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HMCS ATHABASKAN G07
Tribal Class Destroyer
Commissioned on 03 Feb 1943 at Newcastle-on-Tyne and assigned to the British Home Fleet, ATHABASKAN left on 29 Mar 1943 to patrol the Iceland-Faeroes Passage for blockade runners. Stress of weather caused hull damage that required five weeks' repairs at South Shields, U.K., following which, in Jun 1943, she took part in Operation Gearbox III, the relief of the garrison at Spitsbergen. On 18 Jun 1943 she collided with the boom defence vessel Bargate at Scapa Flow, occasioning a month's repair at Devonport. In Jul and Aug 1943 she was based at Plymouth, carrying out A/S patrols in the Bay of Biscay, and on 27 Aug 1943 was hit by a glider bomb off the Spanish coast. She managed to reach Devonport, where she remained under repair until 10 Nov 1943; returning to Scapa Flow in Dec 1943.
While on patrol in the Bay of Biscay Patrol area at 13:00 hours on August 27, 1943, HMCS ATHABASKAN was attacked by eighteen enemy Dornier-217s. H.M.S. Egret (British Sloop) was sunk. A Henschel Hs 293 glide bomb hit HMCS ATHABASKAN at the junction of "B" gun-deck and the wheel-house. It passed under the plot room, through Radio One and the Chief Petty Officer's Mess, and out the starboard side. It exploded barely a few feet beyond and bomb fragments pierced HMCS ATHABASKAN'S side and bridge in a number of places. The Captain, Commander Miles was knocked down by the blast and several officers, including Lieutenant-Commander Dunn Lanthier and Sub-Lieutenant John A. Brebner had severe leg injuries. In Radio One, Telegraphist Charles Kent (a survivor from the sinking of the troopship S.S. Nerissa) lost both legs, and straps from a lifebelt were used to stop the bleeding and save his life. Able Seaman Joseph McGrath, a bridge lookout, died the next day. The crew of "B" gun bore the worst of the injuries with Able Seaman William Pickett and Petty Officer Ernest Latimer being killed. Leading Seaman John Gordon took charge despite the fact that he was injured and several others were burned. Several members of "A" gun were also burned and wounded. Leading Cook Frank Prudhomme also died. HMCS ATHABASKAN took on board the 35 survivors from H.M.S. EGRET. HMCS ATHABASKAN continued on at 14 knots, correcting a serious list to starboard. The ship reached Devonport, where she remained under repair until 10 Nov 1943; returning to Scapa Flow in Dec 1943.
In Feb 1944, she rejoined Plymouth Command and was assigned to the newly formed 10th Destroyer Flotilla. On 26 Apr 1944 she assisted in the destruction of German torpedo boat T 29 in the Channel off Ushant, and three days later was sunk by a torpedo from T24 north of the Ile de Bas. Her captain and 128 men were lost, 83 taken prisoner, and 44 rescued by HAIDA.
Click here to see a list of convoys escorted by ATHABASKAN during the Second World War
The wreckage of HMCS ATHABASKAN was located near the island of Batz in the English Channel. She was found by Jacques Ouchakoff, a French marine historian in 2002 in 90 metres of water. Ottawa Branch member Paul Bender is devoted to protecting RCN shipwrecks and their contents. As direct result of his work, and petitioning the government of France with respect to ATHABASKAN, the French government has placed the wreck, which is in French territorial waters, under the protection of the French Heritage Code, which provides legal protection of the wreck and its contents.
Click here to read the letter from the Government of France to Capt Paul Bender, ret'd
Photos and Documents Ship's company photos
Record of 10th Destroyer Flotilla Results - Apr to Sep 1944
Lucky to be alive - 04 May 2014 Wartime Diary of Stewart Kettle
Plouescat Communal Cemetery, Finistere France - HMCS ATHABASKAN War Dead
The case of the phantom MTB and the loss of HMCS ATHABASKAN
Remembering HMCS ATHABASKAN - 75 years later by Royal Roads University
RCN Memories: Remembering Donald Metcalfe - HMCS ATHABASKAN G07
Commanding Officers
Capt George Ralph Miles, OBE, RCN - 03 Feb 1943 - 05 Nov 1943
LCdr J.H. Stubbs, DSO, RCN - 06 Nov 1943 - 29 Apr 1944
They shall not be forgotten
(SH) - Survived the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07. Rescued by HAIDA (SC) - Survived the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07. Rescued by HAIDA'S cutter (SP) - Survived the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07. Captured, became a POW A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
W
Former Crew Members
(SP) = Survived the sinking of ATHABASKAN. Captured by the German forces. Became a POW for duration of war (SH) - Survived the sinking of ATHABASKAN. Rescued by HMCS Haida (SC) - Survived the sinking of ATHABASKAN. Rescued by HMCS Haida's cutter
** The last surviving crewmember of the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 passed away in Oct 2022. All those listed below as having survived the sinking will be moved to the Crossed the Bar section as time permits.
