HMCS CHAMBLY K116

 

Flower Class Corvette

 


 

Chambly's gunshield art

circa Dec 1941 - Feb 1942

HMCS CHAMBLY K116

Source: Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-105255.

 

Laid down: 20 Feb 1940

Launched: 29 Jul 1940

Commissioned: 18 Dec 1940

Paid off: 20 Jun 1945

Fate: Sold in 1946 for commercial use. Broken up in 1966

 

Commissioned at Quebec City on 18 Dec 1940, CHAMBLY arrived at Halifax on 24 Dec 1940. After working up she joined Halifax Force, and on 23 May 1941, left Halifax as on of the original seven corvettes forming NEF. She served continuously as on ocean escort between St. John's and Iceland until 08 Dec 1941 when she returned to Halifax for refit. During this period she took part in two major convoy battles: HX.133 (Jun 1941), which lost 18. In the latter case she had left St. John's on 05 Sep 1941 with MOOSE JAW for exercises, and when SC.42 came under attack, they received permission to join the convoy off Greenland in support. Just before joining on 10 Sep 1941 they came upon U 501 trailing the convoy, and sank her. CHAMBLY served as a mid-ocean escort to Iceland for the balance of 1941, then underwent repairs at Halifax from 08 Dec 1941 to 22 Feb 1942. She then made a round trip to Londonderry as an escort in Mar 1942 and, on her return to St. John's on 28 Mar 1942, was based there to reinforce ocean escorts in the western Atlantic, doubling as a training ship. 

 

On 11 Jun 1942 S.S. PONTYPRIDD was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-94 while en route from Immingham to Sydney in ballast, and a straggler in Convoy ONS-100. Two crew were lost. The master was taken prisoner by U-569 and was taken to POW camp Milag Nord. 42 crew members and three gunners were picked up by HMCS CHAMBLY and landed at St. John's.

 

In Sep 1942 she resumed regular mid-ocean escort duties, with time out for refit at Liverpool, N.S., from 26 Nov 1942 to 13 Feb 1943. From Mar to Aug 1943, she was a member of EG C-2, then briefly joined the newly formed EG 9 at St. John's and, in Sep 1943, EG 5. In Dec 1942 she returned to Liverpool, N.S. for three months' refit, including fo'c's'le extension.  After workups in St. Margaret's Bay she resumed mid-ocean duties, the time with C-1, until her final departure from Londonderry on 11 Mar 1945. She was refitting at Louisbourg when the war ended, and was paid off and laid up at Sorel on 20 Jun 1945. Sold in 1946 for conversion to a whale-catcher, she entered service in 1952 under the Dutch flag as Sonja Vinke, and was broken up at Santander, Spain, in 1966.

 

U-Boats Sunk:  U-501 sunk on 10 Sep 1941 by HMCS CHAMBLY K116 and HMCS MOOSE JAW K164 in position 62-50 N, 37-50 W

 


 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos          Battle for Convoy HX-133

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

A/LCdr F.C. Smith, RCNR - 18 Dec 1940 - 25 Mar 1941

Cdr James Douglas Prentice, RCN - 26 Mar 1941 - 13 Nov 1942

A/LCdr Antony Fenwick Pickard, RCNR - 14 Nov 1942 - 26 Jan 1944

Lt Stephen Dalrymple Taylor, RCNR - 27 Jan 1944 - 22 Jun 1944

Lt Hedley Allen Ovenden, RCNR - 23 Jun 1944 - 20 Jul 1944

A/LCdr Stephen Dalrymple Taylor, RCNR - 21 Jul 1944 - 13 May 1945

LCdr John Bertrand Brunswick Shaw, RCNVR - 14 May 1945 - 20 Jun 1945

 


 

     In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice    

     Lest We Forget     

 

BROWN, William I.

Sto 1c, RNCR

MPK - 10 Sep 1941

ROBERTSON, Thomas

LS, RCNVR

died - 19 Mar 1944

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Adams, Butch, LS - 1943


Armstrong, T.W., LS - 1943


Bain, E. - 1943


Banks, D., LS - 1943


Barnett, J.A., ERA - 1943


Bayne, J. HSD - 1943


Bears, W., AB - 1943


Berry, Gordon, RDF1 - 1943


Bonner, A.L., Yeoman - 1943


Brophy, M., Coder - 1943


Cale (sp?), L, STWD - 1943


Carey, H.D., L/Tel - 1943


Chapman, R.J. - 1943


Churchill, H. George, Coder - 1943


Clark, S., SPO - 1943


Clark, T., S/KS - 1943


Connor, George O., OS - 1943


Conrad, C., L/CK - 1943

 

Cunningham, John Ritchie, Slt, RCNVR - 08 Jun 1942

 

Denver, J., OS - 1943

 

Dow, Al

 

Durrant, Douglas Trevor 

 

Evans, C., LS - 1943


Evans, W.J. - 1943

 

Fairlie, John Neil, Lt, RCNVR - 14 Feb 1944

 

George, A (??) - 1943


Gladstone, R., AB - 1943

Grant, Donald Alexander, LCdr, RCNVR - 14 Apr 1941

 

Grant, J., AB - 1943

 

Greenless, W., AB

 

Guindon, Andre Laurent, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1944

 

Harding, W.L, A/CPO - 1943

 

Hay, Ian MacLachlan, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1943

 

Hazelwood, W. - 1943

 

Holgate, Gordon Philip, Slt, RCNVR - 29 Apr 1942

 

