The Canadian Navy and the U-Boat War

[Kafka BC]

Battle of the Atlantic Day was just honoured here in Canada so I think I shall break my lurker status for a moment and share a few links to some very interesting reading about the often overlooked role the Royal Canadian Navy had in the critical years of the battle.

Crewed by hastily trained RCN Volunteer Reservists, exhausted and overstretched from constant escort duty and little time in port, and always poorly equipped, I think the little Flower class corvettes of our "Sheep Dog Navy" did remarkably well.

Legion Magazine: Preserving The Atlantic Lifeline
A good overview of Canadian participation.

Legion Magazine: The Fate Of Slow Convoy 42
About the first "confirmed" sinking of a U-Boat by the RCN and where Korvettenkapitan Hugo Forster jumped onto the deck of HMCS Moose Jaw from the conning tower of U-501.

NAVAL - Canadian Naval and Maritime History
Of particular intrest is the eight part "A Naval Officer's War" by Anthony Griffin who commanded HMCS Pictou from 1940 to 1943. Included in part 6 is the little tidbit that, before it was sunk, some of the crew of U-845 had gone ashore and went to see the movies in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Legion Magazine: The Newfoundland Escort Force
Has a bit about the (unacceptable to the Royal Navy) "Canadian Cowboy" style of attacking U-boats.

Naval History.CA: Tactics, Training, Technology and the RCN's Summer of Success, July-September 1942
Training and experience finally pays off. Includes the famous gun duel between U-210 and the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine. Pictures of which can be found here.

Legion Magazine: The Humble Corvette
Canadian corvettes were not quite the same as those used by the Royal Navy.


I should note that of the ships mentioned in these articles, HMCS Sackville is the last Flower Class Corvette in the world. She has been restored and can be seen at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia - not far from where I live.

HMCS Wetaskiwin became famous for her moniker "Wet Ass Queen", and her unofficial gunshield badge depicted a leggy beauty wearing a crown falling on her behind into a puddle.

Although not mentioned, HMCS Baddeck (named after the town where I was born, and the resting place of Alexander Graham Bell) had a gunshield badge depicting a poker hand of Five Aces. Can you get its meaning without looking it up. I didn't at first, shows you how much I play poker.


P.S. I hope you find these as interesting as I did. I posted them in this forum as I have learned a quite a bit from the SH3 forums in the past few months since I started playing the game, and the General Topics forum just didn't seem to fit. If a moderator thinks otherwise, please move at will.

[KL-alfman]

thx for sharing these highly interesting documents!

and welcome to the pack

[PappyCain]

HMCS Moose Jaw???? Hi-larious!!! Thanks for the post Kafka BC!

[frau kaleun]

Ahoy and welcome, Kafka BC! Thanks for sharing the links.

From what I have read already I've gathered that the effort put forth by our northern neighbors in the BoA was nothing short of extraordinary.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome fellow Canuck, very nice links there

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by KL-alfman

thx for sharing these highly interesting documents!

and welcome to the pack

Thank You.

I am not hardcore and prefer playing stock with a few light mods. Still learning hunting techniques in between modding the graphics to my liking, stock are terrible. It's a fascinating game.

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by PappyCain

HMCS Moose Jaw???? Hi-larious!!! Thanks for the post Kafka BC!

Your welcome.

Yes, it is a funny name, but a proud one to Canadians. Moose Jaw became the home of the famous British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during the war, where thousands from all over the British Empire (and a some Americans) earned their wings. It is now the home of Canada's Air Demonstration 431 Squadron (the "Snowbirds").

During the American Prohibition the town got the nickname "Little Chicago" when it became a hub for liquor smuggling (The Tunnels of Moose Jaw).

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Ahoy and welcome, Kafka BC! Thanks for sharing the links.

From what I have read already I've gathered that the effort put forth by our northern neighbors in the BoA was nothing short of extraordinary.

M'lady

In many respects it was, it is certainly unheralded by the rest of the world. But what I find truly extraordinary were the men of the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve, who manned those corvettes. The best book that tells their story (if you can find it) is "The Corvette Navy" by James B. Lamb, who commanded two of them during the war.

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by reallydedpoet

Welcome fellow Canuck, very nice links there

Dear God, another Stan Rogers fan. We must spread the word.

[Jimbuna]

Welcome matey

My father undertook many an Atlantic crossing with our Canadian cousins....and a fine job they all did ~SALUTE~

Nice links...thanks for sharing

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Kafka BC

M'lady

In many respects it was, it is certainly unheralded by the rest of the world. But what I find truly extraordinary were the men of the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve, who manned those corvettes. The best book that tells their story (if you can find it) is "The Corvette Navy" by James B. Lamb, who commanded two of them during the war.

I will keep an eye out for it, thanks for the recommendation!

[JMV]

From over on the other side.
Thanks Kafka, I was missing an entry in my archives. It's now done.
( As if we didn't have enough to read [ JOKING ].)
So much to do, so little time.....

[ReallyDedPoet]

Originally Posted by Kafka BC

Dear God, another Stan Rogers fan. We must spread the word.

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

My father undertook many an Atlantic crossing with our Canadian cousins....and a fine job they all did ~SALUTE~

Agreed. What ship was your father on?

[Kafka BC]

Originally Posted by JMV

From over on the other side.
Thanks Kafka, I was missing an entry in my archives. It's now done.

Glad to be of service.