Photos and Documents
(ATH001) HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // RCN photo (ATH002) HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 - date and location unknown (ATH003) Christmas in the mess deck HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 - Dec 1943 // From the collection of Kenneth Sharp, Electrician 4th Class, RCN (ATH004) HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 rescues survivors from German U-boat that was sunk by a Wellington bomber // Crow's Nest newspaper - Jan 1944 (ATH005) Engine room dept of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 when she was hit by a bomb on 27 Aug 1943 // Crow's Nest newspaper - Jan 1944
(ATH006) HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // From the collection of Raymond Rolls // Courtesy of Kevin Gaines (ATH007) Newspaper article on HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // From the collection of James A. Senior, Wt (E), RCN // Courtesy of Bob Senior (ATH008) Damage to HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 caused by a glider bomb attack on August 27, 1943 // Source: CROWSNEST Magazine Vol. 1, No. 6, April 1949 (ATH009) Damage to HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 caused by a glider bomb attack on August 27, 1943 // From the collection of Joseph W. (Jim) L'Esperance, LS, RCNVR // Courtesy of Jim L'Esperance (ATH010) Robert Yeadon and shipmate, HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // Courtesy of Cynthia Tompkins
(ATH011) Graves of Robert Yeadon and Robert Henry, both were killed when HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 was sunk on 29 Apr 1944. Their bodies washed ashore on Ile de Batz, France // Courtesy of Cynthia Tompkins (ATH012) Two survivors and two casualties of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // Saint John Telegraph Journal 06 May 1944 // Courtesy of Operation Picture Me // Named in the article: Lt Ralph Lawrence (casualty); AB Raymond Rolls (casualty); Stoker PO Frees (survivor); AB Frederick Raymond Moat (survivor) (ATH013) During their captivity, some 70 members of HMCS ATHABASKAN'S crew captured by German forces signed this mimeographed - or copied - document. Printed on the reverse side of a commemorative image of ATHABASKAN, the document provides space for survivors from each of the nine provinces in wartime Canada. More than 80 members of ATHABASKAN's crew were rescued and captured by German forces. Most of them wound up in prisoner of war camps, while a few seriously injured sailors were sent to a hospital where they were later liberated by American troops. // George Metcalf Archival Collection CWM 19870005-001 (ATH014) Poem - HMCS ATHABASKAN by Stuart Kettles, L/Writer, RCNVR // From the collection of Joseph (Jim) L'Esperance, LS, RCNVR // Courtesy of Jim L'Esprance (ATH015) Headstones for Leading Stoker William McGregor and Lt. Commander John H. Stubbs who were lost when HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 was sunk // Headstones are located at the PLOUESCAT COMMUNAL CEMETERY; Finistere, France // Source: Web blog by Pierre Lagacé
(ATH016) ATHABASKAN Survivor - OS Joseph Raymond P.P.H. Miller - The Montreal Gazette 03 May 1944 (ATH017) Lindsay Boy went down on ATHABASKAN - May 10, 1944 (ATH018) Signalman Allen Thasher (Thrasher) reported lost at sea (ATH019) Lindsay Native Believed on ATHABASKAN - May 2, 1944 * Note: After articles ATH017-019 were published it was found that Allen Thrasher did not die but had been captured and was a POW. (ATH020) Newspaper article on the repatriation of 64 POWs from HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // From the World War 2 collection of Jim L'Esperance // Source: Lest We Forget blog of Pierre Lagacé