Hillock, J.H., OS - 1943


Hooley, K., AB - 1943


Idington, J., Coder - 1943

 

Ingraham, Donald Robson, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1943

 

Jackman, William Stephen, Lt, RCNVR - 13 Apr 1944 / 13 Apr 1945

 

James, Ken, LS - 1943


Jull, G.H., Sig - 1943


Kersey, D., SD - 1943


Lalonde, A.J., CERA - 1943


Larzell (sp?), W., ERA - 1943


Lawrence, S.G., AB - 1943

 

Leckie, Gordon Wallace, Lt, RCNVR - 12 Feb 1944

 

LeClair, R.J. - 1943


Legault, R., AB - 1943


Legault, R., Tel - 1943

 

Lehtu, I.P., AB - 1941

 

Lewis, L/Writer - 1943

 

Madden, James Ernest, Slt, RCNVR - 09 Apr 1945

 

MacDonald, David - 1943


MacKenzie, J. - 1943

Mathews, Harry - 1943

 

O'Toole, Cyril (Cy)

 

Page, E. - 1943

 

Pemberton, Francis John Dupont, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1942

 

Penning, B., Sig - 1943


Pullen, John H., Sto - 1943


Rankin, A. - 1943


Robertson, L., SD - 1943


Roper, R. - 1943

 

Ryerson, Donald Egerton, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1942

 

Scott, S. - 1943


Selon, Murry - 1943


Sirvak (sp?), R., AB - 1943


Sivel, A.E., L/Sto - 1943


Smith, E.J., AB - 1943

 

Spence, William, DSM., CERA - 1941

 

Sproston, J., LS - 1943

 

Stuhr, George Ernest, A/War (E), RCNVR - 25 Feb 1944

 

Sullivan, F., O/Tel - 1943


Sutherland, AB - 1943

 

Sweatman, Henry Cowly, SLt, RCNVR - 28 Jul 1944

 

Tobin, Hugh E., Sig - 1941

 

Townseny - 1943


Vickery, F.N., SBA - 1943


Walker, J.S., Tel - 1943


Williams, E., AB - 1943

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

CHM001

CHM002 / TC24

CHM003

CHM004 / EM023

CHM005 / EM024

(CHM001) HMCS CHAMBLY K116 - VE Day 1945 at Louisbourg N.S. Canada, under going repairs as the war ended  //  Photographer: Celia LeDrew  //  Courtesy of Gary LeDrew

(CHM002) HMCS CHAMBLY K116  //  From the collection of Tom Coyle, Sto 1c, RCNVR  //  Courtesy of Elaine Desnoyers

(CHM003) MV Sonja Vinke former HMCS CHAMBLY K116  //  Source: Flickr photo collection of Ron Bell

(CHM004 - CHM005) Unidentified sailors on HMCS CHAMBLY - ship identified by gunshield art  //  From the collection of AB Elvin Raymond McLean, RCN  //  Courtesy of Alan Soderstrom

 

 

CHM006

 

CHM007

 

(CHM006) Article on the sinking of U-501 by HMCS CHAMBLY  //  Sailors mentioned in the article:  Tel George Churchill;  Tel Terence Wheeler; AB John Warr; AB Joe Kolino, all of Montreal and Tel Richard Bristow of Victoria; LS Leo Letho of Sioux Lookout; Torpedoman S. Moyle of Toronto; and AB W. Greenless of Regina; Sig Tobin (of Montreal and Hamilton)

(CHM007) Mate A. F. Pickard and Chief Engine Room Artificer W. Spence, St. John’s, Newfoundland, 1942. The two men played key roles in the corvette HMCS CHAMLEY'S sinking of the German submarine U-501 on September 10, 1941. This was the Royal Canadian Navy's first confirmed submarine sinking of WW 2. Pickard received a Mention in Despatches and Spence received a Distinguished Service Medal for their actions. Location: St. John's, Newfoundland, Source: Library and Archives Canada / PA-204345

 



 

JA06

JA07

JA08

JA09

JA10

(JA06) HMCS CHAMBLY K116

(JA07) Two newspaper articles on Lt. John Allan, DSC

(JA07) Newspaper article on awards earned after the sinking of U-501 by Lt John Allan and other crew of HMCS CHAMBLY

(JA08) Two Winnipeggers Tell of Sinking of Nazi Sub

(JA09) McLean's Magazine article on Cdr Prentice and Lt Allan

From the collection of John Allan, LCdr, RCNVR / RCN(R)

Courtesy of Patricia Allan Strowbridge

 



 

 

AJ06

AJ08

 

(AJ06) Autographs from survivors of U-501 picked up by HMCS CHAMBLY K116 with notes from HSD Alfred Johnson

(AJ08) HMCS CHAMBLY match book

From the collection of PO Alfred H. B. Johnson, RCN / RN

Courtesy of Robert Johnson

 



 

HB02

HB03

HB04

(HB02) Harold Branch by the gun mount on HMCS CHAMBLY K116

(HB03-HB04) HMCS CHAMBLY K116

From the collection of Sto 1c Harold Branch, RCNVR

Courtesy of Trevor Cameron

 



 

WR02

WR03

WR04

WR05

WR06

(WR02-WR06) Articles on the sinking of U-501

The RCN'S first submarine kill of the Second World War

 

WR07

WR08

(WR07-WR08) Articles on the sinking of U-501

The RCN'S first submarine kill of the Second World War

From the collection of Walter Richardson, RCNVR

Courtesy of Shawn Richardson

 


 

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