HMCS PICTOU K146

 

Flower Class Corvette

 

 

 

Source: VirtualMuseum.ca

HMCS PICTOU K146

Source: Flickr photo collection of Ron Bell

 

Laid down: 12 Jul 1940

Launched: 05 Oct 1940

Commissioned: 29 Apr 1941

Paid off: 12 Jul 1945

Fate: Sold for commercial use. Last known to be used as a barge in 1962. Final disposition unknown.

 

Commissioned at Quebec City on 29 Apr 1941, PICTOU arrived at Halifax on 12 May 1941. She joined Newfoundland Command and left St. John's on 06 Jun 1941 with HX.131 for Iceland, one of the first two corvettes to escort an HX convoy. She remained on the St. John's-Iceland run for the rest of the year. After brief repairs at Halifax she returned to St. John's, where breakdowns forced her to turn back from three successive convoys. She finally crossed with H.180 in Mar 1942, to Londonderry, carried out further repairs at Liverpool and, on completion early in Jun 1942, join EG C-4. On 05 Aug 1942, while escorting convoy ON.116, she was rammed in a fog near St. John's by the Norwegian SS Hindanger, suffering severe damage to her stern. After completing repairs at Halifax on 20 Sep 1942, she joined EG C-2. On her return from the U.K. with ON.149 in Dec 1942, she required further repairs at Halifax, followed immediately by refit at Liverpool, N.S. In May 1943, she joined EG C-3, and on 17 Dec 1943 left Londonderry for the last time. From early Jan to 31 Mar 1944, she was refitting at New York, incidentally receiving her extended fo'c's'le. She then proceeded to Bermuda for three weeks' working-up, returning in mid-Jun 1944 to join EG W-5, Western Escort Force. Paid off on 12 Jul 1945, at Sorel, she was sold for conversion to a whale-catcher, entering service in 1950 as the Honduran-flag Olympic Chaser. Again sold in 1956, she served at Otori Maru No. 7 until converted to a barge in 1962.

 

 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos

 

 

Commanding Officers

 

LCdr John Lewis Diver, RCNR - 29 Apr 1941 - 17 Aug 1941

A/LCdr R.B. Campbell, RCNR - 18 Aug 1941 - 04 Sep 1941

Lt A.G.S. Griffin, RCNVR - 05 Sep 1941 - 21 Aug 1942

Lt Louis de la Chesnaye Audette, RCNVR - 22 Aug 1942 - 19 Sep 1942

Lt A.G.S. Griffin, RCNVR - 20 Sep 1942 - 14 Mar 1943

Lt Philip Taber Byers, RCNR - 15 Mar 1943 - 19 Nov 1943

A/LCdr Gordon Kingsley Fox, RCNVR - 20 Nov 1943 - 01 Oct 1944

Lt Fergus Cross, RCNR - 02 Oct 1944 - 12 Jul 1945

 

 

     In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice    

     Lest We Forget     

 

CALLOWHILL, William H.

Coder, RCNVR

died - 29 Oct 1943

MCLEOD, William C.

Stoker 1c, RCNVR

died - 12 Aug 1945

 

 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 

 

Former Crew Members

 

Beale, James 

 

Clarke, Samuel Anderson, A/War (E), RCNR - 01 Feb 1942

 

Dunnet, Gordon, SLt, RCNVR - Jan 1942

 

Eveson, Harold

 

Ferne, Harry Curtis, SLt, RCNVR - 21 May 1941

 

Fisher, Eric Gerald Tice, SLt, RCNVR - 23 Mar 1943

 

Fournier, (??), AB

 

Freeborn, (??), SBA

 

Gillespie, Ian Anthony, Lt, RCNVR - 14 Apr 1944

 

Grasky, Gordon, ERA - 1944

 

Grunig, M., ERA - 1944

 

Gunn, William Jackson, Lt, RCNVR - 18 Jul 1943

Howitt, David Mickle, SLt, RCNR - 12 Apr 1943

 

Jennings, Bernard Joseph, A/Wt (E), RCN - 25 Apr 1944

 

Kennedy, John Leslie, SLt, RCNVR - 31 Jan 1944

 

Lewin, Buffer

 

Loudon, Donald Edward, SLt, RCNVR - 28 Feb 1945

 

Mackness, Sidney Alfred, A/Lt, RCNVR

 

McCrate, Tom, CERA - 1944

 

McKenna, P., ERA - 1944

 

McLeish, John Alexander Fowler, LCdr, RCNR - 29 Apr 1941

 

McLead, (??), Sto

 

Morgan, Marcel Cosby, Lt, RCNVR - 09 Apr 1943

 

