I am honoured to be invited as the Guest Speaker by the Toronto Branch of the Naval Association of Canada for their annual TRAFALGAR Day – NIOBE Luncheon. My talk will be “Voices of our Sailors Past -Stories from the Survivors of HMCS TRENTONIAN.” This is a collection of stories and recollections from the men that […]
HMCS SACKVILLE -Modernizing a WWII Corvette
In 2018, HMCS SACKVILLE entered the submarine maintenance shed at Fleet Maintenance Facility, CAPE SCOTT at HMC Dockyard in Halifax for badly needed repairs to her hull. This might not seem to be exciting on the surface, but when you realize SACKVILLE is a Second World War veteran of the Battle of the Atlantic and […]
HMSubmarine P554
Royal Navy Submarine HMSub P544 (ex-USS S22) leaving the jetty at Halifax on 4 March 1944. She has been assigned to Halifax as a practice submarine for the escort crews, allowing the ship’s companies to hone their anti-submarine skills and are referred to as a “clockwork mouse” by the sailors. This photo was taken from […]
Crossing the Atlantic
Two unidentified crew members from HMCS TRENTONIAN during the North Atlantic crossing in April 1944. It is still cold on the open ocean as there are icicles hanging from the kisby ring. Roger Litwiller Collection, Allen E. Singleton, RCNVR photo, courtesy Jack Harold, RCNVR. (RTL-JH067) This photo and collection have been gathered from the crew […]
Oelikon Gunner
Ralph O’Brien at HMCS MAYFLOWER’s Oelikon gun. The caging around the gun restricts the line of fire, preventing a eager sailor from “shooting” their own ship in the heat of battle. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ralph O’Brien, RCNVR. (RTL-ROB078)
Canadian & Newfoundland Merchant Navy Losses “Battle Of Atlantic in WWII
Canadian & Newfoundland Merchant Navy 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. 3 September 1939 -England & France declare war on Germany. Within two hours U30 torpedoes & sinks SS Athenia sailing from the […]
Royal Canadian Navy -Victory’s/Losses Battle of Atlantic in World War II
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 […]
PHOENIX 194 Under Control
The tow line was successfully reconnected to Phoenix 194 and the tug started towing the concrete caisson towards Normandy with HMCS TRENTONIAN escorting. The Caisson had proved to be a difficult tow and the line had broken several times. eventually towing through a gale force storm the line broke a final time and the caisson […]
Ships For Victory -Can Canada Build Ships Today
This past week marked an incredible milestone in Canadian shipbuilding history. On 20 September 1943, twelve Canadian built ships were launched simultaneously from shipyards across the nation! During WWII, Canadian industry, mobilized to building for Victory. One of the largest and most important projects was a National Shipbuilding Program. Early in the war the enemy […]