HMCS Sackville.Pdf

crew of at least one of the escorts which escort, which consisted of the destroyers located the convoy once again east of explosions [from the depth charges]. We Of the many corvettes built by the Allies during the had started intercepting a “tell-tale series Saguenay and Skeena and the four Cape Race and vectored the rest of the turned and steamed back. In a minute Second World War, only HMCS Sackville remains afloat. of German medium-frequency radio corvettes Agassiz, Louisville, Wetaskiwin packs onto the target. or so the asdic operator reported he transmissions”. and Sackville – all of whom were taking The Germans attacked and the had contact, and we ran in and fired five Her survival, however, owed more to good fortune than Convoy ON-115 and its escorts advantage of the U-boats’ repeated Commodore ordered sharp course charges. [Then] a strong smell of diesel oil continued to maintain radio silence transmission of homing signals. In this changes, the result of which was that came to us. We all looked over the side good planning. Sub-Lieutenant Blake Patterson details in order to deny the German U-boats running battle of wills, the Type VIIC one column became separated from the to see if any oil was visible on the water. It the fighting history of the last of the line. every opportunity of homing onto U-boat U-588 was located and sunk by others. The escorts, meanwhile, went into was too dark to see anything.” it. However, as the Senior Officer of depth charges from the corvette HMCS action. Lieutenant Easton, on the bridge HMCS Sackville’s torpedo officer the escort group later lamented, Wetaskiwin and destroyer HMCS Skeena. of HMCS Sackville, later recalled the watched from the bridge: “The depth he Flower-class corvette HMCS It was whilst engaged “several ships in the convoy The submarine went down with all hands. events that followed after sighting one of charge from the starboard thrower sank Sackville was built by the Saint in these convoy duties were making smoke so It was first blood to the Allied warships. the submarines on the surface: fifty feet and then exploded, as did the TJohn Dry Dock and Shipbuilding that HMCS Sackville had bad (sic), the convoy was During the night of the 31st the “Can you see anything, Number One?” others. It must have touched the U-boat’s Co. Ltd of Saint John, New Brunswick. her moments of greatest glory. visible even at night about German boats lost contact with ON-115 Easton asked. after deck as it went off, for a moment She was launched on 15 May 1941, and In late July and early August 1942 fifteen miles.”1 Indeed, it was a visual but Saguenay and Skeena were short of “There it is a bit to starboard!” later the bow of the U-boat broke the commissioned into the Royal Canadian HMCS Sackville formed part of the sighting that drew the U-boat packs fuel and they left the convoy to return to “Full Ahead.” surface a few feet astern. She rose up out Navy on 30 December 1941. It was a escort for Convoy ON-115, which also to the convoy. Newfoundland. There were now just the “Fire, Number One.” This was a star of the water to an angle of about forty further four months before she was consisted of the destroyers Saguenay By 29 July, ON-115 was being four corvettes to protect ten times that shell to illuminate the area of attack. It degrees exposing one-third of her ready to put to sea and it was not until and Skeena and three other corvettes tracked east of Newfoundland number of merchant ships. revealed a U-boat lying broadside on slender hull. Her momentum was still 15 May 1942 that HMCS Sackville left Agassiz, Louisville, and Wetaskiwin. by the Wolf and Pirat After several high-speed chases, HMCS the corvette’s starboard bow, less than carrying her forward at right-angles to Halifax, Nova Scotia to join the war. Made up of faster merchant vessels, U-boat groups (seven Wetaskiwin was short of fuel and also had 400 yards away. She had just got under our course. As she hung for an instant Under the command of Lieutenant some forty-one in total, all elements of and six submarines to leave the convoy. On 2 August, the way, working her propellers at full poised in a precarious position, Alan Easton, RCNR, HMCS Sackville was the convoy had joined from Moville, respectively). The escort was replenished by the destroyers speed and was beginning to dive. a depth charge which had been assigned to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force Clyde, Liverpool and Lock Ewe by 25 next day the U-boats Hamilton and Witch and the corvette “Fire again.” dropped over the stern