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RCN Memories
Section 3
Click on thumbnail images to view photos submitted with stories
To submit a story, please email the webmaster.
Please keep in mind that some of the stories here are humourous and some of them are of a more serious nature where shipmates have lost a life while others may contain profanity.
Some of these events happened 70 plus years ago and may not be 100% historically accurate - they are from our memories as we remember them.
MEMORIES OF A POW - Submitted by William (Bill) Green
HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 - Bill Green had met Bill Connolly while he (Bill Green) was the Executive Director of "Friends of HMCS HAIDA" in Hamilton, Ontario. Bill Green accompanied Bill Connolly and his wife Vi (Lolanda) into High School history classes where he spoke about Canadian Second World War stories not found in the current textbooks. It was after one such visit, outside the class, that Bill Connolly told his story to Bill Green about his experience as a POW.
Bill Connolly said that following the sinking of the ATHABASKAN the German rescuers scooped up some papers floating in the water and they were able to identify Bill and four other members of the Communication branch of the ship.
All five were questioned repeatedly first by the German Navy and later by the Gestapo in an attempt to learn/understand the Allied Naval Codes in use in April 1944 and "why are you wasting your time down here instead of up at Calais?"
All five refused to talk and after intense interrogation, Bill said that it was like a Hollywood Movie, he would sit back in his chair, blow cigarette smoke in my face and say "Look, your name is William Connolly, you are not Seaman, you are Signalman, Your wife Iolanda Connolly is living with your parents on .....St. in Hamilton Ontario!"
We want you to tell us "What are the Codes Canadian Warships are using in the Channel NOW?"
After a couple days of this, all 5 were marched outside the Interrogation room and put in front of a Firing Squad. The order was given Ready, Aim Fire! . . . And the rifles went "click" as they were not loaded.
All 5 were moved to the POW Camp for the rest of the War.
Bill
Connolly also recounted to Bill Green about his time on HNoMS King
Haaken VII - Bill had been a Lifeguard in Hamilton Harbour before
enlisting when war was declared. He was drafted to HNoMS King
HAAKEN VII, a Norwegian warship, formerly USS PC 467. On his first
trip on King Haaken VII, a Norwegian sailor was washed overboard and
Bill leapt the side to rescue him. The ship was stopped and
the 2 men brought back on board ship.
Bill
was taken up to the Captain cabin. Bill said "The Captain
took me into his cabin and said I can't put this in the log because
we are not allowed to stop at sea on convoy duty." Bill
said, "But I wanted to save that mans life!' The Captain
said "Yes and Thank You for that, but I cant put it in the log,
but here is a drink for your actions and gave me a drink of
Gin!"
AIR SEA RESCUE RCN STYLE - Submitted by Gary Cook, Leading Seaman, Marine Engineer
While a member of the crew of HMCS Provider I had the chance to take a week long trip up the coast of B.C. in search of a suitable landing site for army maneuvers that fall. Capping off the trip was a scheduled port visit to the island community of Kodiak, Alaska. The ship's lines were tied fast; the gangway lowered; and those lucky enough to be off duty hurried ashore to sample the local hospitality. On board the duty watch settled into what we thought would be a long boring day soaking up the rays in the sleepy Coast Guard port.
It wasn't long into the watch when a small Cessna airplane attracted our attention as it circled overhead. We figured some locals were sightseeing with our ship being the main attraction. With little else to do we watched the plane continue its slow circling descent until, with the grace of an albatross, it ditched in the harbour right in front of us. The ship's alarm sounded and emergency parties closed up. We manned a small rescue boat and dispatched it to the scene of the accident. Our boat was followed several minutes later by one from the Coast Guard.
With swollen chests and much back slapping we looked on with pride as our work boat approached us with four survivors rescued right from under the nose of the Coast Guard. However, the celebration didn't last long, for as they climbed aboard we recognized the four soggy sightseers - junior officers from our ship's company.
REMEMBERING THE 6th SUBMARINE SQUADRON - Submitted by Michael Rowe, RN
I have just read the wonderful stories of the 6th Submarine Squadron, many years ago in the 1950s I was a squadron Writer, but typically only officers are mentioned, there were only three Writers, a CPO and two of us normal fellows!!. I spent a couple of wonderful years there, having been sent over on the Empress of Scotland and went home on a RAF Comet, so it was exciting and then Halifax itself, First Baptist Church - sang in the Choir - got engaged but it broke up - wonderful time, great friends and loved it so I eventually emigrated to Canada, still here at 90.
If anyone remembers me give a shout....
Leading Pay Writer Michael Rowe CMX909067
mjrowe342022(at)outlook.com
153 PALLETS AND 6,000 BARRELS OF EXTRA FUEL - Submitted by Steve Foldesi, Capt, RCN / C.A.F. / RANR
HMCS SKEENA - In early 1985 I sailed for England to join STANAVFORLANT. I was to return some three months later to participate in the Navy’s 75th Anniversary celebrations and after six or seven days sail again with SNFL for the Caribbean. The brief Halifax stop was to include three days at anchor in Bedford Basin for the Fleet Review, etc.
As part of our presail planning we estimated that after three months away our logistics requirements would be such that alongside time would not be sufficient to embark all the stores prior to our departure South, certainly not when you consider the work tempo of dockyard civies. The obvious solution was to get the AOR to R/V with us at sea for a heavy jackstay.