(ATH021) "X & Y" turret crew on HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // Back row, 2nd from left - John W. Fairchild. 4th from left - Louis Ledoux // From the collection of Herman C. Sulkers // Courtesy of Paul Sulkers (ATH022) Crew members of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // The 3 men on the left in front of the turret are (left to right) Raymond Leslie Roberts, Herm Sulkers, and Jim L'Esperance. In the turret window is John Gordon. On the turret, rear row, left to right are - Bob Moore, Bill Pickett and Ernest Anderson. Eugene Fuller is on the gun barrel on the right, in front, behind him is Gerry Milot. On the left gun barrel - front to back - Maurice Watson, Vince Myette and Art Barrett // Source: Web blog by Pierre Lagacé (ATH023) HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 Gun crew // Front row (L-R) Vince Myette, Bill Pickett, Gerry Milot, Art Barrett, Eugene Fuller // Rear row (L-R) Herm Sulkers, Maurice Watson, Bob Moore, John Gordon, Ernest Anderson, Ray Roberts, Jim L'Esperance // Update: The gunner in the photo marked as unknown was identified by his wife and daughter as Ernest Raymond Anderson // From the collection of Herman C. Sulkers // Courtesy of Paul Sulkers (ATH024) Raymond Burton Rolls on HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // Courtesy of Kevin Gaines (ATH025) ERA Leonard Mumford penned a letter home 2 days before his ship was sunk
(ATH026) ATHABASKAN G07 POWs at Marlag und Milag. Harry Hurwitz is in the white shirt // From the collection of Harry Hurwitz // Courtesy of Darla Hurwitz Scott (ATH027) Marlag und Milag POW camp // From the collection of Herman C. Sulkers // Courtesy of Paul Sulkers (ATH028) Signalman Donald King McGrath on the flag deck of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // Courtesy of Donna McGrath (ATH029) An oil covered Francis (Frank) Austin Charles Roach stands on the deck of HMCS HAIDA after being rescued // Courtesy of Garry McFadden (ATH030) More Ottawa Men Off ATHABASKAN Now Prisoners-of-War // The Ottawa Journal 11 Aug 1944
(ATH031) Four Montreal Sailors Rescued In Loss of HMCS ATHABASKAN // The Montreal Gazette, Tue, 02 May 1944 (ATH032) Newspaper article dated 29 Apr 1944 on Missing ATHABASKAN crew members Lawrence Johnston, Herman Sulkers and Eddie Bieber // Courtesy of Pierre Legacé (ATH033) Newspaper article announcing the loss of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 - Sunk in action // Courtesy of Pierre Legacé (ATH034) Newspaper article on LCdr Stubbs, Commanding Officer of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // Courtesy of Steve Hlasny
(ATH035) Three ATHABASKAN sailors reported missing // OS L.R. Johnson, AB Herman Sulkers and PO Eddie Bieber // Courtesy of Operation Picture Me // Note: Herman Sulkers survived the war as a POW - OS Johnson and PO Bieber died when ATHABASKAN was sunk (ATH036) Article from an Ontario newspaper and Ontario men missing from HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 (ATH037) ATHABASKAN Survivors In Canada // The Halifax Chronicle, Tuesday, 23 May 1944 // Courtesy of George Newbury (ATH038) ATHABASKAN Survivors in Halifax // The Halifax Mail, Monday, 22 May 1944 // Courtesy of George Newbury (ATH039) Survivors Tell of ATHABASKAN Sinking // The Halifax Chronicle Thursday, 25 May 1944 // Research by / Courtesy of George Newbury // Sailors mentioned in the article: Leading Cook Alfred Richardson; Leading Seaman Victor Bushie of Halifax, NS; Stoker Petty Officer Earl O'Brien of New Waterford, NS; Leading Seaman Frank (Doc) Savage of Edmonton; Able Seaman Al Foran; Able Seaman Andre Audet of Montreal; Seaman Stanley Buck of Toronto: Signalman Tom Eady of Welland, ON; Petty Officer George Caswell of Vancouver, BC; Signalman Guy J. Norris of Neslon, BC.
