During WWII, St, John`s Harbour is exceptional busy with merchant ships, and escorts using every space. Six merchant ships are nested together in the middle of the harbour. Photo taken from HMCS WASAGA in 1942. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ross Milligan, RCNR. (RTL-REM159)
Collision -HMCS SAGUENAY (1st)
HMCS SAGUENAY (1st) with her stern missing, following a collision with the Panamanian freighter Azra, setting off several of the destroyers depth charges. The collision occurred on 15 November 1942, south of Cape Race, while SAGUENAY was escorting convoy WB13 from St. John’s, NF to Sydney, NS. Azra was extensively damaged and sank, following the […]
Merchant Tanker -Halifax
With its bow missing and low in the water, tugboats move this damaged Merchant Tanker in Halifax Harbour in 1942. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ross Milligan, RCNR. (RTL-REM019)
Crowded St. John`s Harbour
Exceptional photo of St. John`s Harbour in Newfoundland in 1943. With the war, activity in the port reflects the huge importance of this harbour to the war effort. Crowded with merchant ships and escorts, two minesweepers are in the foreground and several corvettes are secured astern. On the opposite side of the narrow harbour are […]
Friendly Fire Incident -Normandy
A wounded sailor from the cableship HMTS Monarch is transferred to HMCS TRENTONIAN after the two allied ships came under friendly fire from USS PLUNKETT off the Normandy coast on the night of 12-13 June 1944. See HMCS TRENTONIAN: A Victim Of Friendly Fire Photo credit SBA A. Singleton courtesy of Bruce Keir, RCNVR, Stoker, HMCS […]
The Sacrifice of SS Beaverford “The Heroic Saga of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Ship with Teeth.”
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]