HMCS SAINT JOHN K456

 

River Class Frigate

 


 

HMCS Saint John K456

 

Battle honours and awards:  Atlantic  1944,   English Channel  1944,   Normandy  1944,   North Sea  1945

 

 

Laid down: 28 May 1943

Launched: 25 Aug 1943

Commissioned: 13 Dec 1943

Paid off: 27 Nov 1945

Fate: Sold in 1947 to be broken

 

Built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, Que., she was commissioned on 13 Dec 1943, at Montreal. She arrived at Halifax on 20 Dec 1943 and in Jan 1944, was sent to Bermuda to work up. On her return in Feb 1944 she was based for a short time at Halifax, but in Apr 1944 she was assigned to EG 9 in Londonderry. She departed Halifax on 28/29 Apr 1944 and joined C 3 as escort for convoy HX 289 for her transit to Londonderry, joining EG 9 on her arrival on 12 May 1944. She was present on D-Day. On 01 Sep 1944, she and Swansea sank U 247 off Land's End, and on 16 Feb 1945, Saint John destroyed U 309 in Moray Firth. In Dec 1944, she escorted convoys JW.62 and RA.62 on the North Russia run, to and from Kola Inlet. She arrived at Cardiff for repairs on 27 Feb 1945, and, when these were completed in Apr 1945, proceeded home for tropicalization refit at Saint John, from May to Oct 1945. She was paid off 27 Nov 1945, at Halifax and placed in reserve in Bedford Basin until sold and broken up at Sydney, NS in 1947.

 

U-Boats Sunk:  (1) U-247 sunk on 01 Sep 1944 by HMCS Saint John K456 and HMCS Swansea K328 in position 49-54 N, 05-49 W

 

(2)  U-309 (Oblt Herbert Loeder) Type VIIC sunk on 16 Feb 1945 by HMCS Saint John K456 in position 58-09 N, 02-23 W (Moray Firth). Of her crew of 47 there were no survivors.

 


 

Photos and Documents          The Ship's Bell

 

The History of HMCS Saint John K456          HMCS Saint John - Our Ship, Their Crew, Her Legacy

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

A/LCdr Roy Milton Mosher, RCNR - 13 Dec 1943 - 20 Feb 1944

A/LCdr William Rolland Stacey, RCNR - 21 Feb 1944 - 18 Feb 1945

Lt Charles George McIntosh, RCNR - 19 Feb 1945 - 01 Apr 1945

LCdr William Rolland Stacey, RCNR - 02 Apr 1945 - 19 Jun 1945

 


 

     In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice    

     Lest We Forget     

LIABØ, Halvor V.

CERA, RCNR

MPK - 29 Mar 1945

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Anderson (of Vancouver)

 

Baird, A. Kenneth


Bedford, Harry, ERA (of Ennismore, ON)


Best, Lt


Billings, Gordon, PO QR1 (May-Aug 1945) (of Victoria, BC)


Birmingham, Andy (of St Catharines, ON)


Bradley

 

Brown, William H. (Bill), LSAA2 (Apr 1944 - Jul 1945) (of Enderby, BC)


Burke, Alex (of River Bourgeois, NS)


Cameron, A.B., AB (of Ottawa ON)


Carruthers, John L., L/Sto (12 Dec 1943 - 26 Apr 1944) (of Power River, BC)


Clark (of Saint John)


Copetik, R. (Cope)


Derose, Roy F., Coder (of Fort Saint John, BC)


Dewitt, Charlie (Gordon) (of Fredericton, NB)


Dowell, Sig


Erby, Coder (of Edmonton)

 

Extence, Alan Barry, SLt, RCNVR - 22 Mar 1944

 

Farquharson, John (of Charlottetown, PEI)


Fossick, Lloyd (of Digby, NS)

 

Glencross, Eric, Sig

Goldbero, Willie, Coder

 

Graham, James William White, Slt, RCNVR - 07 May 1945

 

Hall, Walter, LS Radar 2 (1943-1945) (of Collingwood, ON)


Hardesty, Jack (of Winnipeg, MB)


Herron, Royal, Tel


Huber, Ernie (of Surrey BC)


Jaggard, Frank Glen, CK (31 May 1944 - 15 Apr 1945) of Grimsby, ON)


Jameson, Charles (of Toronto, ON)


Lazenby, Writer (of Toronto, ON)


Lee, Lt, Guns

 

Léveillé, Fernand, L/SA, V34164, RCNVR


Livingston, Robert, Tel


McGibbon, Bob, Tel

 

McIntosh, Charles George, Lt, RCNR - 22 Feb 1944

 

Melick


Moore, Frank (of Kelowna, BC)

 

Murchison, Kenneth Andrew, Slt, RCNVR - 07 May 1945

 

Murray, Eldridge (of Syndey, NS)

 

Nicoll, William Ray, Sig (Nov 1943 - Nov 1945) (of Dryden, ON)


Norman, Lt

Orr, Arthur James, LCdr (E), RCNR - 04 Apr 1944

 

Osier, Jack, AB (of Oshawa, ON)

 

Perault, Paul, Tel


Pettigrew, Harvey (of St Thomas, ON)


Poulter, Rodney, ERA3c (12 Dec 1943 - 01 May 1945) (of Deux Montagnes, QC)


Rheubottom, Bud, Torpedo (of Waterdown, ON)


Rose, Coder


Royds, William Edward (Bill) LSSD / A/PO SD, (Dec 43 - Oct 1945) (of Langley, BC)

 

Seymour, Edward P. 