So I called on Basil Moore, CO Preserver, to present my problem. He was keen but he had his own problem - fuel was tight in those days and such a trip could not be accommodated within his allocation. It so happened that Spook Spanik, his Liquid Cargo Officer (LCO), overheard our conversation and barged into Basil’s cabin to announce that he has lots of fuel. Now any one who knows Basil would know that he ran a very tight ship, hence he was taken aback by Spook’s statement. When asked to explain, Spook told him that the last few times Preserver topped up in Halifax it was in cold weather and most RAS since have been in warm weather. Given that fuel is accounted for by volume and fuel expands with increasing ambient temperature, he had 6,000 barrels of fuel nobody knew about. Basil called on CANCOMFLT (Cmdre John Harwood), laid out his case and received his approval to sail for a mid-ocean R/V with Skeena.
As it turned out, the load was to be 153 pallets. The problem was how to get rid of one pallet at the receiving end by the quarterdeck king post before the next one arrived. We worked out a plan and asked Preserver to send the pallets across in the directed order. The XO’s human chain as an all ship evolution looked after the rest.
The entire operation took 4 hours and 20 minutes. I think this is still a record.
(as an aside Spook Spanik achieved notoriety by being the instigator of the RPC for Xaviera Hollander, the Happy Hooker, that cost the then CO, Peter Traves, his command. His main problem was that COMMARCOM at the time was no other than Fester Boyle).
CAPTAIN COOK'S SWORD - Submitted by Steve Foldesi, Capt, RCN / C.A.F. / RANR
I was D2 Sqn OPs O 1977-78. It was a good year all around as you will see later.
The key event was planning for the West Coast Fleet deployment for RIMPAC 78: Provider(Keith Young), Restigouche(Tim Porter) and Kootenay(Basil Moore). Code named Exercise ENDEAVOUR BARQUE, this was to be a long and complex deployment. Enroute South after a port visit to Pearl Harbour, the TG was to be split for single ship visits to Pacific Islands: Provider to Fiji(Suva), Restigouche to Western Samoa(Apia) and Kootenay to Tonga(Nuku a’lofa). Upon R/V the TG was to visit Auckland, NZ before splitting again: Provider to Wellington, Restigouche to Gisborne and Kootenay to Lyttleton. After an R/V West of the Cook Strait the TG was to R/V again for a port visit to Sydney, to be followed by pre-RIMPAC single ship visits: Provider to Melbourne, Kootenay to Hobart and Restigouche to Brisbane. Together again, the TG sailed with the RAN carrier group (HMAS Melbourne) to commence RIMPAC 78.
Part of the planning included splicing HMNZS Waikato into D2(for six months) and the TG. (you will remember the near disaster of the USN Sea King, flying off Provider, running out of fuel and conducting an emergency landing on Waikato as reported in the South Pacific edition of Time Magazine and http://www.forposterityssake.ca/RCN-Memories2.htm#RCN-MEM-0225.
To put this all together, I flew down to meet with COMAUCK, MCAUST and CO Waikato. As it happened, this serendipitous event led to meeting Margaret, my future wife, on a domestic flight between Gisborne and Auckland. 47 years later I still believe 1977 was the greatest year ever.
During the planning process I received a visit by a couple of sailors who related the story that in 1969, during a port visit to Gisborne in HMCS Qu’Appelle, they broke off Captain Cook’s sword from a local statue and, knowing that D2 will be there, they wondered if we could return the sword. I immediately agreed to take this on. During my pre-deployment visit I called on Richard (Tiny) White, Gisborne ’s Mayor and legendary All Black rugby player. Plans were made and during Restigouche’s port visit later on the sword was officially returned by Tim Porter and D2(Capt Stan Riddell)
Captain Cook's statue with sword handle but no blade
Captain Cook's statue with sword blade restored
A WEST COAST DRUG BUST - Submitted by Steve Foldesi, Capt, RCN / C.A.F. / RANR
HMCS TERRA NOVA, HMCS KOOTENAY - When I first met John Cowan he was a PO2 Bosn and the Buffer in HMCS Terra Nova. The year was 1977/78 and I was D2 SOO. Herewith the dip. On short notice we sailed Kootenay and Terra Nova with the RCMP, US DEA and FBI embarked on a clandestine drug operation. It seems that a mother ship has been tracked from Columbia (thanks to a satellite transponder) including a fuel stop in San Diego and allowed to proceed North in the hope of catching it in the act of landing the cargo. It all came to a head in Nootka Sound during a pre-dawn raid by Terra Nova’s boarding party, commanded by John Cowan. As he recounted the event to me, an AB stoker woke up the Master with a cocked Browning 9mm pointed at his temple. The haul turned out to be 14 tons of marijuana and 350kg of cocaine, a big bust for the time. The cargo was transferred to Terra Nova and landed in Esquimalt where the RCMP took it away for incineration.
Stan Riddell (D2) was later feted in Vancouver as an Honourary Drug Buster. He was very proud. A great boss I will never forget.
John Cowan. He ended up a Captain in the RAN having been Cdr Sea Training, CO HMAS Westralia, CO HMAS Choule and Director Naval Officer Postings.
66 FEET DOWN ... - Submitted by Steve Foldesi, Capt, RCN / C.A.F. / RANR
HMCS SKEENA - As background, take a look at HMCS Skeena. Split funnels with a catwalk and guard rail around each to allow for the safe rigging of funnel covers. If memory serves me correctly it was 66 feet above the waterline and 8 feet in from the ship’s side.
In the early/mid 70s Neil Boivin was the CO and C1ER Tremblay was the CERA. They were in their late 50s, both from Thunder Bay and keen divers in their youth.
At anchor they always competed to dive off a higher point in the ship. During WUPS at anchor in St Kitts in the Carribean, Neil decided to do a swan dive off the catwalk. He had to step outboard of the guardrail and launch himself 8 feet out to clear the ship’s side and 66 feet down. He did it and we missed out on two field promotions: Dave Pollard from XO to CO and me from WO to XO.
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