HMCS KENOGAMI K125

 

Flower Class Corvette

 


 

 

HMCS KENOGAMI'S

Gunshield art

HMCS KENOGAMI K125

Credit: Cece McLennan

 

Laid down: 20 Apr 1940

Launched: 05 Sep 1940

Commissioned: 29 Jun 1941

Paid off: 09 Jul 1945

Fate: Broken up in 1950

 

Built at Port Arthur, Ont., she was commissioned at Montreal on 29 Jun 1941. KENOGAMI arrived at Halifax on 04 Jul 1941. She served briefly with Halifax Force before arriving at St. John's on 24 Aug 1941 to join as convoy escort all the way to the U.K., as it lost 18 ships in what proved to be one of the worst convoy battles of the war. In Feb, 1942, after five months' ocean escort duty between St. John's and Iceland, she made her first tip to Londonderry, joining WLEF on her return. She received an extensive refit at Halifax through Jun and Jul 1942, and in Oct 1942 resumed her ocean escort duties with EG C-1. The following month she took part in another fierce convoy battle, that of ONS.154, which lost 14 ships. In Mar 1943, she made one round trip to Gibraltar, escorting follow-up convoys to the invasion of North Africa. On 11 May 1943 she left 'Derry for the last time, attached to EG B-4 (RN) with convoy ON.183. After a two-month refit at Liverpool, N.S., and workups at Pictou, she joined WLEF's EG W-8. On 28 / 29 Jan 1944, HMCS KENOGAMI and HMCS WALLACEBURG rescued the crew of the merchant vessel Empire Manor that had been rammed in convoy by the merchant ship Edward Kavangh. In Apr 1944, she transferred to W-4, but in Dec 1944 rejoined W-8 for the balance of the war. During this period she underwent a major refit at Liverpool, N.S., between Jun and Oct 1944, including fo'c's'le extension, followed by three weeks' workups in Bermuda. She was paid off on 09 Jul 1945 at Sydney and broken up at Hamilton in 1950.

 


 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos

 

Battle for Convoy ONS-154          Battle for Convoy ONS 154          Canada's Oldest Naval Vets Honoured

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

LCdr Reginald (Cowboy) Jackson, RCNVR - 26 Jun 1941 - 21 Nov 1942

 

Lt James Leslie Percy, RCNVR - 22 Nov 1942 - 23 Feb 1944

 

Lt Ralph George McKenzie, RCNVR - 24 Feb 1944 - 09 Jul 1945

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Bisset, John Ernest, Lt, RCNVR - 09 Apr 1942

 

Clark, Andrew Cunningham, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1945

 

Hallet, Abraham Richard, Ch/Skpr, RCNR - 29 Jun 1941

 

Hewitson, Albert Gordon, Lt, RCNVR - 18 Apr 1945

 

Hulot, Henri, Lt (SB), RCNVR - 23 Feb 1945

 

Jackson, Reginald (Cowboy), LCdr, RCNVR - 08 May 1941

 

Key, James Sydney, RCNVR - 19 Feb 1944

MacDonald, Barney 

 

MacDonald, Joe

 

McDow, Edward

 

McPhee, Donald Harrison, SLt, RCNVR - 13 Mar 1942

 

Monaghan, Terrance Edward, Lt, RCNVR - 16 Mar 1944

 

Percy, James Leslie, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1943

Peters, Thomas Walker, SLt, RCNVR - 24 Jul 1943

 

Sargeant, Ernest, CPO Wireless Operator 

 

St. Laurent, Renault Maurice Stephen, Lt, RCNVR - 03 Jul 1943

 

Urquhart, William Hector Eustace, A/Lt, RCNVR - 20 Feb 1945

 

Wildsmith, Alfred Charles, A/Wt (E), RCN - 19 Jul 1944

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

KEN001

KEN002

KEN003

KEN004 / JD01

KEN005

(KEN001) HMCS KENOGAMI K125  //  RCN Photo # NF-380  //  Courtesy of the Comox RCAF Museum

(KEN002) HMCS KENOGAMI K125  //  Courtesy of Erling Baldorf

(KEN003) HMCS KENOGAMI K125  //  Source: Flickr photo collection of Ron Bell

(KEN004) Christmas on HMCS KENOGAMI K125 - Dec 1943  //  From the collection of James D. Haigh  //  Courtesy of Maureen Ellison

(KEN005) Gordon Gage and shipmate on HMCS KENOGAMI circa Jul 1943 - Jul 1944  //  Courtesy of Robert Lefebvre

 

 

KEN006

KEN007

KEN008

 

(KEN006) Brothers Barney and Joe MacDonald on HMCS KENOGAMI  //  Courtesy of Randy MacDonald

(KEN007) Crew of 65 from Merchant Ship Rescued by HMCS KENOGAMI  //  From the collection of François Messier, AB, RCNVR  //  Courtesy of Denis Messier

(KEN008) Crew of 65 from Merchant Ship Rescued by HMCS KENOGAMI  //  The Halifax Chronicle-Herald, Tuesday, 02 Mar 1944  //  Researched by George Newbury

 



 

 

AH03

AH04

 

(AH03) SD Albert (Bert) Haslam on the forward gun of HMCS KENOGAMI K125. Note the gun shield art of the U-boat behind the 8-ball

(AH04) SD Albert (Bert) Haslam (standing) with unknown shipmate on HMCS KENOGAMI K125

From the collection of Albert (Bert) Haslam, SD, RCNVR

Courtesy of Craig Haslam

 


 

 

Members of HMCS KENOGAMI's crew that volunteered for duty in the Pacific

 

Courtesy of Randy MacDonald

 


 

EM02

EM03

EM04

EM05

(EM02) Article on the CO of HMCS KENOGAMI, Lt Renault Saint-Laurent, RCNVR of Quebec.  In the photo, L-R:  Able Seaman Robert Harron (of Ottawa), Steward Ernest Morin (of Montreal) and Eugene Grondin (of Winnipeg). Note: photo of CO not shown here  (EM03) Photo used in previous newspaper article  (EM04) Sailors on HMCS KENOGAMI  (EM05) Sailors from 5 provinces serving in HMCS KENOGAMI

 

Names of sailors in photo # EM05 - AB C.E. Richard (of Limoilou), AB P. Loriot (of Montreal) Supply Assistant A. Gagne (of Montreal), AB R. Lalonde (of Nova Scotia), QM E. Parent (of Vancouver), Stoker C. Robillard (of Windsor), QM R. Barnes (of Fort William), QM P. Poirier (of Dalhousie).  Top Row: Stwd 2c R. Courville (of Sudbury), Stwd 2c E. Morin (of Montreal), and QM R. Leclerc (of S.-Michel de Bellechase)

 

From the collection of Ernest Morin, Stwd, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Normand Morin

 


 

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