Vice-Admiral Harry George DeWolf

Born in Bedford, Nova Scotia, in 1903, Harry DeWolf developed a passion for the sea as a youth, sailing in Halifax Harbour and Bedford Basin, later pursuing a 42-year career in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

This illustrious naval career began in 1918 as a cadet at the Royal Naval College of Canada in Esquimalt, British Columbia. Throughout the 1920s, DeWolf conducted training with Britain’s Royal Navy (RN), and served at sea with both the RN and RCN. 

At sea during the Second World War, he earned a reputation as a skilled, courageous naval officer. In 1939, the same year the Second World War began, DeWolf took command of the destroyer HMCS St. Laurent and in 1940 ordered the RCN’s first shots fired during the early stages of the war. He also led one of the war’s largest rescues when his ship saved more than 850 survivors of the torpedoed passenger liner Arandora Star.

DeWolf became one of Canada’s most famous fighting sailors after taking command of the Tribal-class destroyer HMCS Haida, which is now a national historic site administered by Parks Canada and ceremonial flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy.

DeWolf led Haida through many successful actions, destroying numerous enemy vessels and earning him the nickname “Hard-over Harry” from his crew for his aggressive ship handling. In command of Haida, he escorted Arctic convoys to Murmansk, Russia, and also executed the daring rescue of more than 40 crew from Haida’s sister ship Athabaskan after she was torpedoed and sank during heavy fighting in the English Channel in April 1944.

Building on these achievements, DeWolf’s lasting influence came through his staff appointments ashore, where he helped secure a stable future for the Navy, post-war. DeWolf retired in 1960 as Vice Admiral and Chief of the Naval Staff. DeWolf passed away in 2000 and on August 30th of the following year, his ashes were scattered at sea from HMCS Ville de Québec.

DeWolf’s numerous awards include: Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Distinguished Service Order; Distinguished Service Cross; Mention in Dispatches; Officer of the Legion of Merit (U.S.) and the Légion d’honneur (France). His legacy is also underscored by Bedford’s DeWolf Park and the RCN’s new Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels.