Action Stations! Hmcs Sackville - Canada’S Naval Memorial Magazine Volume 34 - Issue 3 Fall 2015
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ACTION STATIONS! HMCS SACKVILLE - CANADA’S NAVAL MEMORIAL MAGAZINE VOLUME 34 - ISSUE 3 FALL 2015 In this issue…. THE IRON BEAST 7 GLENFIDDICH SUPPORTS WOUNDED WARRIORS 8 THE SUMMER OF ‘42 ~ A STORY OF HMCS SACKVILLE 9 CORVETTE MESS LIFE “…IT WASN’T THE RITZ” 12 HMCS CLAYOQUOT: A CHRISTMAS EVE LOSS 14 BARBER POLE GROUP 18 A VISIT TO POLAND 20 Volume 34 - Issue 3 Fall 2015 Editorial Committee: Action Stations! can be emailed to you and in full Cdr ret’d Len Canfi eld - Public Affairs LCdr ret’d Doug Thomas - Executive Director colour approximately 2 weeks before it will arrive LCdr ret’d Pat Jessup - Chair, Public Relations, CNMT in your mailbox. If you would perfer electronic copy instead of the printed magazine, let us know. Layout & Design: Tym Deal of Deal’s Graphic Design IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial Associates: Debbie Findlay - Financial Offi cer From the Executive 3 Lt(N) Blaine Carter, RCN The Chair’s Report Tanya Cowbrough The Captain’s Cabin Capt(N) ret’d Bernie Derible Executive Director Report Rick Krehbiel David MacLean Crossed The Bar 6 LCdr ret’d Dan Matte Major ret’d Peter Holmes The Iron Beast 7 Leading Seaman ret’d Steve Rowland Blow The Man Down: A Story of HMCS Sackville 8 Photographers: Lt(N) ret’d Ian Urquhart Glenfi ddich Supports Wounded Warriors 8 Cdr ret’d Bill Gard Summer of ‘42: A Story of HMCS Sackville (Part I) Sandy McClearn, 9 Smugmug: http://smcclearn.smugmug.com/ Corvette Mess Life: “It Wasn’t The Ritz” 12 HMCS SACKVILLE HMCS Clayoquot: Christmas Eve Loss 14 PO Box 99000 Station Forces, Halifax, NS B3K 5X5 German Spy House? 15 Summer phone number downtown berth: 902-429-2132 Winter phone in the Dockyard: 902-427-2837 Naval Hero William Hall 16 Craig Blake Honoured 17 FOLLOW US ONLINE: Barber Pole Group 18 HMSCSACKVILLE1 CMNT Trustee Award Winners 19 http://www.canadasnavalmemorial.ca/ Maintaining Ties with Sackville, NB 19 OUR COVER: A Visit To Poland 20 RCN sailors celebrating Canada’s Forgotten Cold Warriors 22 Christmas onboard during the Battle of the Atlantic. I Was a Sailor Once 24 Historic Naval Ship Association AGM 25 Armistice in London 26 Mail Bag 27 The Last Word / Upcoming Events 28 Permission to copy any of the material in this The Canadian Naval Memorial Trust publishes publication must be fi rst obtained through the editor obituaries, not only of Trustees but of the wider with appropriate accreditation given to the authors naval and military family. When forwarding and Action Stations! material to the editor please include a photograph. 2 FROM THE CHAIR ~ CANADIAN NAVAL MEMORIAL TRUST by Commodore ret’d Bruce Belliveau, Chair of the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust make light work. One of the initial ideas is to ask each of you to volunteer for at least one day during the tourist season (27 June – 16 October 2016) to be the ship’s representative and ensure interpretation of the ship is running smoothly. We would ask for an early commitment for planning purposes for you and the ship. This role may be termed “Offi cer of the Day” – more to follow on details of this initiative. Now that the federal election is over the Project Working Group and Battle of the Atlantic Society will step up the pace of reaching out to government with respect to Battle of the Atlantic Place. Although work has continued it has been slow going over the last few months for obvious reasons. Now more than ever having infl uencers across the country engaging local MPs is paramount. Those involved in Chapters or perhaps interested in doing so are essential to this effort: awareness is the key. Although the ship is out of sight, she remains our focal point with a multitude of activities going on behind the scenes. Our membership campaign continues and we have started receiving Convoy Class membership for groups. If you Commodore ret’d Bruce Belliveau (L) with Richard Martin, Chair of know of a group that may be interested contact a member of the Board of Directors, Wounded Warriors Canada at the Glenfi ddich the membership committee for details. presentation event at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Thanks again to the team that worked onboard the ship over Since the last issue of Action Stations! HMCS Sackville the summer. If you are interested in helping out, this is a completed her summer run at the berth downtown. It was tremendous way to support the Trust and meet wonderful a very successful season with record number of visitors, people from all over the world. We will be looking for despite the terrible weather in June and July. Our volunteer additions to the