rail exploded as part of Escort Group C-3 along with July 1942. The ultimate destination, pounced. Galt, and only just in time, because U-552 The U-boat was still ahead of them immediately beneath her and she the destroyers Saguenay and Skeena and indicated by the ON convoy routing These first but only the upper part of her conning disappeared in the huge column of the other Flower Class corvettes Galt and code, was New York. submarine attacks, MAIN PICTURE: The last serving Flower-class tower was still showing. “Stand by to water. Wetaskiwin. She also served with C-1 and The journey was relatively uneventful and those on corvette, HMCS Sackville, at her summer ram! Set Pattern A.” The latter referred “She’ll never surface again, sir,” C-2 Escort Groups, escorting convoys for the first two days. Then, on the 27th, the 31st, were berth on Halifax waterfront, where she is to a series of depth charges. the torpedo officer concluded. berthed alongside the Maritime Museum of “Would we reach her in time?” The submarine was in fact U-43. from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to the air cover ended. Worse, evidence of driven off by the the Atlantic. During the winter this wartime Londonderry, Ireland, from January 1942 impending trouble was recorded by the veteran is berthed in Her Majesty’s Canadian continued Easton. “We were Its log recorded that “the whole to August 1944. Dockyard on the western side of Halifax desperately close. In the pool of light boat received a powerful sharp Harbour. She was launched on 15 May 1941, shed by the flare we saw the U-boat’s blow that knocked out electro by Mrs. J.E.W. Oland, wife of the captain of motors, depth-gauge and tactical the port, with the Mayor and entire town conning tower disappear. I waited for council of her namesake town in attendance. the crash. Another thirty feet [but] it table”. The crew was disoriented: (The Canadian Naval Memorial Trust) did not come. The streak of foaming, depth gauges sprung suddenly swirling water was beneath the gun from an indication of 170 metres deck now. to zero. The port engine seized “Fire! There were simultaneous up. With its starboard engine still operating at full speed ahead, the U-boat settled some 7° degrees down by the stern. Within thirty seconds of PRESERVING THE LAST CORVETTE the area but the depth charges she threw out “wracked” the boat. The submarine, however, was not seriously damaged and escaped to Saint-Nazaire Undaunted, the U-boats persisted with their attacks. The convoy lost two ships, with another two being damaged. In the on-going engagement HMCS Sackville was involved yet again with one of the German submarines – the third time in twelve hours. Lieutenant Eason described this final clash: “‘Radar says there might be something in the ground wave, if so it’s to starboard,’ said the navigator. A dark smudge appeared dead ahead. In three seconds it revealed its shape – long and low, high amidships. A submarine! “‘Hard aport. Full ahead. Open fire!’ “The submarine was on the port the final attack,U-43 ’s log noted that “‘Keep a sharp lookout there,’ I sang abaft the safety bearing and the gun bow, a little more than 100 yards off. the submarine “shuddered and broke out to lookouts and the signalmen on the could not reach any farther. Then there The ship was swinging to port – but not surface”. Another emergency dive took bridge. was a colossal sound of escaping air, and fast enough. The U-boat was inside our it to a depth of 120 metres.2 Though the “‘Submarine on the port beam.’ the U-boat went down like a stone. She turning circle; we could never reach her … U-boat had been badly damaged, and “‘Full ahead! Hard aport! Port beam – submerged so quickly that I could hardly 80 yards, 70 yards – broader on the port one crewman had suffered critical internal submarine – open fire!’” believe my eyes. bow now. At last! injuries, it survived its encounter with the “The ship glided slowly on. She “The ship was at last gathering “With the gun on the depression rail corvette and reached Lorient having been could not pick up headway swiftly like a way and, as she did, ten charges were and ship swinging fast, it fired at point at sea for forty-three days. destroyer. And she was too sluggish on dropped to explode at varying depths. Not long after engaging U-43, Sackville the helm at this speed to turn fast, the But our distance from the submarine was ABOVE FAR LEFT: A view of the stern of was in action yet again, as Lieutenant enemy being inside our turning circle.

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