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For Posterity's Sake 
A Royal
Canadian Navy Historical Project
HMCS
ARROWHEAD K145
Former
HMS ARROWHEAD K145
then
Whale Catcher SOUTHERN LARKSPUR (1947)
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HMS Arrowhead K145 - 1940
RCN Photo
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Laid down: 11
Apr
1940
Launched: 08
Aug 1940
Commissioned:
22 Nov 1940
Transferred
to RCN: 15 May 1941
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Commissioned: 15 May 1941
Paid off: 27
Jun 1945
Fate: Broken up
in 1959
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Built for the RN, she was commissioned at Sorel on
22 Nov 1940 as HMS Arrowhead K145. After arriving at Halifax on
03 Dec 1940 she carried out workups and sailed on 21 Jan 1941, with convoy HX.104 for Sunderland. There she was
in dockyard hands for the two months' work required to complete her
fully. After working up at Tobermory Arrowhead joined EG 4, Iceland
Command (RN). On 15 May 1941, she was transferred to the RCN and
commissioned as HMCS Arrowhead K145. In Jun 1941 she
transferred to the newly formed NEF. For
the rest of 1941 she escorted convoys between St. John's and
Iceland, proceeding early in Dec 1941 to Charleston, S.C. for refit.
Returning to Halifax in Feb 1942, she made one round trip to
Londonderry before joining WLEF. In Jul 1942 she transferred to Gulf
Escort Force, escorting Quebec/Gaspé-Sydney convoys, and in Oct
1942
joined Halifax Force and for two months escorted Quebec-Labrador
convoys. On 30 Nov 1942 she rejoined WLEF at Halifax, to remain with
it until Aug 1944. When this escort force was divided into escort
groups in Jun 1943, Arrowhead became a member of EG W-7,
transferring to W-1 in Dec 1943. During this period she underwent
two major refits: at Charleston, S.C., in the spring of 1943, and at
Baltimore, Md., a year later. During the latter refit her fo'c's'le
was extended. In Sep 1944, she joined Quebec Force and was
again employed escorting Quebec-Labrador convoys. In De 1944 she
transferred to EG W-8, WEF, and served on the "triangle
run" (Halifax, St. John's, New York/Boston) for the balance of
the war. On 27 May 1945, Arrowhead left St. John's to join convoy
HX.358 for passage to Britain, where she was paid off and returned
to the RN on 27 Jun 1945, at Milford Haven. Sold in 1947 for conversion
to a whale-catcher and renamed Southern Larkspur, she was finally
broken up at Odense, Denmark, in 1959.
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Commanding Officers |
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Lt Victor
Harrison Torraville, RCN - 22 Nov 1940 - 17 Jan 1941
Lt Edward
Ellor Hart, RCNVR - 16 Jan 1941 - 18 Jan 1941
Cdr Edward
George
Skinner, RCNR - 18 Jan 1941 - 19 Apr 1943
Skpr/Lt Lester Alton Hickey, RCNR - 20 Apr
1943 - 10 Oct 1944
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Lt William
Percy Wickett, RCNVR - 11 Feb 1944 - 04 Mar 1944
Lt Roy
Howard Sylvester, RCNVR - 05 Mar 1944 - 15 Apr 1944
Skpr/Lt Lester Alton Hickey, RCNR - 16 Apr
1944 - 21 Oct 1944
Lt Roy
Howard
Sylvester, RCNVR - 22 Oct 1944 - 27 Jun 1945 |
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
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ROBERTSON,
Henry Wilson
L/Sto, X/41058, RCN
died - 23 Mar 1941
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In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten |
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A-B
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Bell,
Charles Edward Wallace
1916-2011
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Browne,
Randall William
1917-1975
Served in Arrowhead 03 Dec 1941
- 04 Feb 1942
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C-D |
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Clark,
Joseph Adair Porter
1921-2013
Drafted to Arrowhead 29 Jan 1943 at a Lt,
RCNVR |
Crossley,
Sidney Ross
1920-2008 |
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E-F |
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Froats,
Allan
____-2014 |
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G-H |
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Hardie,
Alvin Archibald
____-2002 |
Hayes,
Gordon
Keith
____-2010 |
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I-J |
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Johnston,
George Barnett Cheyne
1921-2002 |
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K-L |
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Kozlowski,
Henry
1925-2009 |
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M-N |
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Martin,
Earl A.
1923-2016 |
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O-P |
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Parker,
Gordon McLeish
____-____
Drafted to Arrowhead 25 Feb 1945 as Slt, RCNVR |
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Q-R |
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Reynolds, Ellwood Kenneth
1910-1993 |
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S-T |
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Smith,
Geoffrey W.