Newspaper articles on casualties and survivors from the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07
(AGB001) Letter from OS Berkeley to his parents - dated 02 Mar 1944 (AGB002) Letter from OS Berkeley to his brother - dated 20 Apr 1944 (9 days before ATHABASKAN was sunk) (AGB003) Letter sent to OS A.G. Berkely that was returned to sender - OS Berkeley was MPK (AGB004) Newspaper article on one ATHABASKAN casualty (OS Berkeley) and one ATHABASKAN survivor (PO Mancor) (AGB005) Newspaper article on two of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07's casualties - OS Berkeley and AB Barrett From the collection of OS Alfred George Berkley, RCNVR Courtesy of Pierre Legacé
(JVW232) Article on the loss of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // From the collection of CPO J. Vincent Wesley, RCNVR // Courtesy of Marilynn Taylor (JVW233) Poem about the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // From the collection of CPO J. Vincent Wesley, RCNVR // Courtesy of Marilynn Taylor
Articles on the repatriation of ATHABASKAN POWs From the collection of Joseph W. (Jim) L'Esperance Courtesy of Jim L'Esperance
(JA11) Crossing the Line certificate (Arctic Circle) for John James Acorn while onboard HMCS ATHABASKAN G07, 17 December 1943
(JA12) Newspaper article of the battle in which HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 was lost // HMCS ATHABASKAN Was Sunk In Battle With German Destroyers. About 130 Of Her 200-Man Crew Are Accounted For. One Of the German Destroyers Was Driven Ashore in Flames (JA13-JA16) Newspaper articles on HMCS ATHABASKAN'S POWs From the collection of Leading Stoker John Acorn Courtesy of Barry Acorn
(FM887) HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 rescues survivors from a German U-boat sunk by a Wellington bomber - dated 31 Dec 1943 (FM888) Article on Gunner (T) G.D. Sigston and AB Eric J. Mengoni (FM889) HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 back on duty after being struck by a glider bomb (FM890) Headline - HMCS ATHABASKAN IS SUNK - dated 01 May 1944 (FM891) Article on the loss of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07
(FM892) A Gallant End - newspaper article on the loss of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 with crew photo From the collection of François Messier, AB, RCNVR Courtesy of Denis Messier
Front page article on the loss of the ATHABASKAN Toronto Daily Star, Monday 01 May 1944 Click on the above image to view the full front page
Articles from Quebec newspapers on the HMCS ATHABASKAN and her crew. These articles are all in French.
(PHAC005) Newspaper article on HMCS ATHABASKAN picking up survivors of German U-boat - dated 15 Dec 1943 // From a Quebec newspaper (PHAC006) First official photo of HMCS ATHABASKAN along the coast of Scotland // From a Quebec newspaper (PHAC007) Captivating story of combat between a Canadian destroyer and German pilots // HMCS ATHABASKAN hit by bomb - 5 sailors killed, many wounded // From a Quebec newspaper (PHAC008) Canadian and British flotilla sink German destroyer // From a Quebec newspaper (PHAC009) Nazi destroyer sunk // From a Quebec newspaper
(PHAC010 - PHAC011) Terrible odyssey of 5 sailors from the Canadian ship ATHABASKAN - 27 Sep 1944 (PHAC012 - PHAC013) Three sailors from ATHABASKAN saved from the high sea (PHAC014) Five sailors from ATHABASKAN have escaped the Germans - 29 Aug 1944
(PHAC015) LS Stanley Dick missing with HMCS ATHABASKAN (PHAC016) Sailors Beaudoin and Dion disappear with the ATHABASKAN (PHAC017) Cold blood of a Sailor - Lt G.K. Cowan remembers G.J. Parsons - 04 May 1944 (PHAC018) Preparations for the invasion provoked the action which resulted in the sinking of the ATHABASKAN (PHAC019) Raymond Miller, serving in ATHABASKAN, was saved
(PHAC020) Canadian destroyer ATHABASKAN sinks in the channel (PHAC021) Two Quebecois return home - Arthur Beaudoin and John Fairchild (PHAC022 - PHAC023) Six Quebecois lost with HMCS ATHABASKAN - 05 May 1944 (PHAC024) Leaders of political parties pay tribute to the sailors of the ATHABASKAN - 02 May 1944
(PHAC025 - PHAC026) Loss suffered by the Canadian Navy - 14 May 1944 (PHAC027) Loss suffered by the Navy (PHAC028) Quebec sailors missing (PHAC029) HMCS ATHABASKAN POWs arrive in England - 16 May 1945
(PHAC030) The valiance of ATHABASKAN sailors is praise - 02 May 1944 (PHAC031) Thirty-five survivors of HMCS ATHABASKAN arrive in Canada - 04 May 1944 (PHAC032) ATHABASKAN survivors and casualties (PHAC033) LCdr Dunn Lantier missing (PHAC034) Sailor Germain Dion killed
(PHAC035) HMCS ATHABASKAN sunk (PHAC036) Sailors Liberated - 11 May 1945 From the family of Able Seaman Paul Chamberland Courtesy of Pierre Barrette
Remembrance Day: The captain yelled out, "Abandon ship!" Newspaper article from "The Senior Times" - by Irwin Block
On November 11, we remember those who served our country, but for Harry Hurwitz the day he can’t forget is April 29, 1944.
