HMCS PORTAGE
J331 / 169
Algerine
Class Minesweeper
Post wartime badge |
HMCS PORTAGE J331 as convoy escort
From the collection of Hugh Hamilton
Courtesy of Rick Hamilton
DND/RCN photo
Click on the above photo to view a larger
image
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Battle honours and awards: Atlantic
1944-45
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Laid down: 23 May 1942
Launched: 21
Nov 1942
Commissioned: 22
Oct 1943
Paid
off: 31 Jul 1946
Re-commissioned: 1947
Paid
off:
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Re-commissioned:
12 Apr 1949
Paid
off:
Re-commissioned;
01 Apr 1958
Paid off: 26
Sep 1958
Fate:
Broken up in 1961
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Built by Port Arthur
Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Port Arthur, Ont, she was named for Portage la
Prairie, Man. She was commissioned at Port Arthur on 22 Oct 1943, and arrived at Halifax on
28 Nov 1943. After working up in St.
Margaret's Bay Portage was assigned to EG W-2 of Western Escort
Force as Senior Officer's Ship, late in Jan 1944. In mid-Apr 1944
she was transferred, still as S.O., to W-3, and continued as such
until late Oct 1944, when she underwent an extensive refit at
Liverpool, N.S. She then proceeded to Bermuda for workups, rejoining
W-3 in Mar 1945. The group was disbanded in Jun 1945 and Portage was
placed in maintenance reserve at Sydney and then at Halifax, when
she was paid off on 31 Jul 1946. She was re-activated for training
purposes during the summers of 1947 and 1948, and spent most of the
period between 1949 and 1959 in the same role, much of the time on
the Great Lakes. She was finally paid off 26 Sep 1958, and
scrapped at Sorel three years later.
Photos and Documents
The Ship's Bell
Commanding Officers
A/LCdr James Philip Fraser 01 Sep
1943 - 10 Oct 1943
Lt Breen Philip Young,
RCNR - 22 Oct 1943 - 19 Dec 1943
A/LCdr George Murray Kaizer,
RCNR - 20 Dec 1943 - 04 Jun 1945
Lt John Gregory Macdonell,
RCNVR - 05 Jun 1945 - 13 Jul 1945
LCdr George Murray Kaizer,
RCNR - 14 Jul 1945 - 02 Aug 1945
Lt W.E. Williams,
RCNR - 23 Oct 1945 - 02 Nov 1945
Lt William Rodney Aylwin,
RCNVR - 03 Nov 1945 - 05 Feb 1946
A/Lt William Errol Hughson,
RCNR - 06 Feb 1946 - 08 Apr 1946
Lt Cecil Julian Benoit,
RCN - 09 Apr 1946 - 02 Jun 1946
Lt Murray Hamel Cooke,
RCN - 03 Jun 1946 - 31 Jul 1946
Lt John Beaumont Bugden,
RCN - 12 Apr 1947 - 30 Sep 1947 |
LCdr Angus
H. Rankin, RCN - 24 Mar 1948 - 18 Aug 1948
LCdr Douglas
M. MacDonald,
RCN - 12 Apr 1949 - 27 Oct 1949
Lt W.W. MacColl,
RCN - 28 Oct 1949 - 16 Feb 1950
Lt Eric Phillip Earnshaw,
RCN - 17 Feb 1950 - 23 Jun 1951
Lt John Harris MacLean, RCN - 24 Jun 1951 - 15 Mar
1953
LCdr Arthur Bruce Torrie,
RCN - 16 Mar 1953 - 25 Nov 1954
LCdr Harold
E.T.Lawrence, RCN - 23 Apr 1955 - 25 Oct 1956
LCdr K.R. Crombie,
RCN - 26 Oct 1956 - 05 May 1957
LCdr John Anderson Farquhar,
RCN - 06 May 1957 - 24 Sep 1957
LCdr Charles Walter Fleming, RCN -
01 Apr 1958 - 26 Sep 1958 |
In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten
Aylwin,
William R.
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Balch,
Kenneth J.
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Bennett,
George M.
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Bernard, Pierre Y.
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Bond, Walter
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Book,
Kenneth E.
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Cassivi,
Louis A.
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Crossley,
Sidney R. |
Crowley,
Michael J.P.
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Curry,
Donald G. |
Doyle, Henry
H. G.
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Dufour,
Gerald J.
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Dunbar,
Francis J. |
Dyck,
Henry W.
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Fraser,
James P.
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Frizzell,
Wayne
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Gould,
Claude W.
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Govan, Brian
F.
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Guy, Allan
R.
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Guy,
Rex G. |
Hamilton,
Hugh P.
