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For Posterity's Sake 
A Royal
Canadian Navy Historical Project
HMCS
MAYFLOWER K191
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Laid down: 19
Feb
1940
Launched: 03
Jul 1940
Commissioned:
28 Nov 1940
Transferred
to RCN: 15 May 1941
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Commissioned: 15
May 1941
Paid off: 31 May 1945
Fate: Returned
to RN on 31 May 1945. Broken up in
1949
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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
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Commanding Officers |
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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 |
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
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BRADLEY,
Eric
AB, V/18106, RCNVR
illness, died - 15 Aug
1943 
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MACNEIL,
John Rory
Stoker 1c, A/2447, RCNR
died - 01 Oct 1942
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In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten |
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E-F |
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Ells,
Frederick Kempton
1922-2017 |
Forsythe, Arthur
____-____ |
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G-H |
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Goode,
Thomas William
1921-2013 |
Goyetche,
Arthur Raymond
____-2015 |
Harvey,
Denis Pearce
1910-1990 |
Hedley,
Kenneth Herschel
1918-2002 |
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K-L |
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Langston,
Charles Ewing
1924-2010 |
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M-N |
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Martin,
Douglas
Sutherland
1918-2012 |
Nicol,
George Edward Blake
1924-2010
Severed in Mayflower 1942 -
1945 |
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O-P |
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Offord,
Leonard Stanley
____-1988 |
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S-T |
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Stephen,
George Hay
____-1994
1st Commanding Officer |
Tice,
Jack N. ____-1995
Served in Mayflower 1942-1945 |
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W-X |
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Webster,
Edgar Fletcher
____-1960
Drafted to Mayflower 03 Apr 1942
as Lt, RCNVR. Served in Mayflower as 1st Lt (X.O.) |
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Ship's Mascots |
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Former Crew Members
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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
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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
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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
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Photos and
Documents
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Sketch of OS Leonard Offord
Artist: Grant McDonald
Courtesy of Kevin Offoard
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HMCS Mayflower K191
Source: Ministry
of Defence Foxhill Collection of Ship Photographs FL 5461
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HMCS Mayflower K191
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HMCS Mayflower crew men J. Tyce (left)
and 'Mac'
Source: Flicker photo collection of Ron
Bell
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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
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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)
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HMCS Mayflower's officers celebrate Christmas at sea in
1944.
Courtesy of Roger Litwiller
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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)
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