Canadian naval heroes
Learn about Canadian naval heroes and view graphic vignettes about some of their most heroic and exciting exploits.
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Proud Wren recalls Cold War service
Mrs. Thomas enlisted in the RCN(R) at Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) York, Toronto’s naval reserve division, in 1954 and served for six years in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
Clinging to a lifeboat: Margaret Brooke tried desperately to save fellow nursing sister
It was October 14, 1942 and Royal Canadian Navy Nursing Sister Margaret Brooke was returning from leave aboard the ferry SS Caribou when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.
Capt Adelaide Sinclair: Director of WRCNS dedicated her life to public service
The first Canadian woman to hold the rank of naval captain, Capt Sinclair was appointed director of the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) in 1943 (at the rank of commander).
An act of heroism: Harry DeWolf
In the face of extreme danger and in the dead of night on April 29, 1944, DeWolf and His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Haida’s crew rescued 42 sailors from HMCS Athabaskan after it had been torpedoed.
Rowland Bourke rescued sailors under heavy gunfire during First World War
Bourke searched the area amid heavy gunfire at close range. He found a lieutenant and two junior sailors badly wounded and clinging to an upturned boat in the water after Vindictive was sunk.
Baker-Falkner led audacious attack against German battleship
In a surprise attack on April 3, 1944, a young Canadian naval aviator flying with the Royal Navy (RN) Fleet Air Arm led an audacious low-level dive-bombing raid against Tirpitz.
Robert Hampton Gray: cool courage in the face of heavy odds
As the second atomic bomb was falling on Nagasaki in southern Japan, Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray was leading two flights of Corsair aircraft against airfields in the Matsushima area of northern Honshu.
Sailors in motor cutter save Athabaskan crew members in race back to England
What started as a routine patrol off the northern coast of France in His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Haida turned into a perilous run back to England in a 25-foot motor cutter.
AB Liznick survived Athabaskan sinking and solitary confinement at POW camp
Athabaskan was listing to port. Swimming as fast as he could, Liznick looked back after 200 feet and “watched as the stern went under and the bow came up and the good old Athabaskan slid under and sank.”
Wrens trailblazer was a “precious part of Canada”
From the beginning of the Second World War, she was associated with volunteer work, and when the naval service in Canada was opened to women in August 1942, she immediately joined up.
William Hall earned the Victoria Cross for heroism during the relief of Lucknow
William Hall, son of freed African-American slaves living in Nova Scotia, was one of the sailors from His Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Shannon who were formed into a naval brigade and sent as part of the force marching to the relief of Lucknow, then besieged by mutineers.
Max Bernays: Courage in the face of devastating wheelhouse fire
It was August 6, 1942 and the wheelhouse area of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Assiniboine was on fire, pierced by explosive shells fired by German U-boat 210 during a fierce battle.
Master tactician John Stubbs rammed German submarine with HMCS Assiniboine
The destroyer’s bridge was “deluged with bullets”, but Stubbs “never took his eye off the U-boat and gave his orders as though he were talking to a friend at a garden party...” said G. N. Tucker, who witnessed the action.
Admiral Kingsmill builds foundation of newly created RCN
Just four years after its creation on May 4, 1910, Kingsmill was named the first director of the Naval Service of Canada (which later became the RCN). He established a naval college in Halifax and began building Canada’s navy after serving nearly 40 years in Britain’s Royal Navy.
Ralph Hennessy’s firefighting heroics helped save HMCS Assiniboine
As fire raged aboard His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Assiniboine, Lieutenant Ralph Hennessy led the fight against the blaze that threatened to sink the destroyer.
Simmons jumps aboard sinking U-boat in search of code books
After Moose Jaw rammed U-501 to slow its speed, Chambly’s captain ordered a boat away and a boarding party led by Lieutenant Ted Simmons jumped aboard the U-boat despite perilous heavy seas.
U-boat chaser Clarence King: Fire-eater and humanitarian
King had his boarding party standing by but felt it unwise to risk the lives of his men as the submarine was sinking by the stern. He lay stopped in the water while survivors were rescued, despite the agitation of his crew members who were wary of other possible U-boats in the area.
Radar operator saved hundreds of lives by locating U-boat
AB Thomas Simpson, 23, was aboard HMCS La Hulloise, sailing with HMC Ships Strathadam and Thetford Mines in Escort Group 25. Their job was to protect a 31-ship convoy sailing from Halifax to England.
Admiral Percy Nelles transforms RCN during Second World War
With the Second World War just beginning, the RCN consisted of only six destroyers, five minesweepers and a handful of auxiliary vessels. It’s total strength, permanent and reserve, was just over 3,600.
Lieutenant-Commander Fred Sherwood: “Always a submariner in his heart”
As Commanding Officer of His Majesty’s Submarine Spiteful stationed in the Far East, he completed the three longest patrols for a submarine at the time, sinking multiple Japanese ships.
Bernice McIntyre: From wartime Wren to the regular navy
Bernice Neill was born August 8, 1921 in Dauphin, Man. Her mother died when Bernice was 17 years old and her father sold the farm a year later. He married his widowed sister-in-law and took over the care of her four children.
Rear-Admiral Leonard Murray one of Canada’s most important wartime commanders
Widely considered to be one of Canada’s most important operational commanders, Murray was recognized for his sea smarts. At the height of the war, he exercised command over hundreds of warships and aircraft, ensuring protection of the convoys used to deliver vital supplies to the United Kingdom.
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