Munn, Milton Charles, Ch C1 III (Bapt), RCN - 24 May 1945

Murphy, H.P., SPO - 1944

 

Oliver, Hubert Galt, A/Lt, RCNVR - 26 Jan 1945

 

Porter, CERA - 1942

 

Powell, Philip Malcolm, RCNVR - 25 Apr 1945

 

Ruse, John Clark, SLt, RCNVR - 07 Feb 1942

 

Smith, John Cowan, SLt, RCNR - 17 Feb 1942

 

Snider, Willard Samuel (Bill), ERA - 1944

 

Strain, Bill

 

Strachen, (??), Sto

 

Templeton, Jim A., Shipwright 4c - 1944

 

 

Photos and Documents

 

Depth charge being fired from HMCS Pictou, March, 1942

 

Source: Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-116838

HMCS Pictou K146

CERA Porter painting the gunshield of HMCS Pictou, and Cd (E) Sam Clarke, RCNR circa September 1942.

 

The Griffon on the gunshield was based on the family badge for Tony Griffin, Pictou's CO in 1942.

 

Source: Flower Class Corvette Forums

 

HMCS Pictou K146 alongside HMCS Cobalt K124 while convoy escort (note convoy ships on horizon)

 

From the collection of Edmund Ferris

 

Courtesy of Edmund Ferris

Christmas Day in 1942, HMCS PICTOU, Lieutenant Anthony Griffin, right, traded uniforms with the youngest sailor aboard his ship.  Source: The Globe and Mail 18 Oct 2015 

HMCS Pictou's gunshield art

 

Photo taken at St. John's, NFLD - 1943

 

Courtesy of Roger Litwiller

 

HMCS Pictou Christmas card - 1944

 

From the collection of William Rose

 

Courtesy of Steve Rose

The Pictou's Last Stand

 

Newspaper article on HMCS Pictou's port visit to Pictou, NS prior to being paid off - 11 Jun 1945

 

From the collection of William Rose

 

Courtesy of Steve Rose

Sto PO Rose by the gun mount on HMCS Pictou K146 circa winter 1944-45

 

From the collection of William Rose

 

Courtesy of Steve Rose

Sailors of HMCS PICTOU K146 doing a bit of boat work

 

DND/ RCN Photo

HMCS PICTOU K146

 

DND/RCN photo

 

From the collection of Lionel Saundes, Coder, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Douglas Saunders

BB215

HMCS PICTOU K146, Londonderry

 

From the collection of LS Bernard (Bunny) Brewster

 

Courtesy of Gord Brewster

 

 

photo 1

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photo 5

(1) Medical Assistant Freeborn cutting a stoker's hair. Frank Dann, Electrician on the right - HMCS Pictou, Jun 1944  (2) Troopship Queen Mary as seen from HMCS PICTOU  (3) Torpedoed tanker at St. John's, NFLD as seen from HMCS Pictou  (4-5) HMCS PICTOU  

 

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(6) Tom McCrate, CERA and Cas Owsianski on HMCS Pictou K146  (7) Tom McCrate, CERA and Sid Dobing on HMCS Pictou K146  (8) Chiefs and Petty Officers on HMCS Pictou 1945 - L-R: J. Templeton, Shipwright; G. Dixon, ERA; T. McCrate, CERA; G. G. Grasky, ERA; P. Murphy, SPO; W. Rose, SP; W. Snider, ERA; F. Dann, EA; P. Mckenna, ERA; Cas Owsianksi, SPO

 

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(9) HMCS Pictou's ship's cat on the compass on the bridge  (10) HMCS Pictou in Bermuda - Bill Rose, Bill Strain, Stoker McLeod, AB Fournier, Sid Dobing  (11) SBA Freeborn and Stoker Strachen on HMCS Pictou, Bermuda 1944  (12) Sid Dobing on HMCS Pictou K146  (13) HMCS Pictou iced-up  

 

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(14) Ice covered bridge of unknown ship  (15-16) HMCS Pictou K146 - "Winter ice in the North Atlantic"  (17) Cas (Ossie) Owsianski on HMCS Pictou K146 - 1945  (18) HMCS PICTOU with overall grey paint scheme

 

From the collection of CPO1 Sid Dobing, RCN

 

Courtesy of Brian Dobing

 

 

JM01

JM02

JM03

(JM01) Houlton McInnis (right) and unidentified shipmate horsing around on HMCS PICTOU  (JM02) Houlton McInnis sitting on HMCS PICTOU's forward gun  (JM03) Houlton McInnis onboard HMCS PICTOU, enjoying a little quite time to write

 

From the collection of James Houlton McInnis

 

Courtesy of Rollie McInnis

 

 

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