 

Sisler, Jim (of South River, ON)


Smith, Radar (of Smooth Rock Falls, ON)

 

Smith, Malcolm Edward, Lt, RCNVR - 01 Mar 1944

 

Solberg, Karl, AB (of Campbell River, BC)


Stannard, Len (of Downey, Calif, USA)


Styles, George, CK (of Athens, ON)


Thomas, Wally, LS, Tel

 

Trithart, Doug, AB, V45436, RCNVR


Wright, Ernest C. (Ernie) L/Sto (of Hamilton, ON)


Wright, James F. (Rosebud), L./Sto (12 Dec 1943 - 6 Apr 1944) (of Wesfield, NB)

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

HMCS Saint John K456

Source: NewBrunswick.net

 

photo 1

photo 2

photo 3

photo 4

photo 5

photo 6

photo 7

photo 8

(1) HMCS Chaudiere H99 coming alongside in Londonderry. Photo taken from HMCS Saint John K156  (2) "Woody" (unknown whish sailor is Woody)  (3) HMCS Valleyfield K329 - photo taken from HMCS Saint John K456  (4) Cole - Gunner's Mate  (5) HMCS Saint John K456 at Halifax  (6) Gun crew of HMCS Saint John K456  (7) HMCS Saint John K456  (8) Bill Royds (Centre)

 

photo 9

photo 10

photo 11

photo 12

photo 13

photo 14

photo 15

photo 16

(9) USN landing craft 355 on D-Day.  (10) Unknown destroyer in the English Channel  (11) Unknown ship - Scotland 1944  (12) HMS Tracker - English Channel 1944  (13) Officers on the bridge of HMCS Saint John K456 in the English Channel  (14)  Gun deck and fo'c's'le of HMCS Saint John K456  (15) HMCS Saint John - Looking aft from mast  (16) HMCS Saint John's ASDIC crew, Halifax 

 

photo 17

photo 18

photo 19

photo 20

photo 21

photo 22

photo 23

photo 24

(17) Crew of HMCS Saint John enjoying a break, Portland, England  (18) Boat crew securing HMCS Saint John to trot buoy - Scapa Flow  (19) unknown ships at Scapa Flow  (20) HMCS Saint John preparing to raise ship's boat while underway at Scapa Flow  (21-22) CO of HMCS Saint John addressing crew on quarterdeck - Scapa Flow 1944  (23) HMCS Port Colborne - photo taken from HMCS Saint John K456  (24) D-Day 06 Jun 1944 - Frigates leaving Plymouth astern of HMCS Saint John

 

photo 25

photo 26

photo 27

photo 28

photo 29

photo 30

photo 31

photo 32

(25) English Channel  (26) HMCS Saint John K456 entering or leaving port - location unknown  (27) HMCS Saint John K456 at Halifax  (28) Light line transfer between unknown frigate and HMCS Saint John K456  (29) LS Wilde on HMCS Saint John K456  (30) Gun crew on HMCS Saint John K456  (31) Ducette (possibly Charles Doucette)  (32) Londonderry

 

photo 33

photo 34

photo 35

photo 36

photo 37

photo 38

 

photo 39

(33) Halifax  (34-35) Murmansk, Russia 7-10 Dec 1944  (36-39) Gibraltar.  Note HMCS Saint John escorted Convoy MKS.74G to Gibraltar, arriving in Gibraltar 10 Jan 1945 

 

photo 40

photo 41

photo 42

(40-42) HMCS Saint John K456, Cardiff, Wales for repairs in dry dock Feb-Apr 1945

 

From the collection of Cable Freeman, SD, RCNVR

Courtesy of Lana James

 

Newspaper article on the sinking of U-247 by HMCS Saint John K456 and HMCS Swansea K328

From the collection of Albert Tomlinson, Telegraphist, RCN, HMCS Swansea K328

Courtesy of Lt S. Tomlinson, RCN

HMCS SAINT JOHN K456 with HMCS STORMONT K327 in background in "Creeping Attack" practice.

Photo taken from HMCS Port COLBORNE K326

From the collection of Harold Colgan

Courtesy of Randall Colgan

HMCS SAINT JOHN K456 at Jetty 3 in Halifax - Apr 1944

 

From the collection of François Messier, AB, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Denis Messier

 


 

HOME PAGE     SHIP INDEX      CONTACT