team for next year, and if you are interested tour guides continued to receive high praise from our guests please contact the Executive Director. and I can not thank them enough for their efforts. HMCS Sackville is now safely alongside at her winter berth in the In closing I would like to acknowledge the strong ties that Dockyard fand our hopes are that we can get some major have developed between the Trust/HMCS Sackville and repairs completed over the next months. This includes a Peter Mielzynski Agencies Ltd (PMA) and congratulate potential docking of the ship which will of course necessitate Glenfi ddich in its wonderful contribution to the Wounded restricted access. The team is looking at contingencies to Warrior Program - described in more detail below. ensure we continue to meet on a regular basis to socialize and keep all informed. As been passed on previously, the access to Dockyard has changed again but this time the re- strictions have been relaxed so while we can, Friday lunches will continue to be held on board. For out of town Trustees, don’t forget to let the Executive Director or the Captain know that you are coming so that your name can be added to the Dockyard access list. At our last Board of Directors meeting we discussed the issue of volunteers for various functions. A small working group has been established to reach out and encourage Trustees to step forward and take leadership roles. I am glad to report that we are already seeing more Trustees take up the challenge, but there is much to do and many hands will 3 THE CAPTAIN’S CABIN by Lieutenant Commander ret’d Jim Reddy At the time of writing, just after Remembrance Day, to be impressed by the wide ranging Veterans’ network in Sackville is settled into her Dockyard winter berth awaiting the Commonwealth. To make the point, a photo is attached direction to shift over to the syncrolift for the long-awaited of an multi-generational Sikh family we met during the hull preservation work that has been described in earlier parade marshalling. This included a young, ex-Royal columns. We now expect the docking to take place very Marine, RN doctor and also a British Army offi cer with early in the new year. Measurements have been taken to cut senior members of the family who had served in far fl ung off the upper part of the mast so that Sackville can move into WWII campaigns from Burma to Florence, Italy. Colourful the covered facility of the Captain (Navy) Barney Johnston and attention-getting as their dress was, the underlying syncrolift where she can be worked on out of the winter message was the worldwide breadth of the event. We all weather. In preparation for this crucial work, we have know about the highly respected Gurkhas who were also been removing everything possible from the lower spaces on parade but making friends with this engaging and exotic onboard especially the larger Engine Room and Main group, it readily became clear that this was a team you Magazine compartments. We expect steel survey, repair sincerely wanted on your side. and preservation coating to take place in these underwater, interior spaces, including tanks, that will see Sackville As we run up to Christmas and refl ect on our life’s advent- fl oating safely into the foreseeable future. I emphasize that ures and our blessings, best wishes to you all. this docking and preservation is the most signifi cant work package that has been undertaken in Sackville since her Jim Reddy restoration thirty years ago. We expect this major project to be completed in time for Battle of the Atlantic activities in 2016. Of course our small, onboard team could not accomplish the preparations without signifi cant help. That came from HMCS Toronto’s Engineering Department team of volunteers who assisted our new Chief Engine Room Artifi cer Chief Petty Offi cer First Class ret’d Pat Devenish. As we settle into our winter Dockyard routine, I’m pleased to note that there has been a relaxation to last year’s strict security measures that curtailed our onboard activities. We are able to resume our Dockyard Friday lunch meetings with parking privileges (paid) in the main outside lot. This is the most we could reasonably expect in the current security climate and we must acknowledge the considered RCN support to our operations. During the Great War thousands of Sikh soldiers from Even in the secure confi nes of the Dockyard (until we India fought and died in Flanders for King and Country. are high and dry on the lift), we continue to show off the A little known fact is that a small group of Sikhs working ship to various individuals and groups by appointment. in Canada volunteered for service in the Canadian Army This requires volunteer Trustees to contribute their time in during the war.