HMCS PRINCE RUPERT K324

 

River Class Frigate

 

 

HMCS PRINCE RUPERT K324

 

Battle honours and awards:  Atlantic  1944

 

 

Laid down: 01 Aug 1942

Launched: 03 Feb 1943

Commissioned: 30 Aug 1943

Paid off: 15 Jan 1946

Fate: Scuttled as a breakwater in 1948

 

Commissioned at Esquimalt on 30 Aug 1943, she arrived at Halifax 21 Oct 1943, worked up at Pictou and, in Jan 1944, joined EG C-3 as Senior Officer's ship. PRINCE RUPERT left St. John's on 03 Jan 1944 to join her maiden convoy, SC.150, and was thereafter continuously employed as an ocean escort until late that year. On 13 Mar 1944, with U.S. naval units and U.S. and British aircraft, she assisted in sinking U 575 in the North Atlantic. In Nov 1944, she began a refit at Liverpool, N.S., and on its completion in Mar 1945, joined EG 27, Halifax. In Jun 1945 PRINCE RUPERT sailed for Esquimalt, where she was paid off 15 Jan 1946. She was sold in 1947, and her hull expended as a breakwater at Royston, B.C., the following year.

 

U-Boats Sunk:  U-575 (Oblt Wolfgang Bohemer) a type VIIC U-boat, sunk on 13 Mar 1944 by Avenger VC-95 of the USS BOGUE CVE-9; Br. SQNs 172 & 206, USS HAVERFIELD DE-393, USS HOBSON DD-464, HMCS PRINCE RUPERT K324 & Br. SQN 220 North of the Azores in position 46-18 N, 27-34 W. Of her crew of 55 there were 37 survivors.

 

 

RCN Memories:    Wartime Memories of George (Red) MacNair

 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos

 

Song - The Fighting P.R. - written by a former PRINCE RUPERT crew member

 

 

Commanding Officers

 

LCdr Robert William Draney, DSC, RCNR - 30 Aug 1943 - 27 Aug 1945

 

LCdr John Crispo Leckie Annesley, RCN - 24 Sep 1945 - 15 Jan 1946

 

 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 

 

Former Crew Members

 

Butcher, Alan - 1944

 

DeMerchant, Melville - 1944

 

Douglas, Alan St. Clair, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 28 Apr 1944

 

Draney, Robert William, LCdr, RCNR - 15 Jul 1943

 

Galloway, Frederick Ernest, Lt (E), RCNR - 08 Jul 1943

 

George, Philip Henry, SLt, RCNVR - 29 Jan 1945

 

Greene, Arthur Henry, SLt, RCNVR - 18 Apr 1945

 

Irwin, Robert

Isard, John Frederick, Lt, RCNVR - 24 Mar 1944

 

Johnson, Ernest Edward, Lt, RCNVR

 

Josey, Aubrey Edward, Lt, RCNVR - 17 Jul 1944

 

Levy, John Gibson, Lt (El) (R), RCNVR - Jan 1944

 

MacLennan, John Graham, A/Surg/LCdr, RCNVR - 27 Apr 1945

 

McCaffrey, Keith Allan, Lt (E), RCNVR - Jan 1945

 

McMurray, Leonard Denison, Lt, RCNVR - 28 Apr 1944

 

Medley, Ralph Cyril, Cdr, DSO, RN - 23 Mar 1944

Paddon, Oswald Orr, Lt, RCNVR - 18 May 1945

 

Robinson, Peter Lewis, Lt, RCNVR - 19 Mar 1945

 

Simpson, Roy James, Lt, RCNVR - 24 Mar 1944

 

Thompson, Theo Walter, A/LCdr, RCNVR - 23 Jun 1943

 

Townsend, Robert Grant, Surg-Lt, RCNVR - 19 Jul 1944

 

Warren, Donald Cameron, Lt, RCNVR - 06 Jul 1944

 

Weir, James, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1945

 

 

Photos and Documents

 

HMCS PRINCE RUPERT K324

From the collection of Robert Macklem

Courtesy of Kelly Macklem

Drawing by a crew member of U 575 in memory of the sailing on HMCS PRINCE RUPERT 1944 after their U-boat was sunk

Source: Homepage for U-575

WR06

Alberta sailors on HMCS PRINCE RUPERT take part in sinking of U-boat - The Edmonton Journal 13 Jun 1944

 

Sailors mentioned in the article: AB Eric Grommers of Edmonton;  Tel William Romanchuk of Edmonton;  Sig Peter Hamilton of Calgary;  Stoker Frank Wood of Calgary;  AB Richard McHugh of Edmonton;  ERA Dave Wallace of Calgary;  Stwd Richard Humphreys-Jones of Alhambra;  CPO Don McCulloch of Edmonton.  Absent: L/Sig Clifford Johnston of Edmonton

 

From the collection of William Romanchuk

 

Courtesy of Ken Romanchuk

Hedgehog Crew after their sinking of U-575 off the Azores on 13 Mar 1944

From the collection of George (Red) MacNair

Courtesy of Sandra Lansing

Three New Brunswickers from HMCS PRINCE RUPERT'S Hedgehog crew - L-R: Alan Butcher, Melville DeMerchant, and George MacNair

From the collection of George (Red) MacNair

Courtesy of Sandra Lansing

HMCS PRINCE RUPERT as convoy escort

From the collection of Jeffrey Pierce

Courtesy of Jim Pierce

The remains of PRINCE RUPERT at Royston, British Columbia.

Picture from the Flickr collection of Scott

The stern of the PRINCE RUPERT K324 at Royston, British Columbia, 24 Feb 1997

Source: CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum

 

 

HS02

HS03

HS04

(HS02) V.E. Day celebrations on HMCS PRINCE RUPERT - PO Steen, AB Dann, PO Murphy, AB Latimer, AB Mott

(HS03) VE Day - Officers on HMCS PRINCE RUPERT. CO Robert Draney addressing the crew

(HS04) Painting of HMCS PRINCE RUPERT.  The artist, who is unknown, served in HMCS PRINCE RUPERT.

 

From the collection of Herman Stubbs, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Deegan Stubbs

 

 

JR76

JR77

(JR76-JR77) Believed to be the commissioning of HMCS PRINCE RUPERT

 

JR78

JR79

JR80

JR81

JR82

(JR78) "Taken from crow's nest HMCS PRINCE RUPERT

(JR79) Quarterdeck of HMCS PRINCE RUPERT in heavy seas

(JR80) Forward gun mount on HMCS PRINCE RUPERT

(JR81) Sailors by after gun on HMCS PRINCE RUPERT

(JR82) HMCS PRINCE RUPERT

 

JR83

JR84

JR85

JR86

JR87

(JR83) Rescuing of survivors from U-575. USN destroyer in upper left corner of photo.  HMCS PRINCE RUPERT right had side with the lines for the ship's boat hanging down

(JR84) HMCS PRINCE RUPERT rescuing German sailors. The black spots in water are the German sailors

(JR85) Names of German sailors rescued by HMCS PRINCE RUPERT

(JR86) Article on HMCS PRINCE RUPERT'S battle with U-575

(JR87) Admiral Taylor on bridge of HMCS PRINCE RUPERT in St. John's after action against U-575

 

From the collection of Joseph W. Rolland, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Jordan McCallum

 

 

HOME PAGE     SHIP INDEX      CONTACT