WE ARE THE BEST

HMCS MARGAREE - 23 Sep 1962

Photographer: Walter E. Frost

Source: City of Vancouver Archives

Battle honours and awards:  Atlantic  1940

Laid down: 12 Sep 1951

Launched: 29 Mar 1956

Commissioned: 05 Oct 1957

Paid off for DDH Conversion: 25 Sep 1964

Commissioned: 15 Oct 1965

Paid off for DELEX Refit: 05 May 1980

Commissioned: 1981

Paid off: 02 May 1992

Fate: Broken up in 1994

Cdr Joern Eilert Korning, RCN - 05 Oct 1957 - 10 Nov 1959

Cdr E.V.P. Sunderland, RCN - 10 Nov 1959 - 17 Aug 1960

Cdr J.H. Maclean, RCN - 17 Aug 1960 - 22 May 1962

Cdr Jack Leroy Panabaker, RCN - 22 May 1962 - 26 Sep 1964

Cdr Robert C. MacLean, RCN - 15 Oct 1965 - 03 Jul 1967

Cdr Peter Meredith Birch-Jones, RCN - 04 Jul 1967 - 23 Aug 1968

Cdr Richard Irwin Hitesman, RCN - 23 Aug 1968 - 25 Jul 1970

Cdr John Kinross Kennedy - 25 Jul 1970 - 24 Jan 1972

LCdr D. Nugent - 24 Jan 1972 - 05 Apr 1972

Cdr Robert Gordie Campbell - 05 Apr 1972 - 04 Jan 1974

Cdr Robert Earl George - 04 Jan 1974 - 18 Dec 1975

Cdr R.J. Lancashire - 18 Dec 1975 - 10 Aug 1977

Cdr Peter W. Cairns - 10 Aug 1977 - 13 Jul 1978

Cdr Robert A. Rutherford - 13 Jul 1978 - Jun 1980 (note 1) 

Cdr P.J. Stow - 12 Aug 1980 - 29 May 1982

Cdr R.W. Allen - 29 May 1982 - 01 Apr 1984

Cdr J.M. Ewan - 01 Apr 1984 - 01 Jan 1986

Cdr Anthony Ewart Delamere - 01 Jan 1986 - 04 Jan 1988

Cdr T.N. Brockway - 04 Jan 1988 - 06 Jul 1989

Cdr G.G. Borgal - 06 Jul 1989 - 17 Dec 1991 

Cdr D.O. Thamer - 17 Dec 1991 - 02 May 1992

Note 1: Ken Mcpherson's "The Ship's of Canada's Naval Forces 1910 - 1981" list  Cdr Rutherfords end of command date as 12 Aug 1980, however, according to Cdr Rutherford himself, he departed HMCS MARGAREE in Jun 1980. It is not known if Cdr Stow took over command in Jun 1980 or if the XO was in command until 12 Aug 1980.

The launching of HMCS MARGAREE 1956

 Source: NSARM accession no. NSIS 10192

HMCS MARGAREE shortly after launching

Source: NSARM accession no. Navy: Ships: HMCS MARGAREE

Second Canadian Escort Squadron - Spring Cruise 1958

HMCS Crescent, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS Skeena, HMCS Fraser, HMCS MARGAREE

Courtesy of Dave Tyre

CANADIAN WARSHIPS IN ORIENT -- HMCS Cayuga (background) begins the departure of the Second Canadian Escort Squadron from Yokosuka, Japan, after a visit made during the current training cruise from Esquimalt, B.C., to the Orient. Other ports of call for the five destroyers escorts include Pearl Harbour, Tokyo, Saigon and Okinawa. In the foreground, preparing to slip, are the new DEs Skeena, Fraser and Margaree. The modernized destroyer escort Crescent is at far right rear.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 1958 Lunenburg Progress Enterprise, Wed., 02 Apr 1958, page 5

Courtesy of Hugh Muir

HMCS MARGAREE 230

Courtesy of Steve Hlasny

Battle Board for HMCS MARGAREE 230

Maritime Command Museum, CFB Halifax, NS

Courtesy of Jarrod David

HMCS MARGAREE 230 - Welcome Aboard Booklet - 1970-1972

Courtesy of John Knudsen

HMCS MARGAREE 230

DND Photo

HMCS MARGAREE, 2nd Squadron, in the Pacific circa 1957-1964

Photo courtesy of Gus Cameron

(SH177-SH178) HMCS MARGAREE at Vancouver Machinery Depot for her conversion to a DDH, Sep 1964

From the collection of Steve Hlasny, CPO2.LT

HMCS MARGAREE 230 during a NATO deployment

Courtesy of Regean Trudeau

HMCS MARGAREE alongside Bermuda in a hurricane.  Fall 1991 or Spring 1992. MARGAREE has sailed to Bermuda with CFAV Quest in order to conduct trials on a new sonar. The day of the trials, a hurricane had hit and even though we were still along side, it felt like we were at sea. We sailed later in the day into the storm to commence the trials.