That was the day Hurwitz and other victims of a German torpedo attack on his Canadian ship ended up in the English Channel, struggling to survive.
At 92, and a resident of the B’Nai Brith House in Côte St. Luc, Hurwitz recalled his remarkable story in preparation for Remembrance Day ceremonies. He is to lay a wreath at the cenotaph in Montreal West.
The Lachine-born son of trucker Chaim and Bella, with seven brothers and five sisters, enlisted in 1939 at age 18. He switched from the army to the navy and in 1942 shipped out to Greenock, just west of Glasgow, Scotland.
As an able-bodied seaman, Hurwitz was assigned to H.M.C.S. ATHABASKAN and in August 1943, while patrolling the channel, the ship was attacked by six Messerschmitt fighter-bombers.
“We opened fire, we drove five away, but one came out of the sky and dropped a bomb right near me. I was one of the lucky ones. The guy next to me was killed instantly and seven others died as well.”
He later sailed to Murmansk, Russia, as part of a convoy of 57 ships delivering materials and supplies to assist the Soviet Union in resisting and counter-attacking the German assault.
“Only about 20 made it. The rest were torpedoed and sunk. I was up in the masthead when it was 40 below zero, watching for enemy ships. They gave me a cup of coffee every 10 minutes, it was so cold.”
From its base in Plymouth, U.K., the ATHABASKAN continued to patrol the English Channel where the Allies were expected to launch the long-awaited second front by invading France.
On April 29, the ship left Plymouth at 6 pm and after three hours was at the French coast not far from Brest.
“For some reason, we went a little too close to the French coast. I’m on my gun at our action station, and all of a sudden a torpedo hit our ship near the stern. It was cut off completely, about 2,000 shells exploded and everyone was killed instantly.
“We got the order from Commander John Stubbs—who gave the order to man the hoses—to see if we could put out the fire. Guys were dying, they were screaming. Me and four other guys grabbed the hose, and just then a second torpedo hit. There was no pressure, everything was dead, the whole ship was ablaze. I got a piece of shrapnel right above my nose.
“Then the captain yelled out, ‘Abandon ship!’ Me and my friend Raymond Meloche (who lives at Ste. Anne’s veterans’ hospital) jumped. I threw off my big rubber boots and my heavy coat. We sunk at 4:28 am. How do I know? My mother bought me a cheap watch on my bar mitzvah and I had it all these years. She paid $4 for it!
“We were in the water for six or seven hours.
“First I was holding on to the masthead, with Meloche. I couldn’t see.
“I was covered with oil from head to toe. Then I held on to an empty barrel.
“One guy had his leg blown off and he kept yelling, ‘I don’t want to die.’ Another had a big hole in his stomach and the salt water was getting in and he was yelling. We couldn’t do anything. They all died in the water.”
A lifeboat floated nearby, probably released by Allied ships to help survivors. “About 15 or 16 of us got into the lifeboat. We had no oars, so we drifted, like a bunch of dummies.”
A German battleship appeared and prepared to take the men prisoner.
“I had my Magen David (Jewish star) and I ripped it off my neck and tossed it into the water. I also tossed a wallet, with Jewish things and about $40 I won the day before rolling the dice with the money from payday.”
Records show that 129 of the crew, including Captain John Stubbs, died. Hurwitz was among 83 men taken prisoner while another 44 were rescued by H.M.C.S. Haida. The war was coming to an end and the German captors “were very good to us.”
