
HMCS HUMBERSTONE
K497
Castle
Class Corvette
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HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
Click on the above photo to view a larger
image
From the collection of Lt
Richard (Dick) Simon
Courtesy of Rick Simon
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Laid down: 30
Aug
1943
Launched: 12
Apr 1944
Transferred
to RCN: 1944
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Commissioned: 06
Sep 1944
Paid off: 17
Nov 1945
Fate: Broken up
in 1959
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Built at Glasgow, Scotland, she
was laid down and launched as HMS Norham Castle. On completion she
was transferred to the RCN and commissioned as HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
at Glasgow
on 06 Sep 1944. After working up at Tobermory she arrived in
October at Londonderry to join EG C-8, then forming. She left 'Derry
22 Oct 1944 to join convoy ON.261 for her first Atlantic crossing and
continued in service as an ocean escort for the remainder of the
war. HUMBERSTONE left Londonderry 12 May 1945, for her last convoy,
ONS.50. On 13 May 1945 a Sunderland aircraft belonging to RCAF 423 Squadron spotted U-244
on the surface
ahead of Convoy ONS-50. HMCS STONE TOWN and HMCS HUMBERSTONE were directed
to investigate and made initial contact with U-244 before turning her
over to HMS LOCH TARBERT and continuing as escort to Convoy ONS 50 (surrender
of U-244 - summary). In Jun 1945 she sailed to Esquimalt where she was paid off on
17 Nov 1945. She was sold to Chinese owners in 1946 and converted
for merchant service as Taiwei, subsequently undergoing five more
name-changes before becoming the Korean South Ocean in 1954. She was
broken up at Hong Kong in 1959.
The origin of the ship's badge:
"It was the resourcefulness of Lieut. Goodfellow which produced a crest
for the ship in time for the commissioning when it was found that it was not
possible to obtain one from the town of HUMBERSTONE, Ont., after which the
ship is named, in time for the ceremony. A little research by Lieut.
Goodfellow revealed that HUMBERSTONE, Ont., was named after a Scottish town
and that the HUMBERSTONE in Scotland had a crest of its own. This was the
crest which had been adopted by HMCS HUMBERSTONE. In its final form it
consists of a plaque showing a unicorn head over a shield, mounted on a
large maple leaf."
Photos and Documents
Ship's
company photos Convoys
escorted during WW2
Report
of Proceedings - Convoy ONS-50 - 27 May 1945
Commanding Officers
LCdr H. Allen
Boucher, RCNVR - 06 Sep 1944 - 15 Oct 1944
Lt C.L.
Campbell, RCNVR - 16 Oct 1944 - 26 Nov 1944 |
LCdr H. Allen
Boucher, RCNVR - 27 Nov 1944 - 15 Jun 1945
A/LCdr J.W. Golby, RCNVR - 19 Aug
1945 - 14 Oct 1945 |
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
MURRAY,
James B.
AB,
RCNVR
MPK - 04 Mar 1945
In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten
Armitage,
William
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Bird,
Frederick
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Bondy,
Carl
D.
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Eck,
John A.
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Gillis,
Benedict H.
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Golby, James
W.
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Goodfellow, Philip
F.
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Leroux, Ernest
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Saunders,
Murray K.
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Zaphe, Gerald
G.
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Ship's mascot
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Former Crew Members
Campbell,
Gordon David, Lt, RCNVR - 19 Apr 1944 (Stand by) CO
Crothers,
Robert John, Lt, RCNVR - 19 Apr 1944 (Stand by)
Douglas,
Ralph Louis, SLt (E), RCNVR - 27 Jun 1944 (Stand by) / Lt (E), RCNVR - 27 Jan 1945
Garlough,
Philip Johnstone, Slt (El), RCNVR - 12 Mar 1945
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Gray,
George Henry, Lt (E), RCNR - 18 Apr 1944 (Stand by)
McDonald,
Bob 
Riddell,
George Gordon, A/Lt, RCNVR - 19 Apr 1944 (Stand by)
Simpson,
John Sutton, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 08 Mar 1945
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Sobering,
Arnold, Lt (E), RCNVR - 27 Jan 1945
Stewart,
A.S Harold Lloyd (of North Battleford, SK)
Tooby,
Norman David, A/Lt, RCNVR - 19 Apr 1944 (Stand by)
Vaillancourt,
Jacques, A/Lt, RCNVR - 31 Jan 1945
Warwick,
William, Lt, RCNVR - 19 Apr 1944 (Stand by) |
Photos
and Documents

