Royal Canadian Navy Destroyers, (D, E, F, G, and H Class): HMCS Margaree (H49); HMCS Chaudière (H99); HMCS Gatineau (H61); HMCS Kootenay (H75); HMCS Qu’Appelle (H69); HMCS Ottawa (H31); and HMCS Saskatchewan (H70)
Royal Canadian Navy Destroyers, 1940
HMCS Margaree (H49) (D class) joined the RCN in 1940, followed in 1943 and 1944 by HMCS Chaudière (H99) (H class destroyer); HMCS Gatineau (H61) (E class destroyer); HMCS Kootenay (H75) (D class destroyer); HMCS Qu’Appelle (H69) (F Class destroyer); HMCS Ottawa (H31) (G class destroyer) - the 2nd to carry its name during the war; and HMCS Saskatchewan (H70) (F class).
HMCS Margaree (H49)
(RN Photo)
HMCS Margaree (H49) was a D-class destroyer commissioned as HMS Diana for the Royal Navy on 21 Dec 1932, entering naval service in 1932. HMS Diana was transferred to the RCN in 1940 and renamed HMCS Margaree. She was serving on the China Station when the war broke out, and transferred to the Mediterranean for a short time before returning to Britain to join the Home Fleet. In May 1940, she took part briefly in the Norwegian campaign and in mid-Jul 1940 commenced refit at Albert Docks, London. There she was transferred to the RCN to replace the lost HMCS Fraser, commissioning as HMCS Margaree on 6 Sep 1940. On 20 Oct 1940 she left Londonderry for Canada with a five-ship convoy, OL.8, and two days later was lost in collision with the freighter MV Port Fairy. 143 of her ship's company were lost, 86 of them survivors of HMCS Fraser.
(IWM Photo, FL17599)
The British flagged MV Port Fairy was a refrigerated ship built in 1928 and weighed 8,337 gross registered tons. Sailing in fast convoy OL8 from Liverpool to Canada on 22 October 1940, MV Port Fairy collided with the Canadian destroyer HMCS Margaree in rough seas about 300 miles (483 km) west of Ireland. HMCS Margaree sank quickly; her captain, four officers and 136 crew were lost. MV Port Fairy rescued 34 of the survivors. Her next port of call was Bermuda, at which she called in November, 1940, landing the six officers and 28 enlisted men which she had rescued from the stern portion of HMCS Margaree before it sank. Men were either killed outright on the forward section or survived intact on the aft section. Two men perished whilst climbing up the side of the rescuing Port Fairy when they fell and were crushed between the ships. The survivors rescued by Port Fairy were returned to Canada by 13 November. Four of the surviving officers became rear admirals or commodores, and the Port Fairy survived the war.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Margaree (H49)
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Margaree (H49), D-class destroyer.
HMCS Chaudiere (H99)
(CFB Esquimalt Military Museum Photo)
HMCS Chaudiere (H99). Commissioned on 23 Oct 1936 as HMS Hero, she saw extensive service in the Second World War, including the second Battle of Narvik, Apr 1940; the evacuation of Greece and Crete, Apr and May 1941; and the Syrian invasion, Jun 1941. As a unit of the Mediterranean Fleet, she also took part in the Second Battle of Sirte in Mar 1942, and, in May 1942 and October 1942, shared in the sinking of two U-boats. In Apr 1943, she returned to the UK for a major refit at Portsmouth, and was converted to an escort destroyer before being transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on 15 Nov 1943, becoming HMCS Chaudiere. In Jan 1944, she became a member of EG C-2, Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF), and on 6 Mar 1944, shared in the destruction of U-744. In May she was assigned to EG 11, Western Approaches Command, for invasion support duty, and was present on D-Day. On 20 and 28 Aug 1944, she assisted in the sinking of U-984, west of Brest, and of U-621 off La Rochelle. During the next three months she was employed in patrol and support duties in the North Atlantic, Bay of Biscay, and English Channel. She returned to Halifax at the end of Nov 1944 for repairs, and a major refit begun at Sydney two months later was still incomplete on VE-Day. HMCS Chaudiere was paid off 17 Aug 1945 to reserve at Sydney, and broken up by Dominion Steel at Sydney in 1950.
(Robert Chasse Photo)
HMCS Chaudière (H99) in RCN service, ca Jul 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3201926)
HMCS Chaudiere (H99) gun crews, 7 Jan 1944.
(Lana James Photo)
HMCS Chaudiere (H99), coming alongside, Londonderry, UK.
