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A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project
In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
Lt William Sinclair was the CO of LCI(L) 271 during the invasion of Normandy. The craft however was held in reserve since it was a late addition to the flotilla and despite protests from Lt Sinclair and others, LCI(L) 271 didn't make it to Normandy until June 13, 1944 with 217 American soldiers on board. The soldiers disembarked at Utah Sector.
Ships served in: HMCS ROYAL ROADS - Appointed to Royal Roads 02 Sep 1941 as a Prob. SLt, RCNVR (Navy List Dec 1941) ROYAL NAVY - Serving with the RN as of 04 Jan 1941 as a SLt, RCNVR (Navy List Jan 1942 / Apr 1942 / Sep 1942) LCI(L)-271 - Appointed to LCI(L) as a Lt, RCNVR, CO (seniority 18 Aug 1942) (Navy List Feb 1944 / May 1944 / Jul 1944 / Sep 1944) ROYAL NAVY - Serving with the RN as of 18 Nov 1944 as a Lt, RCNVR (Navy List Nov 1944) HMCS STADACONA (Depot Ship Halifax) - Appointed to Stadacona, Add'l, For Disposal or Under Training 18 Nov 1944 as a Lt, RCNVR (Navy List Jan 1945) HMCS MORDEN - Appointed to Morden 16 Jan 1945 as a Lt, RCNVR (Navy List Mar 1945)
"Hands to beaching stations" by William R. Sinclair
Page for LCI(L) 271's Deck Log for Tuesday, June 13, 1944
At 0425 an unidentified aircraft dropped a suspected torpedo off the starboard beam. The LCI took evasive action and the torpedo missed by about 50 yards. According to personal notes of Lt Sinclair, the LCI had a seaman who was trained to spot enemy aircraft but was he unable to do so on this occasion. At some point, the plane dropped close to the ocean surface to drop the torpedo and it was then evident that the plane was an enemy craft.
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For Posterity's Sake 
