HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244

 

River Class Frigate

 


 

HMCS Charlottetown K244

 

Battle honours and awards:  Atlantic  1942,   Gulf of St. Lawrence  1942, 1944

 

 

Laid down: 26 Jan 1943

Launched: 16 Sep 1943

Commissioned: 28 Apr 1944

Paid off: 25 Mar 1947

Fate: Hull was sunk at a breakwater in 1948

 

Commissioned at Quebec City on 28 Apr 1944, Charlottetown visited her namesake city en route to Halifax on 22 May 1944. She arrived in Bermuda on 18 Jun 1944 for a month's working-up, and on her return to Halifax was assigned to EG 16. She left Halifax on 07 Mar 1945, for Londonderry, the group having been transferred there, and was also briefly based at Portsmouth. In May she escorted two convoys to Gibraltar and two back, and in mid-Jun 1945 left 'Derry' for Sydney, N.S. There she commenced a tropicalization refit that was completed at Halifax on 28 Feb 1946, and on 03 Mar 1946 left for Esquimalt. She spent the rest of the year training cadets and new entries, and on 25 Mar 1947, was paid off at Esquimalt. She was sold the same year, and her hull expended as a breakwater at Oyster Bay, B.C.

 


 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

LCdr John Harding, RCNR - 28 Apr 1944 - 23 Apr 1945

A/Cdr William Chares Halliday, RCNR - 24 Apr 1945 - 09 Jul 1945

A/Cdr William Charles Halliday, RCNR - 19 Sep 1945 - 05 Oct 1945

LCdr S.W. Howell, RCNR - 06 Oct 1945 - unk

LCdr John Elford Wolfenden, RCNR - 13 Apr 1946 - unk

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Bayliss, Edwin Thomas William, SLt, RCNVR - 09 Jul 1946

 

Bedwell, George E. 

 

Black, William James Archibald, SLt, RCN(R) - 01 Jul 1946

 

Bronstetter, William Edgar, Lt, RCNVR - 14 Apr 1944 / 28 Apr 1944

 

Bryant, Arthur James Scott, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 04 Mar 1945

 

Collins, Gerald Mullen, Paym/Lt, RCNVR - 07 Jun 1944

Enny, James Ronald, SLt, RCNVR - 19 Feb 1945

 

Forster, Julius Erwood, A/LCdr, RCNVR - 20 Mar 1944  / 28 Apr 1944

 

Germaniuk, Peter (Gery)    The Memory Project

 

Glen, Alex, Lt(E), RCNVR - 25 Mar 1944 / 28 Apr 1944

 

Groff, Edward Carl, SLt, RCNVR - 10 Apr 1944 / 28 Apr 1944

Haley, Arnold Daniel, Lt, RCNVR - 28 Apr 1944

 

Hoyte, George Albert, SLt, RCN(R) - 28 Jul 1946

 

Mainguy, James Wishart, Lt, RCNVR - 08 May 1944

 

Newby, Jim, PO

 

Simard, Pierre Edouard Gerard, SLt, RCN(R) - 01 Jul 1946

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

(CHR001) HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244

Courtesy of For Posterity's Sake

 

CHR002

CHR003

(CHR002) HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 - RCN Photo

(CHR003)  HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 - RCN Photo //  Courtesy of the Naval Museum of Halifax  //  This photo is one of a sequence that goes with photo SJ11 in the collection of Stanley Jarecki (below)

 



 

SJ05

SJ06

 

SJ07

 

SJ08

SJ09

 (SJ05) Article on the city of Charlottetown, PEI adopting HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN (2nd of name)  (SJ06) Stanley Jarecki painting the gunshield art on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 (2nd of name)  (SJ07) Re-enactment of Stanley painting the gunshield art on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 (2nd of name)  (SJ08) Stanley Jarecki standing beside his gunshield artwork  (SJ09) Stanley's artwork re-created on a mural onboard HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN 339 (3rd of name)

SJ10

SJ11

SJ12

SJ13

SJ14

(SJ10-SJ11) Corvette HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 (1st of name)  (SJ12) Frigate HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 (2nd of name)  (SJ13) Frigate HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 - Jun 1944  (SJ14) Colourized photo of the Frigate HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 (2nd of name)

 

SJ15

SJ16

SJ17

SJ18

SJ19

(SJ15) Convoy  (SJ16) Merchant ship in convoy - 12 Aug 1944  (SJ18-SJ19) Freighter that was torpedoed in the channel and cut in half - Apr 1945. The 2 halves were towed into port  (SJ17) Merchant ship sinking in the channel.  Lost by the Stettler