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Hansen,
Frank A.
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Hawboldt,
Robert W.
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Hood, Donald
F.
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Hughson,
William E.
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Jaeger,
Albert
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Jones,
Lloyd I.
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Kemp,
Harold D.
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Kyle,
Ted
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Lees, Joseph
A. W.
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Logie,
Robert D.
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MacIntyre,
Norman E.
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MacKinnon,
Hugh
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Mahoney,
John E.
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McCaw,
Hubert J.
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McGinn,
George H.
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Melanson,
Louis M.
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Morehouse,
Robert E.
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Morton,
John P.
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Mulcahy,
George S.
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Palmer,
Robert D.
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Patterson,
Leagh
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Patterson,
Merville J.
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Pettit,
Kenneth F.
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Prosser,
Charles A.
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Roberts,
Ralph D.
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Roberts,
Trevor J. F.
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Robertson,
Ronald A.
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Rock,
Raymond
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Rowland,
Arthur F.
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Rowse,
Arthur W.
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Sirett,
John F.
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Smith,
Raymond
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Somers,
George H.
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Stanbrook,
Wilfred T.
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Stitt,
Don M.
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Tilbury, Albert E.
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Tobin, Bruce
T. G.
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Tomlinson,
Samuel G.
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Topping,
William R.
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Walsh,
Donald E.
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Watt, Conway J.
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Whitby, Joseph E.
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Wilson,
Joseph F.
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Young,
Breen P.
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Former Crew Members
Berlin, Abraham David, SLt (El), RCNVR - 16 Feb 1944
Buliung, John Reginald, SLt, RCNVR - 19 Mar 1945
Cram, Robert Henry, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1944
Donald, James Ian Bruce, A/SLt, RCN - 14 May 1948
Dunbar, Francis John, A/SLt, RCN - 14 May 1948
Huculak, Walter, Lt (El) (R), RCNVR - 05 Jun 1944
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Lutton, Thomas George, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1945
Martin, Fred
McDonald, Wallace Arthur, Lt, RCNVR - 06 Mar 1945
McDonald, Wallace Robert, Lt, RCNVR - 22 Mar 1944
Middleton, Robert Earl, RCN
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Nuttall, Raymond, A/Wt (E), RCNVR - 17 Apr 1945
Palmer, William Ward, Lt, RCN
Redford, Douglas Bernard, Lt (E), RCNR - 31 May 1943
Stewart,
Norm, AB, 26959-H, RCN
Sullivan, Gerald, AA 3 - Jan 1952
Walkey, James Nicol, Wt (E), RCN - 27 Mar 1946
Watts, Ernest Hay, A/Surg/LCdr - RCNVR - 24 Jul 1944
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Photos and
Documents
(AD85-AD89)
HMCS PORTAGE in convoy
From
the collection of Allan Dougall, LCdr
(E), RCN(R) Courtesy
of David Dougall
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HMCS Portage J331
Courtesy of Erling Baldorf |
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HMCS Portage J331
Courtesy of the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military
Museum |
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Training Cruise On Lake For Naval Reserve
Newspaper article from the Picton Gazette, Mar.
16, 1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2016 |
|
Newspaper article from the Picton Times, Aug. 6,
1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
|
Training Cruise for Local Unit
Newspaper article from the Picton Gazette, July
20, 1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
|
Gold Cup Feature of Monday's Regatta
Newspaper article from the Picton Gazette, July
29, 1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
|
Navy Has Interesting Evening of Training
Newspaper article from the Picton Time, July 16,
1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
|
HMCS Portage Visitor Here
Newspaper article from the Picton Gazette, August
3, 1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
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Local Sailors Leave For Toronto Ex
Newspaper article on local RCNR members
participating in the Toronto Ex on ML Q121 (HMCS Portage mentioned in
article)
The Picton Gazette, September 2, 1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
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Newspaper article on Naval Reserve training
involving HMCS Portage 169
The Picton Times, May 28, 1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
|
Newspaper article on the Picton Regatta in which
HMCS Portage and ML Q121 were present
The Picton Gazette, August 3, 1949
Source: Prince Edward County Archives Microfilm
collection
Researched and complied by: © John Lyons 2015 |
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HMCS Portage 169 circa 1952 |
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Harold Kemp (right) on HMCS Portage - date
unknown
Source: obituary for Harold Kemp |
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HMCS Portage - date unknown
Courtesy of Dave Shirlaw |
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HMCS PORTAGE 169
DND / RCN Photo |
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HMCS PORTAGE 169 passing under the Jacques
Cartier Bridge, Montreal, QC
DND / RCN Photo |
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