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Article on the commissioning of HMCS HUMBERSTONE
and the origin of the ship's badge
The Halifax Herald, Thurs, 02 Nov 1944
Researched by / Courtesy of George Newbury |

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Articles / crew photos on the commissioning of
HMCS HUMBERSTONE
Courtesy of the Saskatoon
Museum of Military Artifacts |

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HMCS HUMBERSTONE jacket patch
From the collection of Murray Saunders
Courtesy of Doug Saunders |

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HMCS HUMBERSTONE jacket patch
Courtesy of Brent Walker |

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HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497 in drydock
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Lt Philip Goodfellow, HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Sailors on deck of HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown evolution on HMCS Humberston K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown sailors on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown sailor on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Crew on deck of HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Up the mast on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Philip Goodfellow on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Target practice on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Philip Goodfellow (right) with unknown Petty
Officer on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown Petty Officer from HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Sailors on the depth charges on HMCS HUMBERSTONE
K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown Square-Rig Petty Officer on HMCS HUMBERSTONE
K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown sailor with the catch-of-the-day on
HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown sailors on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497 circa
1945
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown sailors on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497 with
the ship's mascot
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Unknown Sailors on HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Sailor holding a tattered White Ensign, HMCS HUMBERSTONE
K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497 at St. John's, NFLD
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497 at St. John's, NFLD
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow |

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Surrendered U-244 with aircraft flying overhead off of
Northern Ireland
Photo taken from HMCS HUMBERSTONE K497
From the collection of Philip Goodfellow
Courtesy of Michael Goodfellow
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Autographs of HMCS HUMBERSTONE'S officers on
the inside of a book found in an old bookstore in Islamabad,
Pakistan (found 14 Nov 2020)
Geo H. Gray, Lieut (E), RCNR
Gordon Riddell, Toronto, Ontario (* Lt,
RCNVR)
Robert J. Crothers, Kingston, Ontario (*
Lt, RCNVR)
Phil Goodfellow, Montreal, Que (* Lt,
RCNVR)
George MacDonald, Toronto (* Lt, RCNVR)
Ralph L. Douglas, Montreal, Canada (* SLt
(E), RCNVR)
Norman D. Tooby, Montreal (* A/Lt, RCNVR)
HMCS HUMBERSTONE 14 Sep 1944
Note: the info in the brackets was their rank
according to the Navy List for Nov 1944)
Photos courtesy of Ehjaz Hussain
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Convoys escorted during WW2
Convoy Desig. |
Convoy Departs from |
Arrives at |
Join as escort |
Depart Convoy |
ON.261 |
Southend
(20 Oct 1944) |
New York City
(05 Nov 1944) |
22 Oct 1944 |
31 Oct 1944 |
HX.318
|
New York City
(04 Nov 1944) |
Liverpool
(19 Nov 1944) |
10 Nov 1944 |
19 Nov 1944 |
ON.269 |
Liverpoo
(29 Nov 1944) |
New York City
(15 Dec 1944) |
30 Nov 1944 |
09 Dec 1944 |
ONS.40 |
Liverpool
(12 Jan 1945) |
Halifax
(30 Jan 1945) |
13 Jan 1945 |
25 Jan 1945 |
HX.335
|
New York City
(28 Jan 1945) |
Liverpool
(10 Feb 1945) |
02 Feb 1945 |
10 Feb 1945 |
ON.286 |
Liverpool
(21 Feb 1945) |
New York City
(09 Mar 1945) |
21 Feb 1945 |
04 Mar 1945 |
HX.343
|
New York City
(09 Mar 1945) |
Liverpool
(24 Mar 1945) |
14 Mar 1945 |
24 Mar 1945 |
ONS.46 |
Liverpool
(02 Apr 1945) |
Halifax
(20 Apr 1945) |
02 Apr 1945 |
26 Apr 1946 |
HX.351
|
New York City
(18 Apr 1945) |
Liverpool
(03 May 1945) |
24 Apr 1945 |
03 May 1945 |
ONS.50
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Liverpool
(11 May 1945) |
Halifax
(29 May 1945) |
12 May 1945 |
25 May 1945 |
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