For Posterity's Sake         

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project


 

HMCS HALIFAX K237

 

Flower Class Corvette

 


 

HMCS HALIFAX K237

Click on the above photo to view a larger image

Courtesy of the Naval Museum of Halifax

 

Battle honours and awards:  Atlantic  1942-45

 

 

Laid down: 26 Apr 1941

Launched: 04 Oct 1941

Commissioned: 26 Nov 1941

Paid off: 12 Jul 1945

Fate: Sold in 1946 for conversion to a salvage vessel. Final disposition unknown.

 

Built by Collingwood Shipyards Lt., Collingwood, Ont., she was commissioned on 26 Nov 1941, at Montreal. HALIFAX was the first RCN corvette to be completed with a long fo'c's'le. Assigned to WLEF on her arrival at Halifax on 18 Dec 1941, she was transferred in Jul 1942, to Halifax Force (Aruba Tanker Convoys). On 14 Aug 1942 she arrived at Aruba with HA.3, her third tanker convoy, and was assigned to escort TAW.15, a Trinidad-Aruba-Key West convoy which developed into the only major convoy battle of the war in those waters.  Arriving in New York on 14 Sep 1942, she was placed under U.S. control for New York-Guantanamo convoys until Mar 1943, when she joined WLEF. Between 02 May and 15 Oct 1943, she underwent an extensive refit at Liverpool, N.S., followed by workups at Pictou. On New Year's Day, 1944, she arrived at St. John's to join EG C-1, leaving Londonderry on 11 Aug 1944 for two weeks' refit at Lunenburg. This refit was followed by three weeks' further repairs at Halifax and, late in Dec 1944, workups in Bermuda. In Jan 1945, she briefly joined Halifax Force, transferring in Feb 1945 to EG C-9 for the rest of the war. Paid off on 12 Jul at Sorel, she was sold for conversion to a salvage vessel.

 


 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

LCdr C. Copelin, OBE, RCN - 26 Nov 1941 - 06 Feb 1943

Lt Maurice Faulkman Oliver, RCNR - 07 Feb 1943 - 21 Jun 1944

A/LCdr Ross Malcolm Hanbury, RCNVR - 22 Jun 1944 - 03 Sep 1944

Lt Leslie Esmond Horne, RCNVR - 04 Sep 1944 - 12 Jul 1945

 


 

     In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice    

     Lest We Forget     

 

LEVY, St Clair

AB, RCNR

died - 20 Apr 1942

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Bancroft, Hugh George, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1945

 

Charron, Walter Edmund, Lt, RCNVR - 24 Feb 1945

 

Ebbels, William Dennis, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1944

 

Grand, William Martin, Lt, RCNVR - 25 Jan 1944

 

Hackney, John Wright, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 01 Jul 1942

Heap, Frederick Keith, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1942

 

Holland, Hary Brehaut, Lt, RCNVR - 03 Apr 1943

 

Ivine, Clarence Edward, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 16 Apr 1944

 

MacLachlan, George Alan, Lt, RCNVR - 25 Jan 1944

 

McKinty, Dennis Wylie, Lt, RCNVR - 28 Jul 1944

McLennan, James Harold, SLt, RCNVR - 28 Jun 1943

 

Piper, Ernest Frederick, Lt, RCNVR - 29 Apr 1942

 

Smith, Cecil James Whitnee, Lt, RCNVR - 29 Jun 1943

 

Thomas, Lawrence

 

Trewhitt, Stephen Cornell, SLt, RCNVR - 22 Mar 1942

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

HLF001

HLF002

HLF003 / JVW267

(HLF001) Gunshield art on HMCS HALIFAX K237  //  Courtesy of the Naval Museum of Halifax 

(HLF002) HMCS HALIFAX K237

(HLF003) HMCS HALIFAX K237 sold to Capt. Archibald S. Publicover who plans to convert her to a banana boat  //  From the collection of J. Vincent Wesley, CPO, RCNVR  //  Courtesy of Marilynn Taylor

 


 

 

CA57

CA58

CA59

 

(CA57-CA59) HMCS HALIFAX K237 photographed from HMCS FREDERICTON K245

From the collection of Charles Atkins, RCNVR

Courtesy of Lorne Atkins

 


 

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