RCN Victory’s/Losses Battle Of Atlantic in WWII 1939 to 1945 By: Roger Litwiller © 1939 26 August 1939 -Admiralty signals FUNNEL to Commonwealth & British navies. Commonwealth merchant ships placed under naval control. 31 August 1939 -HMCShips FRASER & ST. LAURENT ordered “With Dispatch” from Esquimalt to Halifax. Arrive in time to escort first convoy WWII from […]
Canada and the Battle Of Atlantic
During the Second World War a fierce and decisive battle was fought on the world’s oceans and seas. Collectively it has become known as the Battle Of Atlantic. Winning this battle would determine the outcome of the war. The momentous responsibility of winning or losing WWII fell on Canada. The Second World War would have […]
2017 The Year in Review
2017 has been a very busy year on my social media. In January I started a campaign of posting “On This Day in RCNHistory,” in addition to my “RCN Photo of the Day”. This has lead to a very active year on my Twitter and Facebook feeds with over 2 million hits on Twitter alone. […]
HMCS ADVERSUS
HMCS ADVERSUS -Auxiliary Patrol Vessel, grounded on Mc Nutt Island in a gale off Shelburne NS and was lost, on 20 December 1941. All sixteen of her ship’s company survived. ADVERSUS was taken over by the RCN from the RCMP along with her sister ALACHASE in September 1939 and immediately converted for anti-submarine patrols. On […]
HMCS WINDFLOWER
On 7 December 1941, HMCS WINDFLOWER was lost in collision with the freighter SS Zypenburg off St. John’s, NF. Â Twenty-three of the RCN corvette’s ship’s company were killed in the incident. At the time, WINDFLOWER was part of the mid-ocean escort for SC 58, a convoy of forty-nine merchant ships that had left Sidney, NS. […]
Loss of RCN MTB 463
HMC Motor Torpedo Boat 463, sank after striking a mine in the English Channel on 8 July 1944. The “G” type Motor Torpedo Boat carried a ship’s company of seventeen RCN sailors, five were wounded, fortunately none were killed. Photos courtesy of the Naval Museum of Manitoba.
Loss of MTB 460
HMC MTB 460, struck a mine in the English Channel on 2 July 1944, of her ship’s company of 17 RCN sailors, 11 were killed. MTB 460 was a “G “type Motor Torpedo Boat assigned to the 29th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla. Photos courtesy the Naval Museum of Manitoba.
HMCS VALLEYFIELD
HMCS VALLEYFIELD -River class frigate was torpedoed by U548, off Cape Race Newfoundland on 6 May 1944. Of her ship’s company of 163, one hundred and twenty-five were killed, including two passengers. Â VALLEYFIELD was only in commission five months and was the only RCN frigate lost during World War II. Photo courtesy of the Naval […]
The Loss of HMCS FRASER
HMCS FRASER, River class destroyer, was lost in collision with the Royal Navy cruiser, HMS CALCUTTA on 26 June 1940 off the French Coast. Of her ship’s company of 172 sailors, sixty were killed. On 21 June, Fraser was ordered to France with her sister HMCS RESTIGOUCHE and HMS CALCUTTA to evacuate British and Allied soldiers […]
HMCS ATHABASKAN (I)
On 29 April 1944, HMCShips HAIDA & ATHABASKAN attack with guns, German destroyer’s T24 & T27 in a blazing night action off the French Coast. Scoring several direct hits, HAIDA drove the heavily damaged T27 onto the rocky French coast. T24 was damaged and separated from T27 escaped, but not before firing torpedoes. HMCS ATHABASKAN was […]