Photo courtesy of Lionel Hann

HMCS MARGAREE 230 arriving in the city of Chicago, 12 Sep 73

Courtesy of Keith McDougall

HMCS MARGAREE 230

Courtesy of Calvin Locke

HMCS MARGAREE 230, conducting a personnel transfer by jackstay - Exercise Maple Spring 1970

Photos taken from HMCS Annapolis by Jean Viau, NavSig

SLt Don Burbidge on HMCS MARGAREE, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1977

Courtesy of Don Burbidge

HMCS MARGAREE 230 STANAVFORLANT Sailpast - July 1977

Photo taken from Hr Ms Evertsen F815

Courtesy of Cor van Dongen, Ttelegrafist Royal Dutch Navy 1972-1979

NATO Memories

The photos below were taken during HMCS MARGAREE's NATO 1977 deployment.  All 17 photos are © Brian Lapierre 1977

(1) HMCS MARGAREE refueling from a German tanker  (2) German tanker A1435 and German submarine U11 (S190)  (3) German submarine U11 (S190)  (4) HMCS Ambuscade refueling - HMCS MARGAREE in foreground  (5) FGS Koln F220  (6) Brian Lapierre on flight deck of HMCS MARGAREE  (7)  HMNoS Oslo F300 - NATO 1977

(8) Air Det of HMCS MARGAREE - Brian Lapierre in back row, 3rd from left  (9) Fire Fighting Dept. of HMCS MARGAREE  (10) Air Crew of HMCS MARGAREE with CO of MARGAREE, Cdr Lancashire  (11) HMCS Ambuscade in Norwegian Fjoird  (12) Air Crew member of HMCS MARGAREE - Bob Dolomont  (13) NATO squadron departing Narvik, Norway - HMS Ambuscade, HNLMS Van Galen, USS Miller, HMCS MARGAREE in foreground  (14)  Flight Observer Bob Dolomont riding the arrow during HMCS MARGAREE's NATO sail past  

(15) Flight Observer Bob Dolomont riding the arrow during HMCS MARGAREE's NATO sailpast  (16) HMCS MARGAREE's crew members dress up for sail past  (17)HMCS MARGAREE's crew members dress up for sail past

HMCS MARGAREE 230 - Farewell Sail Past - NATO 1977

Warship of the Standing Naval Force Atlantic bid farewell to HMCS MARGAREE

Left to right:  HNLMS Van Galen F803, FGS Augsburg F222, NRP Almirante Gago Coutinho F473, HNLMS Eversten F815, USS miller 1091, HMCS Saguenay 206 (MARGAREE's relief)

Rescue of the crew of the M.V. Maurice Desgagnes 12 Mar 1980

On 12 Mar 1980, HMCS MARGAREE (with no helo embarked as she was preparing to go into refit) was acting as work-ups consort for HMCS Huron when MARGAREE received a distress call from the M.V. Maurice Desgagnes.  MARGAREE relayed the distress to Huron and the two ships proceed to their aid.  The helo from HMCS Huron rescued the crew of the stricken vessel.  The photos here were taken by Rick Masters, Radar Tech on board HMCS MARGAREE

Photographer: Rick Masters, P2RT, HMCS MARGAREE

Courtesy of Frank Altas

HMCS MARGAREE 230 with HMCS PROVIDER 508 in the background - photo undated

DND / RCN photo

MARGAREE Steaming!

