
HMCS
KOOTENAY H75
D
- Class Destroyer (RN)
River
Class Destroyer (RCN)

HMCS
KOOTENAY H75 From the collection
of Rex Duce Courtesy of Melanie
Brough |
Battle honours and awards: Atlantic
1943-45, Normandy 1944, English
Channel 1944, Biscay 1944
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Laid down: 21
Jun 1931
Launched: 07
Jun 1932
Commissioned: 04
Apr 1933
Transferred to RCN:
12 Apr 1943
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Commissioned: 12
Apr 1943
Paid off: 26
Oct 1945
Fate: Sold for scrap in
28 Jan 1946
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Built at Southampton, England,
she was commissioned on 04 Apr 1933 as HMS DECOY, and at
the outbreak of the war was with the 21st Destroyer Flotilla, East
Indies Fleet. The flotilla was transferred later that month to the
Mediterranean and in Jan 1940, to the South Atlantic. Decoy was
reassigned in May 1940, to the Mediterranean Fleet, and on 13 Nov
1940 was damaged by bombs at Alexandra, requiring ten weeks' repairs
at Malta. While in the Mediterranean she took part in the evacuation
of Greece and Crete, and in the supply run to Tobruk. Then assigned
to the Eastern Fleet in Jan 1942, she returned to Britain in Sep
1942 for a major refit at Jarrow-on-Tyne. There, on 12 Apr 1943, she was transferred to the RCN as
KOOTENAY, and after working
up at Tobermory, was assigned to EG C-5, MOEF. In May 1944, she
became a member of EG 11 and was present on D-Day. In succeeding
months she carried out patrols in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay,
and while thus engaged took part in the sinking of U 678, 06 Jul
1944,
south of Brighton; U 621, 18 Aug 1944, off La Rochelle; and U 984,
20 Aug 1944, west of Brest. She sailed for Shelburne, N.S., in
mid-Sep 1944, for a major refit, returning to the U.K. in the
spring of 1945. Following workups at Tobermory she operated out of
Plymouth until the end of May, then returned to Canada, where she
made six round trips as a troop transport between Newfoundland and
Quebec City. She was paid off into reserve at Sydney on 26 Oct 1945, and in 1946 sold for scrapping.
U-Boats Sunk: (1) U-678
(Oblt Guido Hyronimus) a VIIC Type U-Boat, sunk on 06 Jul 1944 by HMCS
OTTAWA H31,
HMCS KOOTENAY H75 and HMS STATICE in position 50-32 N, 00-23 W.
There were no survivors of her crew of 52.
(2) U-621 sunk on 18 Aug 1944 by HMCS Ottawa H31,
HMCS KOOTENAY H75 and HMCS CHAUDIERE H99 in position 45-52N, 02-36 W
(3) U-984 sunk on 20 Aug 1944 by HMCS Ottawa H31,
HMCS KOOTENAY H75 and HMCS CHAUDIERE H99 in position 42-20 N, 51-39
W
Photos
and Documents
Ship's
company photos
Commanding Officers
A/LCdr Kenneth Lloyd Dryer, DSC,
RCN - 12 Apr 1943 - 28 Mar 1944
A/LCdr William Herbert Willson,
DSC, RCN - 29 Mar 1944 - 26 Oct 1945
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten

Angus,
Ian
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Berry,
Peter C.
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Boutilier,
Gilbert F.
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Brown,
Gerald A.
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Campbell,
William B.
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Carroll,
David R.
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Coleman,
Geoff
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Collins,
Robert C.
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Comber,
Douglas G.
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De
Costa, Edward L.
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Duce, Rex
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Dyer,
Kenneth L.
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Easter,
Kenneth L.
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Edwards,
Henry T.
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Everett,
Alfred W.
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Fairney,
Daniel H.
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Forster,
Dennis T.
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Freeman,
Russell |

Glasser,
Anton A.
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Gray,
William H.
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Hayhurst, William
H.
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Heffer,
Clifford W.
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Jaeger,
Albert
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Kinch,
George F. |