____-2016
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Spackman,
Peter
1926-2009 |
Sylvester,
Roy Howard
____-2009
Drafted to Arrowhead on 01 May 1943 as Lt,
RCNVR |
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U-V |
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Vondette,
Henry William 1924-2006
Served
in Arrowhead as a Visual Signalman, RCNVR |
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W-X |
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Walczak,
Joseph Frances (Joe)
1921-2002 |
Wampler,
John
1921-2011
Drafted to Arrowhead on 23 Jun 1944 as Slt,
RCNVR |
Warwick,
William
1913-2013
Drafted to Arrowhead on 05 Mar 1944 at Lt,
RCNVR |
Wiffin,
Roy Thomas Hansford 1923-2014 |
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Y-Z |
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Young,
Robert
1922-2008 |
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Ship's Mascots |
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____-____ |
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Former Crew Members
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Black,
Donald Louis, Slt, RCNVR - 17 May 1943
Brocher,
LS, RCNVR - 1944 (of Montreal, QC)
Calvert,
Philip Woodward, Mate, RCNR - 03 May 1943
Campbell,
Gordon David, Slt, RCNVR - Jan 1941
Copeland,
A., AB, RCNVR - 1944 (of Toronto, ON)
Cole,
Hugh Harvey Wilding, Slt, RCNVR - 15 Apr 1944
Culley,
John Ross, Slt, RCNVR - Jan 1942 / 13 May 1942
Fraser,
Arthur Douglas, Slt, RCNVR - Jan 1945
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Hickey,
Lester Anton, Ch/Skpr, RCNR - 05 Feb 1942 / Lt, RCNR - 26 May 1942
Hill,
Ted (Trevor)
Jackson,
AB, RCN - 1944 (of White Rock, BC)
MacLean,
A., LS, RCN - 1944 (of Saskatoon)
Martin,
Glenn
Outhet,
Murray McLaren, Slt, RCNVR - 26 May 1942
Paterson,
James, A/Wt (E), RCNR - 06 Apr 1944 |
Rigney,
William Campbell, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1941
Roed,
Botha, Lt, RCNR - 22 May 1944
Smith,
John Cowan, Slt, RCNR
Smith,
N.A., LS, RCNVR - 1944 (of Toronto, ON)
Suydam,
Hendrick Rycken, Slt, RCNVR - 26 Feb 1945
Steedman,
John Malcolm, Lt, RCNR - Jan 1945
Taylor,
Len
Walker,
G., AB, RCNVR - 1944 (of London, ON) |
Links
Group
on mission to prove there is truth in legends that Nazi submarines
went far inland from Canadian Coast - 19 Apr 2013
Ship's
company photos for HMCS Arrowhead
Photos
and Documents (below)
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Ensign from HMCS Arrowhead K145
This battered White Ensign from
the corvette HMCS Arrowhead testifies to the North Atlantic's
atrocious weather. Although this flag appears to have been through a
battle, the damage is the result of wind and water, which have torn
seams and frayed fabric. Before the switch to flags printed on nylon
fabric, flags were made of strips of coloured cloth sewn together in
the necessary patterns. This flag, damaged during a storm, was kept by
Arthur Statham, who served aboard Arrowhead. From 1910 until 1965,
Royal Canadian Navy ships flew the same white ensign as Britain's
Royal Navy.
White Naval Ensign CWM
19680136-001. Source: Canadian War Museum
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Sailors on HMCS Arrowhead reading the Crow's Nest
newspaper
LS
A. MacLean of Saskatoon; AB G. Walker of London, ON; AB Jackson of
White Rock, BC; LS N.A. Smith or Toronto, ON; AB A. Copeland of
Toronto, ON; and, LS Brocher of Montreal
Crow's
Nest Magazine - May 1944 |
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HMCS Arrowhead K145 |
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HMCS Arrowhead K145
RCN photo
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HMCS Arrowhead K145
From the collection of John Wampler
Courtesy of Barb Ishler |
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HMCS Arrowhead K145
From the collection of John Wampler
Courtesy of Barb Ishler |
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Hamilton, mascot of HMCS Arrowhead K145 with John
Wampler
Hamilton with John Wampler
From the collection of John Wampler
Courtesy of Barb Ishler |
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Hamilton, mascot of HMCS Arrowhead K145
From the collection of John Wampler
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Article
from the Labrador Life magazine telling of a close encounter between
HMCS Arrowhead and a German U-boat off the coast of Labrador.
Published
with permission of the author, Perry Trimper, and Labrador Life
magazine (www.labradorlife.com)
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Four crew of HMCS Arrowhead at a bar in New York,
Jan 1945
HMCS Arrowhead arrived in New York, escorting a
convoy of empty ships returning from England.
(L-R) Len Taylor, Ellwod Reynolds, Glenn Martin,
Ted (Trevor) Hill
Courtesy of Barb Ishler and Douglas Harman
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HMCS Arrowhead K145 Gun Shield Art
Original source unknown
Courtesy of Erling Baldorf |
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Colourized photo of HMCS Arrowhead K145
From the collection of Elmer Shunk
Courtesy of Lorne Shunk
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