Source: Maritime Command Trident magazine, 22 Feb 1983

Courtesy of Garry Weir

HMCS MARGAREE during the Fleet Review for the 75th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy - Bedford Basin, Halifax, NS 1985

© 1985 Ken Watson RCN

MARGAREE C & POs serving Christmas dinner - 1990

Danny Flynn, Cliff Kruck, Tom Currie, Ted Kennedy, Brian Ruohoniemi

Courtesy of Brian Ruohoniemi

HMCS MARGAREE 230 - most off watch Radar Plotters

Back row L to R:  Noel Pitts, John Chapman, Harold O'Brian, John Gibbons, Paul Lee

Front row L to R:  Linton Keefer, Hopkins (Hoppy) and Michelle Peltiere

Photo taken during Eastlant '78

Courtesy of / © Paul Lee 1978

Homes in a Norwegian Fjord. Photo taken from HMCS MARGAREE 230

Photo taken during Eastlant '78

Courtesy of / © Paul Lee 1978

HMCS MARGAREE 230 in Barcelona, Spain

Photo taken during Eastlant '78

Courtesy of / © Paul Lee 1978

Map and list of ships for Eastlant 1978

HMCS Preserver, HMCS Assiniboine, HMCS MARGAREE, HMCS Skeena

Courtesy of Derrick Payne

HMCS MARGAREE 230 entering Grand Harbour, Malta, November 1966

Other ship's on this deployment, HMCS Ottawa 229 and HMCS Assiniboine 234

HMCS MARGAREE 230 conducting radar trials up north in the early 1970's

Photographer, Raymond Cumby, RP

Courtesy of Raymond Cumby

The gun mount of MARGAREE meets a big way and gets demolished during Teamwork 1988

Photo Courtesy of John Underhill

Crossing the Line (Arctic Circle) Certificate for LS.BN Stanley - 22 Sep 1988

Courtesy of Mick Stanley

11 Mess, HMCS MARGAREE

Courtesy of Malcolm Peacock

Bunks on HMCS MARGAREE

Mess deck not known

A brief history of HMCS MARGAREE 230 on the occasion of he paying off. The envelope was postmarked at the post office in MARGAREE, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

The final teletype message sent from HMCS MARGAREE 230 to RCEMSAX (CFS Mill Cove) on 02 May 92 during her final sail past.

Courtesy of Robert Young, NavSig

The Communications Branch (Nav Sigs) of HMCS MARGAREE during her final sail past 02 May 92

Courtesy of Robert Young, Nav Sig

The Communications Branch (NRAD Ops and CO, XO, Combat Officer and CommO) of HMCS MARGAREE during her final sail past 02 May 92

Courtesy of Robert Young, Nav Sig

Newspaper article on HMCS MARGAREE's final sail-past

Courtesy of Mick Stanley

A Service to Mark the 20th Anniversary of the Loss of HMCS MARGAREE's Two Divers

SLt William Cory Wells and MS William Eldon Hynes

Courtesy of Claude Morissette

Newspaper article (below) from the Trident Magazine on the 20th Anniversary of the Loss of SLt Wells and MS Hynes

Courtesy of Brian Lapierre

A final voyage .... to the breaker's yard

Former HMCS MARGAREE leaving Halifax March 13, 1994 under tow by the Ukrainian flagged  icebreaker Afanasiy Nikitin. They arrived in Bombay, India, May 14, 1994.

Click on the above photo to view a larger image

Photo source: Tug Fax by Mac Mackay April 2015

© Mac Mackay 1994

The army cadets of RCACC 2940 restored the anchor from HMCS MARGAREE 230 that is mounted at Belle Cote Harbour, Cape Breton.  It was a rainy day but a great day for celebrating our ACR, where cadets had the honour of meeting several of the NCO's who served in HMCS MARGAREE.

We were very fortunate to have 7 former NCOs join us in our Annual Ceremonial Review, CPO2 Jeff Pearson was our Reviewing Officer, joining him was Scott MacDonald, PO2 (ret’d) Scott Mackay and CPO2 (ret’d) Jed Lockyer and PO2/Sgt (ret’d) Tony MacDougall and Delmar MacDonald and Steve White. This really put a face on the people, who will always appreciate the hard work cadets put into restoring the anchor, the anchor is situated behind the hall where we parade each week, at the Belle Cote Harbour. 

The signage, which had since long ago disappeared, was replaced, for all who travel to the local beach and fishing wharf to remember where the anchor came from, and the significance of it's placement in the MARGAREE area.

RCACC 2940 Cheticamp cadets will never forget!

Click on the above thumbnail photos to view a larger image

Courtesy of Training Officer Capt. Laurie LeBlanc, RCACC 2940