I have always had an interest in history, especially the stories and history of our Royal Canadian Navy. But never in my dreams did I ever think I would be gathering a large collection of historical photos from veterans of the RCN. This unexpected journey began in 1997, as commanding officer of a cadet corps […]
RCN History Sealed with a Kiss!
This week the Canadian frigate, HMCS WINNIPEG returned to Esquimalt after a historic eight month deployment. During this time the ship and the 250 men and women of her ships’ company participated in two operations, Op CARRIBBE and Op REASURANCE. She also participated in three exercises, Ex TRIDENT JUNCTURE, Ex JOINT WARRIOR and Ex NORTHERN […]
Royal Canadian Navy Pennant Numbers World War II
Destroyers, Frigates, Corvettes, Convoy Escorts, Minesweepers and Armed Yachts. Click on camera icon for photo of ship. Contact me to add your photos litwillerroger@gmail.com F Ships Name Type Class Remarks F56 PRINCE ROBERT Anti-Aircraft Ship Prince Ex-CNR passenger ship Prince Robert, taken over by RCN as an Armed Merchant Cruiser F70 PRINCE HENRY Landing Ship […]
“Crest is for Teeth, Ship’s Have Badges” and Other Poor Naval Grammar
As an author and historian of the Royal Canadian Navy I have experienced many examples of poor Naval grammar. One of my biggest pet peeves comes from the use of the word “crest,” when referring to a ship’s badge. When I hear this despicable word used, I explain “crest is for teeth, our ship’s have […]
First and last photos of HMCS TRENTONIAN
These two photos of HMCS TRENTONIAN tell an amazing story. They are the first and last photos of this historic Battle of Atlantic corvette. The first picture of TRENTONIAN was taken just before her commissioning on 1 December 1943, the Flower class corvette was newly built at Kingston, Ontario. She is finishing her acceptance trials […]
An Open Letter to Steven Harper, Justin Trudeau, Thomas Mulcair and Members of Parliament on Canada’s Maritime Affairs.
As fall comes to Canada, we find ourselves in another federal election and each of you is on the campaign trail, diligently working towards re-election or election to a seat in our House of Commons. The election will fall on 19 October; three days shy of the first anniversary of a horrific day in our […]
A Personal Milestone at The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Last night was an incredible milestone for me, as I spoke at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. This world class museum located on the waterfront of Halifax is considered one of the foremost maritime museums in the world and has earned this reputation from the quality of the work that the wonderful […]
White Ensign Flying -Reviews
White Ensign Flying has been reviewed in several national and international magazines and journals. Below is a list of the various professional reviews to be published. REVIEWS The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord -Canadian Nautical Research Society -“Ships lend themselves to biographical studies as readily as people. Roger Litwiller’s White Ensign Flying, a scholarly but highly readable […]
“Suck It Up Buttercup!” No Longer an Option for First Responders Facing Critical Incident Stress and PTSD.
Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day. This is an excellent program to increase awareness of mental illness. Bell will donate 5 cents for every tweet with the label#BellLetsTalk towards mental health programs in Canada. Being an author is my passion and dream, in the real world I am a Paramedic and have been for 33 […]
10 Foot Model of RCN WWII Corvette TRENTONIAN
Yesterday I was fortunate to spend the day with Bill Cullen and his wife Sandra at their home outside Gananoque, Ontario. Bill is truly a Master Model Shipwright.Bill has built a scale model of the Royal Canadian Navy corvette, HMCS TRENTONIAN. The model is incredible, at 1/20 scale it measures an impressive 10 feet and […]