Kusick,
Alexander
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Latter,
Edward J. P.
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Legge,
Kenneth L.
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Lloyd,
Evan S.
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MacFarlane,
George A.
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Mainer, G.
Thomas
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Martyn,
Donald M.
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Morningstar,
L. Douglas
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Nordlund,
Hough A.
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Outingdyke,
Reginald
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Porter,
Henry A.
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Rowe,
William A.
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Salsiccioli,
Peter P.
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Shewan,
Robert D.
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Thompson,
Claude R.
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Thompson,
Joseph V.
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Thomson, James
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White,
William A.
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Young, David
A.
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Former Crew Members
Cooke,
Murray Hamel, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1945
Crowell,
Seth, LS (of Amherst, NS) - 1944
Dobell,
Alfred Martin, SLt, RCNVR - 27 Jul 1944
Eliott,
William Jackson, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 12 Apr 1943
Emsley,
Charles D., CPO (of Rockingham, NS) - 1944
Fleming,
Francis, AB (of Halifax, NS) - 1944
Freeman,
Russell, Cd/Gnr (T), RCN - 30 Mar 1943 (Stand by) / 12 Apr 1943
Graham,
Roscoe Barry, SLt (E), RCNVR - 12 Apr 1943
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Hadrill,
Peter Geoffrey, Lt, RCNVR - 29 Jan 1945
Heisler,
Arthur, AB (of Dartmouth, NS) - 1944
Hutton,
Robert Barclay, SLt, RCNVR - 05 Feb 1945
Jestley,
Lyle Hilliard, Lt, RCNVR - 16 Feb 1945
Know,
George Edward, RPO
Lloyd,
Evan Sidney, Paym/Lt, RCNVR - 01 Apr 1944
Lockhart,
William, AB (of Avonport, NS) - 1944
MacDonald,
Frank Van Evary, Lt, RCNVR - 12 Apr 1943
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McCarthy,
Malcolm George, Lt, RCNVR - 30 Mar 1944
McDonald,
Arthur Hathaway, SLt, RCN - 12 Apr 1943
Molson,
Percival Tlbot, Lt, RCNVR - 12 Apr 1943
Skelton,
Peter H., Midshipman, RCNVR - Aug 1943 for training. Appointed SLt 15 Feb 1944 (Navy List Jul 1944)
Tidmarsh,
William Wendell, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 16 Mar 1945
Twining,
Russell Conrell, Lt, RCNVR - 12 Apr 1943
Yeorger,
Harold Louis, Surg/Lt, RCNVR - 16 Feb 1945 |
Photos and
Documents
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HMCS KOOTENAY H75
Source: MOD
Foxhill - FL 11211 |
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View
from HMCS KOOTENAY, which has fired Hedgehog charges during the action
in which Escort Group 11 sank the German submarine U-621, 18 Aug 1944. HMCS
Ottawa is visible in the background.
Source: Lt Richard Graham
Arless / Canada. DND / Library and Archives Canada /
PA-190084
WEBMASTER`S
NOTE: The photo caption states that the photo was taken during action
against a U-boat and its of HMCS KOOTENAY firing her hedgehog, however, the
photo itself seem to show perhaps an exercise, but not action
stations. The people on the bridge are dressed a little too casual for
action stations, and I doubt that during action stations two ratings would
be relaxing on B-gun deck leaning against the barrel
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HMCS KOOTENAY H75, date unknown
Courtesy of Steve Rowland
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HMCS KOOTENAY H75
From the collection of HJ Simmons
Courtesy of RCSCC Bowmanville
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Sparkers on HMCS KOOTENAY H75 - 1943
From the collection of Rex Duce
Courtesy of Melanie Brough
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"What a mess"
Crew members of HMCS KOOTENAY - 1943
From the collection of Rex Duce
Courtesy of Melanie Brough
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"Huff-Duff"
Harry Hayhurst (left) and Rex Duce on HMCS KOOTENAY H75 holding a pail
marked H/F D/F
From the collection of Rex Duce
Courtesy of Melanie Brough
Webmaster's note: this must have been one of those
highly secretive pieces of equipment we kept hidden from the Germans
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HMCS KOOTENAY H75 working up in the North Atlantic
From the collection of Rex Duce
Courtesy of Melanie Brough
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"KOOTENAY Mates"
Crew members of HMCS KOOTENAY H75 relaxing on the
uppers
From the collection of Rex Duce
Courtesy of Melanie Brough
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"KOOTENAY Mates"
A group shot of a few of HMCS KOOTENAY H75's crew
From the collection of Rex Duce
Courtesy of Melanie Brough
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British Sloop
Photo taken from HMCS KOOTENAY H75
From the collection of Rex Duce
Courtesy of Melanie Brough
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"KOOTENAY in Newfie"
HMCS KOOTENAY H75 at St. John's, Nfld
From the collection of Jim Silvester
Courtesy of Jim Silvester
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Nova Scotian crew members of HMCS KOOTENAY H75
The Halifax Chronicle 30 Sep 1944
Researched by / Courtesy of George Newbury
Front L-R: AB George MacFarlane, Pictou; CPO
Charles D. Emsley, Rockingham; Pay-Lt Evan Lloyd, Halifax; AB Francis
Fleming, Halifax
Rear L-R: AB William Lockhart, Avonport; LS Seth
Crowell, Amherst; AB Gilbert Boutilier, Glace Bay; PO Cook William A. White,
Halifax; LS Edward Latter, Halifax; AB Arthur Heisler, Dartmouth
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Ontario crew members of HMCS KOOTENAY H75
Front
L-R: AB Douglas Ranger (Perth); Stoker Kenneth Easter
(Prescott); CPO Robert Turner (Ottawa); AB Harold Myers (Chesterville);
AB Norman Garlough (Cornwall); Stoker Lawrence Ling (Kingston)
Back
L-R: AB Robert Farrell (Trenton); LS Reginald Outingdyke
(Trenton); Stoke Tom Cavanaugh (Belleville); AB Allan
Fregonowan (Billings Bridge; AB Howard Patterson (Ottawa);
Stoker Gordon Patterson (Peterboro)
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