HMCS COBALT K124

 

Flower Class Corvette

 


 

HMCS COBALT K124

Source: Warships of WWII

 

Laid down: 01 Apr 1940

Launched: 17 Aug 1940

Commissioned: 25 Nov 1940

Paid off: 17 Jun 1945

Fate: Broken up in South Africa in 1963

 

Built at Port Arthur and commissioned there on 25 Nov 1940, COBALT was taken to Halifax in advance of completion to beat the St. Lawrence freeze-up, arriving 24 Dec 1940. Completed early in Jan 1941, she worked up and joined Halifax Force, but left on 23 May 1941 with the other six corvettes and first formed NEF. For the next six months she operated as an ocean escort between St. John's and Iceland, proceeding in mid-Nov 1941 to Liverpool, N.S., for three moths' refit. Following completion she made two round trips to Londonderry before being assigned in May 1942, to WLEF, with which she was to spend the balance of the war. She served with EG W-6 from Jun 1943; with W-5 from Apr 1944; and with W-7 from Feb 1945. During the second of two other extensive refits at Liverpool, N.S., from Apr to 20 Jul 1944, her fo'c's'le was lengthened. She was paid off at Sorel on 17 Jun 1945, and subsequently sold for conversion to a whale-catcher, entering service in 1953 as the Dutch Johanna W. Vinke. She was broken up in South Africa in 1966.

 


 

Photos and Documents         Ship's company photo         The Ship's Bell

 


 

HMCS Cobalt - Cobalt's Namesake Goes to War by Charles Dumaresq  // email: HMCSCobalt@gmail.com

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

A/LCdr Robert Baird Campbell, RCNR - 25 Nov 1940 - 19 May 1941

Lt Colin James Angus, RCNR - 20 May 1941 - 03 Jan 1943

Lt Maurice Faulkman Oliver, RCNR - 04 Jan 1943 - 06 Feb 1943

Lt Colin James Angus, RCNR - 07 Feb 1943 - 05 May 1943

A/LCdr Ronald Alfred Judges, RCNVR - 06 May 1943 - 03 Mar 1944

Lt A.A.R. Dykes, RCNR - 04 Mar 1944 - 17 Mar 1944

Lt Alfred William Bett, RCNR - 31 Mar 1944 - 25 Jun 1944

A/LCdr Ralph Marcus Wallace, RCNVR - 26 Jun 1944 - 17 Jun 1945

  


 

     In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice    

     Lest We Forget     

 

GRAHAM, James A.

AB, RCNR

killed - 13 Jan 1943

RANDALL, George

CERA, RCNR

MPK - 17 Apr 1942

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Belgrave, Henry Kelvin, SLt, RCNVR - 08 Feb 1945

 

Cainen, Greg - WW II

 

Cairns, George Fisher, A/Wt (E), RCNVR - 17 Jul 1944

 

Carter, John Daniel, Lt, RCNVR - 26 Jul 1944

 

Cassels, Ernest Sidney, Mate, RCNR - 15 Jun 1942

 

Corneille, Frederick Evan, Ch/Skpr, RCNR - 26 Jun 1944

 

Cummings, George C., Lt, RCNVR - 05 Apr 1945

Demoor, Frank 

 

Fitzgerald, Michael John, Sig, RCNVR

 

Heward, Charles Denys, Lt, RCNVR - 02 Jun 1943

 

Holt, Earl - alive and well in 2019

 

Judges, Ronald Alfred, A/LCdr, RCNVR - 04 Mar 1944

 

Laughton, Charles Van Wyck, SLt, RCNVR - 30 Jul 1942

Lynch, George Richard Kimberly, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1942

 

Major, Paul Simon, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1942

 

Palmetier, Everett Dyson, SLt, RCNVR - 03 May 1941

 

Russell, Neil Jennings, SLt, RCNVR - 15 May 1943

 

Salter, Douglas Campbell, SLt, RCNVR - 05 Apr 1945

 

Werely, James Marshall, BEM, ERA 4c, RCNR

 

Whyte, William Methvin, SLt, RCNVR - 13 Jun 1941

 

Williamson, Donald Munro, Lt, RCNVR - 26 Feb 1944

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

CBT001

CBT002

CBT003

(CBT001) HMCS COBALT K124 leaving Hvalfjord, Iceland, Nov 1941  //  Source: IWM Official Admiralty Collection Photographer: Parnell, C.H., Lt

(CBT002) Gunshield art on HMCS COBALT K124  //  Courtesy of the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum

(CBT003) the artwork was given to the town in early 1943, and it is signed by the same artist who painted the original artwork on the Cobalt's gunshield. It is held by the Cobalt Mining Museum  //  Photo courtesy of Charles Dumaresq

 



 

 

EF01

EF02

EF03

 

(EF01-EF03) HMCS COBALT K124 in Liverpool, Nova Scotia where she underwent her fo'c's'le extension in Jul 1944

 

EF04

EF05

EF06

EF07

(EF04-EF07) HMCS COBALT arriving at St. John's, Newfoundland.  Cabot Tower can be seen in photos 1 and 2

 

EF08

EF09

EF10

EF11

(EF08) HMCS COBALT K124

(EF09-EF10) HMCS Pictou K146 alongside HMCS COBALT K124 while convoy escort (note ships of the convoy on the horizon)

(EF11) Depth charge explodes astern of HMCS COBALT K124  //  Webmaster's note:  Due to the large number of crew watching, this is very likely a training run for the depth charge crews

From the collection of Edmund Ferris

Courtesy of Edmund Ferris

 



 

WK06

WK07

WK08

WK09

WK10

(WK06) HMCS COBALT K124 and HMCS AGASSIZ K129

(WK07) HMCS COBALT K124

(WK08) Petty Officers quarters on HMCS COBALT K124.  William E. Killam laying on settee

(WK09) HMCS COBALT K124

(WK10) Unknown corvette

 

WK11

WK12

WK13

WK14

WK15

(WK11) Ratings mess deck HMCS COBALT K124

(WK12) A few crew members around the funnel on HMCS COBALT K124

(WK13) Unknown ship (looks to be one of the old 4-stack River Class) seen from HMCS COBALT K124

(WK14) Unknown merchant ships seen from HMCS COBALT K124 - place unknown

(WK15) William E. Killam on HMCS COBALT K124

From the collection of William E. Killam, CPO, RCNVR

Courtesy of Kathryn Killam

 



 

 

DD02

DD03

DD04

 

(DD02) Donald Douglas (right) and William Poshtar - 1945

(DD03) William Poshtar

(DD04) Donald Douglas' letter about the Halifax VE Day riots - Donald was in Halifax for the V.E. Day riots. He wrote a letter to his family - giving his account of what happened in Halifax

From the collection of Donald Douglas, SBA, RCNVR

Courtesy of Al Douglas

 


 

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