HMCS Gatineau (H61)
(Roger Clarke Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (H61). Completed for the RN in 1934 as HMS Express, she saw strenuous war service with the RN. She was the second last ship to leave Dunkirk, having made six trips and evacuated 3,500 troops. On 31 Aug 1940, while laying a defensive minefield off the Dutch coast, she was herself extensively damaged by a German mine. Repairs were carried out at Hull, UK, which took more than a year, and included fitting a complete new fore end. She went to the Far East late in 1941, and on 10 Dec 1941 was on hand to rescue nearly 1,000 survivors of HMS Prince of Wales, sunk by Japanese bombs off Malaya. After long service with the Eastern Fleet she returned to Liverpool in Feb 1943, for refit, and in the process was transferred to the RCN. She was commissioned there as HMCS Gatineau on 3 Jun 1943, and joined EG C-3, MOEF. On 06 Mar 1944, while escorting convoy HX.280, she assisted in the sinking of U 744. That May she transferred to EG 11, Londonderry, for invasion duties, and was present on D-Day. She proceeded to Canada in Jul 1944, for a major refit at Halifax, then sailed in Mar 1945, for workups at Tobermory. No longer needed after VE-day, she returned to Canada in Jun 1945 and two months later went round to the west coast. She was paid off 10 Jan 1946, into reserve at Esquimalt, and is believed to have been scuttled at Royston, BC, in 1948, as part of a breakwater.
(IWM Photo, FL 11685)
HMCS Gatineau (H61) in RN service as HMS Express.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (H61).
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (H61).
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Gatineau (H61) in RCN service, ca 1943.
HMCS Kootenay (H75)
(IWM Photo, FL 11211)
HMCS Kootenay (H75) (D class destroyer). Built at Southampton, England, for the RN, she was commissioned on 4 Apr 1933 as HMS Decoy, and at the outbreak of the war was with the 21st Destroyer Flotilla, East Indies Fleet. The flotilla was transferred later that month to the Mediterranean and in Jan 1940, to the South Atlantic. HMS Decoy was reassigned in May 1940, to the Mediterranean Fleet, and on 13 Nov 1940 was damaged by bombs at Alexandra, requiring ten weeks' repairs at Malta. While in the Mediterranean she took part in the evacuation of Greece and Crete, and in the supply run to Tobruk. Then assigned to the Eastern Fleet in Jan 1942, she returned to Britain in Sep 1942 for a major refit at Jarrow-on-Tyne. There, on 12 Apr 1943, she was transferred to the RCN as HMCS Kootenay, and after working up at Tobermory, was assigned to EG C-5, MOEF. In May 1944, she became a member of EG 11 and was present on D-Day. In succeeding months she carried out patrols in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay, and while thus engaged took part in the sinking of U-678, 6 Jul 1944, south of Brighton; U-621, 18 Aug 1944, off La Rochelle; and U-984, 20 Aug 1944, west of Brest. She sailed for Shelburne, NS, in mid-Sep 1944, for a major refit, returning to the UK in the spring of 1945. Following workups at Tobermory she operated out of Plymouth until the end of May, then returned to Canada, where she made six round trips as a troop transport between Newfoundland and Quebec City. She was paid off into reserve at Sydney on 26 Oct 1945, and in 1946 sold for scrapping.
(Steve Rowland Photo)
HMCS Kootenay (H75) (D class destroyer).
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3520751)
HMCS Kootenay (H75) (D class destroyer), firing Hedgehog depth charges during the action in which Escort Group 11 sank the German submarine U-621, 18 August 1944. HMCS Ottawa is visible in the background.
HMCS Qu’Appelle (H69)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (H69), in her previous colours as HMS Foxhound. Commissioned in the RN on 06 Jun 1935 as HMS Foxhound, she was a member of the 8th Flotilla, Home Fleet, on the outbreak of war, and on 14 Sep 1939, shared in the sinking of U-39 off the Hebrides - the first U-boat "Kill" of the war. In Apr 1940, she took part in the second Battle of Narvik, and in Nov 1940 was transferred to Force 'H' at Gibraltar. On 18 Jun 1941, she shared in the sinking of U-138 west of Cadiz, and she took one convoy to Malta. From Jan 1942 to May 1943, she served with the Eastern Fleet, then transferred to West Africa Command, Freetown. In Sep 1943, she returned to the UK for an extensive refit on the Humber, and on 8 Feb 1944, was commissioned in the RCN there as HMCS Qu'Appelle . She served on D-Day with EG 12 and on 8 Jun 1944, HMCS Qu'Appelle was attacked by U-953 (Oblt Karl-Heinz Marbach). The Gnats (acoustic torpedoes) exploded in the ship's wake with no damage to the ship. After D-Day she took part in Biscay and Channel patrols, latterly with EG 11. HMCS Qu'Appelle participated in operation "Dredger" against German escort vessels at the U-boat meeting points off Brest and southward. During the night of 5/6 Jul the 12th EG, comprising of HMCS Qu'Appelle, HMCS Saskatchewan, HMCS Skeena and HMCS Restigouche, attacked three patrol boats off Brest: V715 was sunk but not before hitting HMCS Qu'Appelle and HMCS Saskatchewan many times with small calibre gunfire. She arrived at Halifax for the first time on 29 Nov 1944, and proceed to Pictou, NS, for refit. Completing this refit on 31 Mar 1945, she served as a troop transport between Greenock and Halifax from Aug to Oct 1945. She was paid off on 11 Oct 1945 to serve as a stationary training ship attached to the Torpedo School at Halifax. Removed from service in Jun 1946, she was transferred to War Assets Corporation for disposal on 14 Apr 1947. Added to the disposal list on 12 Jul 1946, she was sold later that year for breaking up at Sydney, NS.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (H69).
