HMCS DUNVER K03 - For Posterity's Sake

For Posterity's Sake

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

HMCS DUNVER K03

HMCS Dunver K03

From the collection of Ron Critchley

Courtesy of Diana Brown

Click on the above photo to view a larger image

Battle honours and awards: Atlantic 1943-45

Laid down: 05 May 1942

Renamed: HMCS Dunver

Launched: 10 Nov 1942

Commissioned: 09 Nov 1943

Paid off: 23 Jan 1946

Fate: Sunk as a breakwater in 1948

Laid down as HMCS Verdun, in honour of Verdun, Quebec, her name was changed to HMCS Dunver to avoid confusion with HMS Verdun, already in commissioned. She was the first frigate launched for the RCN, and was commissioned at Quebec City on 11 Sep 1943. and arrived at Halifax on 03 Oct 1943, having escorted a Sydney-Halifax convoy en route. After working up at Pictou she was allocated to EG C-5, and served continuously on North Atlantic convoys until Oct 1944. In July 1944 she had been Senior Officer's ship while escorting HXS.300, the largest convoy of the war with 167 merchant ships. In Oct 1944, she commenced refit at Pictou, completing on 27 Dec 1944, and in Apr, 1945, joined EG 27, based at Halifax, for the rest of the European war. In Jun 1945 she went to the west coast for tropicalization, but this was discontinued in Aug 1945 and she was laid up at Esquimalt. Paid off 23 Jan 1946, Dunver was sold and her hull expended as part of a breakwater at Royston, B.C., in 1948.

Note: HMCS Hespeler and HMCS Dunver were credited with the sinking of U-484. However, post war analysis credits the sinking of U-484 to HMS Portchester Castle and HMS Helmsdale.

Photos and Documents Hometown support for HMCS Dunver

"Sink the Bastard" - Friendly Fire in the Battle of the Atlantic Through The Camera's Lens - Scenes from on board HMCS Dunver

Commanding Officers

LCdr W. Woods, OBE, RCNR - 11 Sep 1943 - 06 May 1944

Lt Wilfred Davenport, RCNR - 07 May 1944 - 09 Aug 1944

A/Cdr George Hay Stephen, RCNR - 10 Aug 1944 - 24 Aug 1944

A/LCdr W. Davenport, RCNR - 25 Aug 1944 - 26 Mar 1945

A/Cdr St. Clair Balfour, RCNVR - 27 Mar 1945 - 26 May 1945

LCdr Charles Patrick Balfry, DSC, RCNR - 27 May 1945 - 02 Sep 1945

In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice

Lest We Forget

COLE, Cyril Edward

AB, V72749, RCNVR

MPK - 08 Apr 1945

PATTERSON, Percy William

L/ Sto, V32359, RCNVR

died - 11 Mar 1945

In memory of those who have crossed the bar They shall not be forgotten
A-B
Alguire, Frederick Howard 1924-2012
C-D
Devost, Robert Joseph 1921-1993 Served in Dunver as an AB, Submarine Detector. Was on Dunver when U-484 was sunk.	Douglas-Crampton, Richard Daniel 1924-2010
G-H
Grelish, Vincent Morton ____-2007	Huxley, George Ambrose 1921-2016 Commissioning crew
M-N
MacDonald, William Frederick 1923-2009
O-P
Peck, Clifford Roy ____-2006	Pippard, Frederick Arthur 1918-1989
S-T
Trenholm, Douglas Stuart ____-2008
W-X-Y-Z
Westgate, Murray 1918-2018	Zafeeris, Anthony ____-2002