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A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project
HMCS ARNPRIOR K494
Castle Class Corvette
Laid down as HMS Rising Castle K398, she was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd., Belfast, Ireland. After completion, in the midst of a dockyard strike, she was transferred and commissioned into the RCN on 08 Jun 1944 as HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 (renamed on the day she was commissioned). After working up at Tobermory she joined EG C-1 at Londonderry in August, leaving on 19 Aug 1944 to join her first convoy, ONM.249. ARNPRIOR was continuously employed as an ocean escort for the balance of the war. At the beginning of Jun 1945, she left Greenock for St. John's, where she underwent a two-month refit, and from September was based at Halifax. She was paid off there on 14 Mar 1946, and sold later that year to the Uruguayan Navy, which renamed her Montevideo and operated her as a training ship until 1975. (Mcpherson / Burgess - Ship's of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-1981)
Log entries for HMCS ARNPRIOR for her first transatlantic convoy and shortly thereafter:
20 Aug 1944 - 20:00 zig-zagging in position; 23:23 engine stopped; 23:33 investigate contact; 23:40 in station 22 Aug 1944 - 09:30 rounding up stragglers; 10:25 fog lifts slightly 28 Aug 1944 - arrive St. John's 30 Aug 1944 - swimming and baseball party ashore 06 Sep 1944 - off to Londonderry 04 Oct 1944 - ARNPRIOR comes along side HMCS CHEBOGUE which had been torpedoed to lend assistance.
The following paragraph from a letter written by A/LCdr, Stuart Thom, dated 29/5/45 held in the National Library and Archives Canada, gives an account of the Arnprior's convoy duty: "It was not our good fortune to participate in any spectacular engagements with the enemy, but during the course of our 14 North Atlantic convoys, not one ship was lost. On no occasion ... did we miss a sailing date because of some defect and we never failed to finish a voyage on schedule". (Researched by / Courtesy of Gary King)
Ship's company photos Photos and Documents The Ship's Bell
The ARNPRES - 25 Dec 1944 (Special Christmas Edition)
Commanding Officers
A/LCdr Stuart Douglas Thom, RCNVR - 08 Jun 1944 - 27 Aug 1945
A/LCdr Thomas Bottrell Edwards, RCNR - 28 Aug 1945 - 14 Mar 1946
They shall not be forgotten
Former Crew Members
Photos and Documents
(DK001) Three Castle Class Corvettes alongside - HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 inboard. (believed to be St. John's, Nfld) (DK002) Unidentified sailor on HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 holding ship's mascot (DK003) Unidentified sailor on HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 holding ship's mascot (DK004) Unidentified sailor on HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 (DK005) Unidentified sailor asleep on the deck on HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 (note: you learn to sleep when you get the chance)
(DK006) Unidentified sailors on HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 (DK007) Unidentified sailor on HMCS ARNPRIOR K494 (BK008) HMCS ARNPRIOR's shipboard newspaper - 25 Dec 1944 (Special Edition)
(DK009-DK012) HMCS ARNPRIOR's Dec 1944 Christmas Menu
From the collection of Dalton Kaye, Tel, RCNVR
Courtesy of Steve Kaye
(MB55) Marshall Burns (centre) and unknown shipmates on HMCS ARNPRIOR (MB56) Marshall Burns with ship's mascot on HMCS APRPRIOR (MB57) Marshall Burns (left) with unknown shipmates on HMCS ARNPRIOR (MB58) Marshall Burns (right) with unknown shipmates on HMCS ARNPRIOR (MB59) Unknown sailor by the ready-use magazine on HMCS ARNPRIOR
(MB60-MB63) Unknown sailors on HMCS ARNPRIOR
(MB64) Marshall Burns on HMCS ARNPRIOR (MB65) Unknown sailors on HMCS ARNPRIOR (MB66) Marshall Burns (right) with unknown sailor on HMCS ARNPRIOR (MB67) Unknown sailors by the forward gun on HMCS ARNPRIOR. (note: based on their dress and the casual look of things they likely are doing gun drills alongside)
(MB68) Caption on news publication: When Wrens came aboard HMCS ARNPRIOR in Newfoundland for a ship's party, Leading Seaman Marshall Burns of Ottawa thought they'd like to see the wheelhouse of their fine castle class corvette. Interested onlookers are Wren Margaret Wood of MONTREAL, Wren Joan Shannon of MARMORA, Ontario; and Wren Gwen Bill of RED DEER, Alberta. Royal Canadian Photography - Navy Information Section - Negative No 2859
From the collection of Marshall Burns, LS.LR, RCNVR
Courtesy of the Burns family
Convoys escorted during WW2
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For Posterity's Sake 