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (H69) in RCN service.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209066)
HMCS Qu’Appelle (H69) in RCN service, with one of the two captured German U-boats in RCN service, alongside, 28 February 1947.
HMCS Ottawa (H31)
(IWM Photo, 8308-29)
HMCS Ottawa (H31). Commissioned in the RN on 6 Jun 1936 as HMS Griffin, she took part in the evacuation of Namsos, Norway, in May 1940 before transferring in August to Force 'H' at Gibraltar and in Nov 1940 to the 14th Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean. She subsequently took part in the evacuation of Greece and Crete, embarking 720 troops on one trip from Suda Bay. She also escorted a relief convoy to Malta. Transferred to the Eastern Fleet in Feb 1942, she returned to the UK in Oct 1942 for major refit at Portsmouth and Southampton, toward the end of which, on 20 Mar 1943, she was commissioned at Southampton as HMCS Griffin. On 10 Apr 1943, despite the objections of her captain, she was renamed HMCS Ottawa. She joined EG C-5, based at St. John's as a mid-ocean escort, but was removed from this duty in May 1944, to take part in the invasion with EG 11. During post-invasion patrols in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay she took part with Kootenay in the destruction of three U-boats. Ottawa returned to Canada in Oct 1944, for refit at Saint John, NB. On 11 Mar 1945, HMCS Stratford, returning from Bermuda, was involved in a collision with HMCS Ottawa in the Halifax approaches, receiving extensive damage to her fo'c's'le. Ottawa remained in Canadian waters for the duration of the war. After the end of the European war in May 1945 she was used to bring Canadian troops home until she was paid off on 1 Nov 1945, at Sydney. She was broken up in Aug 1946.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524826)
HMCS Ottawa (H31), taking part in blockade operations. Bay of Biscay, 20 Aug 1944.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Ottawa (H31).
(Bob Macklem Photo)
HMCS Ottawa (H31).
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Ottawa (H31)..
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70)
(IWM Photo, FL 13249)
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70) (F class). Commissioned in the RN on 27 Apr 1935 as HMS Fortune, she was serving with the 8th Flotilla, Home Fleet when the war broke out, and took part in the Norwegian campaign and the occupation of Iceland in May 1940. She also shared in the sinking of U-27, U-44, and the Vichy French submarine Ajax. On 10 May 1941, while escorting a Malta convoy, she was badly damaged by bombs and spent six months under repairs at Chatham, UK. In Feb 1943, following two years' service with the Eastern Fleet, Fortune returned to the UK for major refit at London, and there on 31 May 1943, was transferred to the RCN as HMCS Saskatchewan. She was assigned to EG C-3, MOEF, until May 1944, then transferred to EG 12 for invasion duties. On 7 Jun 1944, she was attacked by U-984 (Oblt Heinz Sieder) but the torpedo exploded in the cat gear, causing no damage to the ship. HMCS Saskatchewan participated in operation "Dredger" against German escort vessels at the U-boat meeting points off Brest and southward. During the night of 5/6 Jul the 12th EG, comprising of HMCS Qu'Appelle, HMCS Saskatchewan, HMCS Skeena and HMCS Restigouche, attacked three patrol boats off Brest: V715 was sunk but not before hitting Qu'Appelle and Saskatchewan many times with small calibre gunfire. She proceeded to Canada in Aug 1944, to refit at Shelburne, NS, returning to the UK in Jan 1945, first as a unit of EG 14, and then of EG 11. She returned to Canada the month after VE-Day and, after employment as a troop transport, was paid off 28 Jan 1946, at Sydney and broken up.
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70) (F class) in RCN service.
(RCSCC Bowmanville Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70) (F class) in RCN service.
(Diane Brown Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70).
(Ann Haver Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70).
(Ann Haver Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70).
(RCN Photo)
HMCS Saskatchewan (H70).
