 22 February 1945 when she was torpedoed in the English Channel near Falmouth by U1004, while escorting a convoy. The corvette sank in ten minutes, six of her sailors were killed. Fortunately ninety-six of her ships company were rescued, including 14 injured.
TRENTONIAN was the last corvette lost in action with the enemy during World War II.
Over the course of HMCS TRENTONIAN’s travels, she found herself with a diversity of sailors, from every part of Canada. There were a few “old salts.” Like most RCN ships during the war the majority of her ships company were very young and inexperienced or Green sailors, because of the colour they would turn as the corvette would roll on the open North Atlantic.
AB O’Brian, RCNVR, at sea he could be found sitting on the ready use ammunition locker on TRENTONIAN’s bridge. When the guns started firing, O’Brian would quickly disappear below decks. Roger Litwiller Collection, Allen E. Singleton, RCNVR photo, courtesy Bruce Keir, RCNVR. (RTL-BK200)
There were four animals brought aboard the corvette as potential mascots. The first was while she was finishing construction in Lunenburg, NS. One of the sailors returned to the ship with a puppy tucked under his coat and offered her to his shipmates as a mascot. As the puppy was tagged, it obviously had a home and he was returned to his owners.
Later, while undergoing Workups in Bermuda, another sailor returned to the ship with a monkey. When the animal was brought before the Executive Officer for approval, he immediately ordered the flea ridden primate off the ship.
No one is certain when the final mascot, a dog joined the ship, but many remember her jumping from TRENTONIAN’s deck to the jetty as the corvette slipped her lines and proceeded to sea. Many of the superstitious sailors in the ship cited this as a bad omen. There may have been some truth in superstition as TRENTONIAN was lost during this convoy escort.
The most devoted mascot was picked up while TRENTONIAN was in Londonderry training prior to D-Day operations. A dog followed a group of her sailors, returning from shore leave. He wandered aboard the corvette and never made any attempt to leave.
A/LS Arthur “Slats” Slater, RCNVR, from Winnipeg, MB. volunteered to be responsible for HMCS TRENTONIAN’s mascot, AB O’Brian and lived in the Signalmen’s Mess with him.
Roger Litwiller Collection, Allen B. Singleton, RCNVR photo, courtesy Bruce Keir, RCNVR. (RTL-BK059)
The sailors in TRENTONIAN adopted the dog as one of their own and was given the name, A.B. O’Brian, referring to his Irish heritage, the A.B. stands for Able Seaman. Quickly a volunteer came forward to care for him, Signalman Arthur “Slats” Slater from Winnipeg, MB. The crew made him a hammock and he made himself comfortable. His “Mick” was slung between two stanchions every night in the Signalmen’s Mess, and he accompanied his shipmates in all their activities. At sea he would take a post on TRENTONIAN’s bridge on the ready use ammunition lockers and scurry down to the mess when the corvettes guns would open fire.
O’Brian was with the ship through Operation NEPTUNE, the Naval portion of the D-Day invasion, he was on deck when the ship was accidentally attacked by the American Destroyer USS PLUNKETT on 12 June. He stayed when TRENTONIAN was escorting convoys back and forth to France following the invasion.
Sometime after the invasion, TRENTONIAN was taking on Bunker C fuel from a 15,000 ton, tanker. She was dwarfed sitting alongside this ship, 15 times her size, when an American destroyer came up the river at speed. The wake created by this ship caused TRENTONIAN to crash and bob along the side of the tanker. The steel fuel line separated and ruptured, spraying the heated fuel all over the bridge. The two signalers on the bridge tried to escape along with A.B. O’Brian. All three were covered with this heavy crude oil. Unfortunately water aboard ship was being rationed due to a shortage. The men were given stove oil and seawater to clean themselves with. They washed O’Brian and themselves as best they could.
HMCS TRENTONIAN’s ships company gather around the gangway after the wounded from the damaged cableship HMTS Monarch have been moved ashore in Portsmouth on 13 June 1944. Monarch and TRENTONIAN had been accidentally attacked by USS PLUNKETT off the Normandy Beaches. You can see the ship’s mascot, AB O’Brian in the arms of one of the sailors next to the gangway. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Douglas Campbell. (RTL-DC036)
A few days later O’Brian started to show signs of being ill. Over the next couple of weeks, O’Brian continued to get sicker. He started to have fits of barking, snarling and biting. The crew tried their best to help him and hold him during these fits. Eventually they had to borrow the heavy asbestos gloves the gunners used to change the hot gun barrels.
TRENTONIAN was in the English Channel escorting a convoy to Cherbourg, France when O’Brian went into a severe seizure and died in the arms of “Slats,” his keeper. The sailors, heartbroken took their shipmate and placed a round from the 2 pdr. Pom Pom at his feet and gently lashed him into his hammock. O’Brian was buried at sea and given the same respect as any sailor.
White Ensign Flying -Corvette HMCS TRENTONIAN
AB O’Brian is still remembered fondly by his shipmates to this day.
Discover more stories from HMCS TRENTONIAN in the book, White Ensign Flying -Corvette HMCS TRENTONIAN in the Second World War. Available from your local bookstore or online at Chapters and Amazon.
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HMCS TRENTONIAN: A Victim of Friendly Fire
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