HMCS MARGAREE -River class destroyer, was lost in collision with M/V Port Fairy on the North Atlantic on 22 October 1940. At the time of her loss she had 176 sailors in her ship’s company, 142 were killed with thirty-two survivors. MARGAREE had commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy only a few weeks earlier on […]
HMCS SKEENA
HMCS SKEENA -River class destroyer, grounded and lost during a gale in Reykjavik, Iceland on 25 October 1944. Of the destroyers ship’s company of 181, fifteen sailors were killed. SKEENA had been on patrol south of Iceland in a full gale with HMCShips QU’APPELLE and ST. LAURENT when the escort group was ordered to return […]
SPIKENARD -“His Spike”
HMCS SPIKENARD, Flower class corvette, was lost 10 February 1942 Â when she was torpedoed by U136 in the North Atlantic while escorting Convoy SC-67. Â Of her crew of 65, there were only 8 survivors, 57 killed. Prior to SPIKENARD’s last sailing, her officers were engaged in a friendly competition with the officers of the other […]
HMCS ST. CROIX
HMCS ST. CROIX, Town class destroyer was transferred to the RCN from the USN under the Lend/Lease agreement with the Royal Navy on 30 April 1040. Â Originally constructed in 1919 as USS MCCOOK. She was assigned to the Mid-Ocean Escort Group C-9 and while escorting a convoy in mid-North Atlantic she was struck by two […]
Roger’s Research Contributes to Canadian Naval Memorial in London, ON.
Roger’s research on the Royal Canadian Navy ship, HMCS TRENTONIAN for his soon to be released book “White Ensign Flying” has been able to contribute to the Memorial Project of the Naval Reserve Unit in London, Ontario, HMCS PREVOST. The Memorial was launched during the 100th Anniversary of the RCN in 2010. A series of […]
HMCS SUDBURY
HMCS SUDBURY being launched on 31 May 1941 at Kingston Shipbuilding Yards, Kingston, Ontario. During WWII Canada was able to construct a corvette in just over nine months from laying her keel to commissioning a finished ship into the Royal Canadian Navy. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Hank Winsor. (RTL-HW011)
WHITE ENSIGN FLYING -Roger’s Second Book is on its Way!!!
Roger is very pleased to announce that Dundurn Publishing will be publishing his second book. Titled WHITE ENSIGN FLYING, it is the story of the RCN corvette, HMCS TRENTONIAN. The book follows the life of the ship from construction in Kingston, Ontario, commissioning into the RCN, training a new crew in Bermuda and Canada’s East […]
HMCS SUDBURY Halifax
Aft view from HMCS SUDBURY alongside in Halifax, 1942. Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ross Milligan, RCNR. (RTL-REM020)
HMCS OJIBWA Passes Iroquois Lock on the St. Lawrence Seaway.
On June 3 2012, my son Alex and I traveled to Iroquois Lock on the St. Lawrence River west of Cornwall to witness a historic occasion. The retired Cold War submarine HMCS OJIBWA was being moved from Halifax through the St. Lawrence Seaway. HMCSubmarie OJIBWA began her career as the Royal Navy’s Oberon class, HMS […]
Guest Speaker -Battle of Atlantic Dinner in Port Hope, Ontario
On 4 May 2012, Roger was invited by the Port Hope Branch of the Navy League of Canada to be the guest speaker at the annual Battle of Atlantic Dinner. A wonderful meal was served by Branch 30, Royal Canadian Legion to the approx. 60 guests and dignitaries. Also attending the dinner was renowned Canadian […]