Many will know the celebrated legacy of the Royal Navy’s armed merchant cruiser HMS JERVIS BAY and her final moments as she battled the German pocket battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER protecting her North Atlantic convoy, HX-84 on 5 November 1940. The battle for the convoy did not end with the loss of JERVIS BAY. The Canadian […]
Guest Speaker -Toronto Branch of the Naval Association of Canada
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 GOOSE BAY
HMCS GOOSE BAY alongside in HMC Dockyard in Halifax on 6 March 2018. Photo taken from MV ASTERIX. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Roger Litwiller. RTL66244)
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 […]
HMCS IROQUOIS Exploits After VE Day
Great detail has been recorded of the Royal Canadian Navy’s ships during the Second World War, including the Battle of the Atlantic, Operations in the Arctic, Mediterranean and many other ocean battlefronts. Sadly very little has been written about what happened to our ships after VE Day? Recently I have received a large collection of […]
Best of 2017 -An RCN Photo Collection
This past year has been very interesting. I have had several opportunities to visit and record our Canadian Sailors at work, on current taskings, preparing for deployment and building our future Navy. Below are some of my favourite photos from 2017, Canada’s 150th Anniversary! All the photos are available to view in my Flickr Album, 2017 […]
Throwing Away Canadian History, ex-HMCS ATHABASKAN to go to Breakers!
With a simple internet post, another piece of Canadian history is about to be thrown away and the legacy of an entire era will be relegated into oblivion. This week on 2 November 2017, the Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada posted for tender, “Disposal of former ATHABASKAN (W8482-182411/A).” On the surface it […]
Safety Briefing -HMCS MONTREAL
Pre-sailing safety briefing to the families and invited guests, by CPO1 Lazotte, Coxswain of HMCS MONTREAL. Prior to the frigate slipping her lines for the at sea, Battle of Atlantic Service on 1 May 2016. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Roger Litwiller. (IMG_1868)
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 […]
USCGS EAGLE -Photo Series
Recently I had the good fortune to see the United States Coast Guard Ship EAGLE at the Tall Ships Rendezvous 2017 in Halifax, NS. During the course of the five days there were 45 Tall Ships in Halifax harbour. Â The rendezvous was part of the Canada 150 celebrations. I took many photos of the ships […]