 

SJ20

SJ21

SJ22

SJ23

SJ24

(SJ20-SJ21) HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 dropping depth charges  (SJ22) "A bit cold" - HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 iced-up - Feb 1945  (SJ23) HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 making smoke  (SJ24) Allied sub

 

SJ25

SJ26

SJ27

SJ28

SJ29

(SJ25) Shipmates on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 - Stanley Jarecki on right  (SJ26) Sailors on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 - Stanley Jarrecki - front row, 1st on right  (SJ27) Stanly Jarecki on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244  (SJ28) Stanley Jarecki sitting at the powered twin Oerlikon AA gun on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244  (SJ29) Stanley Jarecki by the 24-inch signal lamp on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244

 

SJ30

SJ31

SJ32

SJ33

(SJ30) One of Stanley's customers on HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 sporting a "V" Mohawk haircut celebrating V.E. Day  (SJ31) More of Stanley's haircut customers  (SJ32) Stanley Jarecki (right) with friends  (SJ33) Stanley Jarecki (left) with friends

 

Photos SJ30 background story:  Dad (Stanley Jarecki) was paid in shots of rum for his haircutting skills or lack there of. One time, as the untrained but designated barber on board, he shaved crewmen's heads into a "V" shaped mohawk to celebrate "V" day. That was his fancy cut. To call it a skill would be inaccurate.

 

SJ34

SJ35

SJ36

SJ37

SJ38

(SJ34) HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244  (SJ35) Forward gun of HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244.  It appears that that is either a cat or small dog at the mouth of each gun barrel  (SJ36) Unknown officer and petty officer on the fo'c's'le of HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244  (SJ37-SJ38) Looking forward / aft from the crow's nest of HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K 244 

 

SJ39

SJ40

SJ41

SJ42

SJ43

(SJ39) HMCS STETTLER K681  (SJ40-SJ41) HMCS ORKNEY K448  (SJ42) Unknown corvette circa 1944.  Note that the wartime censor blotted out the ships pendant number  (SJ43) HMCS MELVILLE J253

 

SJ44

SJ45

SJ46

SJ47

SJ48

(SJ44) Stanley Jarecki on board HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244  (SJ45) HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 heads to sea leaving the shoreline in her wake  (SJ46) Four frigates of an Escort Group  (SJ47-SJ48) depth charges exploding astern of HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244

 

SJ49

SJ50

SJ51

SJ52

(SJ49-SJ50) Convoys  (SJ51) Merchant ship in convoy  (SJ52) Passenger / troopship in convoy

 

SJ53

SJ54

SJ55

SJ56

(SJ53-SJ56) Surrendered German U-boats at Lisahalley, Northern Ireland

 

From the collection of Stanley Jarecki, Sto 1c, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Jerry Jarecki

 



 

Messages saved by L/Coder Fryer who was serving in HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN K244 on V.E. Day

 

Msg # 01

Msg # 02

  

 

Msg # 03

Msg # 04

Msg # 05

 

(1) Message from the ADMIRALTY to AIG 1 - paying to civilians of all grades and auxiliary services   (2) Message from NSHQ to AIG 138 - congratulating all RCN officers, ratings and members of the Reserve.  (3) Message from the ADMIRALTY relaying message from Field Marshal Montgomery congratulating and thanking the Royal Navy for its support  (4) Message from CINC WA to ANTIGONISH, MATANE, CHARLOTTETOWN, STETTLER and KIRKLAND LAKE thanking them for their service on their final departure from Londonderry  (5) Message from COM D WA to Ships of EG 16 - wishing them good luck and a good leave on their final departure from Londonderry.

 

 

Msg # 06

 

Msg # 07

Msg # 08

Msg # 09

Msg # 10

Msg # 11

 

(6) Message from NSHQ to AIG 138 - relating congratulations from the Prime Minster of Canada to all officers and ratings of the RCN  (7) V.E. Day message from CINC WA to AIG 32  (8) Message from the ADMIRALTY to ALL SHIPS - Spice the Main Brace  (9) Message from the ADMIRALTY to ALL SHIPS - Congratulations on the Victory in Europe and expression of confidence in them for the battle in the Far East.  (10) Message from WHITEHALL W/T to ALL SHIPS announcing the unconditional surrender of Germany and the encouragement for the battle in the Pacific  (11) Intercepted message from S.O. U-boats - directing all U-boats to complete on last mission - their surrender to the allies.

 

From the collection of Doug Fryer, L/Coder, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Robert Fryer

 


 

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