For Posterity's Sake         

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

 

 

HMCS MAYFLOWER K191

 

Flower Class Corvette

 

 

 

Source: Canadian Naval War Museum

HMCS Mayflower K191

Credit: Ken Macpherson / Naval Museum of Alberta

 

Laid down: 19 Feb 1940

Launched: 03 Jul 1940

Commissioned: 28 Nov 1940

Transferred to RCN: 15 May 1941

Commissioned: 15 May 1941

Paid off: 31 May 1945

Fate: Returned to RN on 31 May 1945. Broken up in 1949

 

Built for the RN, she was commissioned at Montreal on 28 Nov 1940 as HMS Mayflower. She arrived at Halifax on 11 Dec 1940 to work up and complete stores. On 09 Feb 1941, Mayflower left with convoy HX.108 for the U.K., fitted, like her sister Hepatica, with a dummy gun. This and other shortcomings were look after on the Tyne River, where she was pronounced complete on 05 May 1941. On 15 May 1941, she was transferred to the RCN and commissioned as HMCS Mayflower K191. Soon after, she left Loch Ewe as a member of EG 4 with convoy OB.332 for Iceland on 10 Jun 1941. Later that month she joined Newfoundland Command, and for the remainder of the year served between Iceland at St. John's as an ocean escort. During this period she took part in the battle of convoy SC.44, when four merchant ships and HMCS Levis were lost, Mayflower taking off survivors of the latter. After a major refit at Charleston, S.C., from 09 Dec 1941 to 09 Feb 1942, Mayflower resumed her mid-ocean role on the "Newfie-Derry" run until Apr 1944. In Mar 1943, while escorting Convoy ON.77 from Liverpool, England, the SS Imperial Transport was torpedoed by U-94. Her crew was rescued by the Free French corvette Aconit. HMCS Mayflower was ordered to sink the stricken vessel at daybreak with gunfire. When daybreak came, a boarding party was sent over and it was determined she would be saved. Five days later, under escort of HMCS Mayflower, the SS Imperial Transport made port at St. John's, NFLD. (see RCN Memories - Salvaging the SS Imperial Transport) In Apr 1942, she became a member of EG A-3, transferring to C-3 in Feb 1943. She underwent two further long refits: from 29 Oct 1942 to 11 Jan 1943, at Pictou; and from 29 Nov 1943 to 14 Feb 1944, at Norfolk, Va. She received her extended fo'c's'le during the latter, following which she worked up in St. Margaret's Bay, then sailed on 21 Apr 1944 for the U.K. to join Western Approaches Command, Greenock, for invasion duties. She left Oban on 31 May 1944 to escort blockships for Normandy and arrived off the beaches on the day after D-Day. For the remainder of the war she operated in U.K. waters, and on 31 May 1945, was paid off for return to the RN. Laid up at Grangemouth, Scotland, she was broken up at Inverkeithing in 1949.

 

 

RCN Memories:     Salvaging the SS Imperial Transport

 

 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos

 

 

Commanding Officers

 

A/LCdr George Hay Stephen, RCNR - 28 Nov 1940 - 12 May 1942

 

A/LCdr Victor Browne, RCNVR - 13 May 1942 - 02 Mar 1944

 

Lt Douglas Sutherland Martin, RCNR - 03 Mar 1944 - 13 May 1945

 

 

     In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice    

     Lest We Forget     

  

BRADLEY, Eric

AB, V/18106, RCNVR

illness, died - 15 Aug 1943

MACNEIL, John Rory

Stoker 1c, A/2447, RCNR

died - 01 Oct 1942

 

 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 

 

Former Crew Members

 

Archibald, Donald Gladwin, Lt, RCNVR - 21 Jul 1943

 

Batchildor, ERA, RCNR - 1942

 

Bogardus, Frederick Wilson, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1943

 

Butland, AB - 1942

 

Calver, John Moran, Slt, RCNR - 26 Jul 1943

 

Clark, AB -  1942

 

Cunningham, William Ford, Surg-Lt, RCNVR - 19 Jul 1944

 

Glass, Jack - Jan 1943

 

Harnish, Stoker, RCNR  - 1942

Haughan, Wilbert Martin, Lt, RCNVR - 06 Apr 1944

 

Hayden, Reginald Campion, Slt, RCNVR - 27 Jul 1942

 

Laceby, Bob, Sig - 1942

 

Marshall, Thomas Cathro, Lt, RCNVR - 03 Mar 1944

 

MacDonald, George Crawford, Slt, RCNVR - 26 Jun 1942

 

Martin, John Edward, Lt, RCNVR - 28 Feb 1944

 

McEntie, J. - Jan 1943

 

McInnis, Robert John, Lt, RCNVR - 27 Jul 1943

 

McLennan, Roderick, Ch/Skpr, RCNVR - 27 Jun 1941

Morris, S. - Jan 1943

 

Paskavik - jan 1943

 

Peters, Frederick Hatheway, Lt, RCNVR - 30 May 1943

 

Platt - Jan 1943

 

Shirley, Roger John, Slt, RCNVR - 26 Jun 1942

 

Tinker, AB - 1942

 

Titus, H., Lt - 1944

 

Titus, Richard Ford, Slt, RCNVR - 1942

 

Weaver, William - Jan 1943

 

 

 

Photos and Documents

 

Sketch of OS Leonard Offord

Artist: Grant McDonald

Courtesy of Kevin Offoard

HMCS Mayflower K191

Source: Ministry of Defence Foxhill Collection of Ship Photographs FL 5461

HMCS Mayflower K191

HMCS Mayflower crew men J. Tyce (left) and 'Mac'

Source: Flicker photo collection of Ron Bell

 

SS Imperial Transport, Convoy ON.77, March 1942

 

        

 

(1) SS Imperial Transport 25 Mar 1942 - 2 days before being torpedoed

 

(2 & 3) SS Imperial Transport after being torpedoed     (4) The silver teapot salvaged by AB Tice, RCN

 

Photos taken from HMCS Mayflower

 

Click here to read the story of the Salvaging of the SS Imperial Transport in RCN Memories 2

 

From the collection of Jack Tice, Lt, RCN

Courtesy of Dave Chamberlain

 

RCN sailors clear HMCS Wasaga's ice covered fo'c's'le in January 1943.

Listed on back of photo: S. Morris, J. McEntie, Platt, Wm. Weaver, Jack Glass and Paskavik.

Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ross Milligan, RCNR. (RTL-REM081)

HMCS Mayflower's officers celebrate Christmas at sea in 1944.

Courtesy of Roger Litwiller

HMCS Mayflower's mascot standing on the 4-inch gun.  HMCS Loch Achanalt in backbround

Roger Litwiller Collection, courtesy Ralph O’Brien, RCNVR. (RTL -ROB039)

 

 

HOME PAGE     SHIP INDEX      CONTACT