“We arrived in France and we saw two girls completely naked, dead drunk, and they cheered, ‘A way, les bons Canadiens,’ while the Germans commander yelled, ‘schnell’.”
Hurwitz was interrogated at a convent and gave his name as Hurwit – “I took off the zed, to sound less Jewish.”
His interrogator, an officer about 75, turned out to be “a really nice man. I told him I was from Lachine and he told me he had worked for General Electric in Lachine for about 20 years! I lived on 10th Ave. and LaSalle St., and General Electric was on 1st Ave. and LaSalle St.”
The German had immigrated to Canada to work as an engineer, but in 1936 went back to Germany to help his country, Hurwitz recalled.
He pounded the table, denounced the Jews, but Hurwitz said he replied he had worked for Jews and never had any problems.
After 14 days in Brest, the POWs were taken to a camp outside Hamburg. “Every night at exactly midnight, R.A.F. bombers attacked the oil installations there, and at Kiel, Bremen and Hanover. We would sit on top of our shack and had a beautiful view.”
He and a fellow prisoner bribed a guard with 25 cigarettes, worth “$500 on the black market,” and got wire cutters to escape. But when he asked a German woman in his Yiddish-style German in a nearby farm for a glass of water, she called the police and they were rearrested.
A senior British officer among the prisoners at the camp warned the Germans to “release the men immediately” because “the British were only 400 miles away and I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens to them.” They were returned to the general PoW population.
They were told to march to Lubek, and the column was accidentally attacked by an R.A.F. fighter—four men were killed by friendly fire. They returned to the prison camp.
Hurwitz was liberated on April 29, 1945—a year to the day he was captured. Two of his three daughters were born after war’s end—on April 29.
When he lays the wreath, Hurwitz says he’ll be thinking of that day in 1944, and “the guys in the water dying, shouting: ‘Save me, save me’.”
(ATH100) Leading up to D-Day (50 years later) - Re-print of a newspaper article on the loss of ATHABASKAN G07 - original article dated 01 May 1944 // From the collection of Ivan Chamberlain // Courtesy of Dave Chamberlain (ATH101) Article from the Vancouver Sun on HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 // Courtesy of Dave Clarke
On September 19, 2017, HMCS Montréal took time from their operation to honour and remember the officers and sailors of HMCS ATHABASKAN who were lost at sea when the ship was torpedoed and sank off the coast of France on April 29, 1944 during the Second World War. As HMCS Montréal transited north as part of NEPTUNE TRIDENT 17-02, the ship’s company laid a wreath at sea over the area where HMCS ATHABASKAN sank. The wreath was laid by those who served on HMCS ATHABASKAN (3rd of name), named after the original ATHABASKAN, whose members felt a close connection to the ship and its history. // DND-RCN Photos / Crown copyright 2017
(ATH105) Montage that was presented to Mr. Ernie Takalo, a survivor of the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07, onboard HMCS HAIDA during a Remembrance Ceremony for the crew of ATHABASKAN G07. The montage has the last crew photo taken of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 and a crew photo from HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 // Courtesy of Blair Gilmore
HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 Survivors Reunion 1971 Back Row (L-R): Bert Burrows, Jack Scott, Robin Hayward, Geoffrey Hesler, William Bint, Jim Richardson, Raymond Heloche, Wilfred Henrickson, William Howard, Charles Burg, Alex McKinnon, George Howard Front Row (L-R): Mac Young, George Parsons, Clarence Rafuse, Sam Pine, George Lunder, Jim Tyrie, Orwen Deal, Jim L'Esperance, Emile Beaudoin, Paul Galland, Raymond Moar, Jim Eva
Surviving crew members for HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 onboard HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 in the English Channel near where HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 was sunk - 1974 From the collection of Greg Mackenzie Courtesy of David H. Brown Click on the above photo to view a larger image
In 2003, Greg Mackenzie, a commissioning crew member for HMCS ATHABASKAN 282, received a tour of HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 from MS David Brown. Greg sent David a thank you letter for the tour and sent him the above photo with the letter.
Click here to read the letter Greg Mackenzie sent to MS David Brown
Six survivors of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07 on HMCS ATHABASKAN 282 - 2002 (1) Wilf Henrickson (2) Ernie Takalo (4) Herm Sulkers
Convoys escorted during the Second World War (back to ship's history)
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Lest We Forget
