HMCS ORANGEVILLE K491 - For Posterity's Sake

For Posterity's Sake

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

HMCS ORANGEVILLE K491

Former HMS Hedingham Castle

The Chinese Merchant Vessel Ta Tung

Then People's Liberation Army Navy Vessel Te-An (1951)

Nae Bother Ata

HMCS Orangeville K491

From the collection of Albert Abercrombie

Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie

Click on the above photo to view a larger image

Laid down: 23 Jul 1943

Launched: 26 Jan 1944

Transferred to the RCN: 24 Apr 1944

Commissioned: 24 Apr 1944

Paid off: 12 Apr 1946

Fate: Sold for commercial use. Final disposition unknown

Laid down and launched as HMS Hedingham Castle, she was transferred to the RCN and commissioned at Leith on 24 Apr 1944 as HMCS Orangeville K491. After working up at Tobermory in May she joined EG C-1 at Londonderry, leaving on 04 Jun 1944 to meet ONS.239, her first convoy. She spent the remainder of the war on North Atlantic convoy duty, leaving 'Derry for the last time on 21 Apr 1945, to escort ONS.48. After refitting at Liverpool, N.S., from May to Aug 1945, Orangeville was placed in maintenance reserve at Halifax and finally paid off on 12 Apr 1946. She was sold later that year for conversion to mercantile use under the Chinese flag and renamed Ta Tung. In 1951 she was taken over the the Nationalist Chinese government, rearmed and renamed Te-An.

Ship's company photos Photos and Documents WW II vet back in Derry after 68 year wait

Convoys escorted during WW II

Convoy Desig.	Convoy Departs from	Arrives at	Join as escort	Depart Convoy
ON.239	Liverpool (03 Jun 1944)	New York City (22 Jun 1944)	04 Jun 1944	15 Jun 1944
HX.296	New York City (19 June 1944)	Liverpool (03 Jul 1944)	24 Jun 1944	02 Jul 1944
ON.244	Liverpool (10 Jul 1944)	New York City (23 Jul 1944)	11 Jul 1944	18 Jul 1944
HX.301	New York City (25 Jul 1944)	Liverpool (08 Aug 1944)	31 Jul 1944	08 Aug 1944
ONS.33	Liverpool (29 Sep 1944)	Halifax (14 Oct 1944)	30 Sep 1944	10 Oct 1944
HX.314	New York City (15 Oct 1944)	Liverpool (29 Oct 1944)	20 Oct 1944	29 Oct 1944
ON.265	Southend (08 Nov 1944)	New York City (23 Nov 1944)	10 Nov 1944	19 Nov 1944
HX.322	New York City (24 Nov 1944)	Liverpool (08 Dec 1944)	29 Nov 1944	07 Dec 1944
ON.273	Southend (18 Dec 1944)	New York City (04 Jan 1945)	19 Dec 1945	30 Dec 1945
HX.330	New York City (03 Jan 1945)	Liverpool (17 Jan 1945)	07 Jan 1945	17 Jan 1945
ONS.41	Liverpool (29 Jan 1945)	Halifax (30 Jan 1945)	30 Jan 1945	15 Feb 1945
HX.339	New York City (18 Feb 1945)	Liverpool (03 Mar 1945)	23 Feb 1945	03 Mar 1945
ONS.44	Liverpool (12 Mar 1945)	Halifax (31 Mar 1945)	12 Mar 1945	27 Mar 1945
HX.347	New York City (29 Mar 1945)	Liverpool (14 Apr 1945)	03 Apr 1945	14 Apr 1945
ONS.48	Liverpool (21 Apr 1945)	Halifax (04 May 1945)	21 Apr 1945	03 May 1945

Commanding Officers

Lt Francis Rodney Pike, RCNVR - 24 Apr 1944 - 04 Jul 1945

Lt George William Dunn, RCNVR - 05 Jul 1945 - 16 Jul 1945

A/LCdr George Alvin Powell, RCNVR - 17 Jul 1945 - 16 Oct 1945

Lt Allan Tannahill Love, RCN(R) - 08 Feb 1946 - 12 Apr 1946

In memory of those who have crossed the bar They shall not be forgotten
A-B
Abercrombie, Albert William 1923-1997 Served in Orangeville 21 Feb 1945 - 15 Jul 1945. In ship's company photo Feb-Jul 1945
C-D
Crowther, John Bradley 1923-2012 Served in Orangeville Apr 1944 - Dec 1945 as an AB Radar Operator Commissioning crew
G-H
Guerin, Michael Francis 1924-2002 Served in Orangeville as a Cook, RCNVR
I-J
Johnson, Wilfred Leo 1924-2018 Served in Orangeville Apr 1944-Jul 1945 as a LS
K-L
Keeler, Morton ____-1995 Served in Orangeville as CPO, RCN, Cox'n. Commissioning crew	Learmonth, Kenneth William ____-2009
M-N
McCabe, Bernard Ivan 1923-2012 Served in Orangeville Apr 1944 - Nov 1945 as L/Cook Commissioning crew	McKay, Allister, J. ____-1999 Served in Orangeville Sep 1944 - Aug 1945 as a Coder	Montgomery, Terence William 1925-2018 Served in Orangeville 24 Apr 1944 - 19 Sep 1945. Commissioning crew
O-P
Patterson, Alvin Howard 1925-2015	Porter, Howard Allan 1925-2014 Served n Orangeville 1944 - 1945 as an EA. In ship's company photo Feb-Jul 1945	Powell, George Alvin 1914-2004 3rd Commanding Officer
S-T
Smith, Wilfred Deroy 1924-2007	Thom, David A. ____-2006 Served in Orangeville May 1944 - Jan 1945 as a Tel	Turner, William John McCrae Drafted to Orangeville on 13 Mar 1944 as Lt, RCNVR (Stand by). Served in Orangeville as Lt, RCNVR, A/S.O.O. Commissioning crew
W-X
Whaling, Francis Gerald 1923-2018 Commissioning crew	Wiggins, Harry Robert 1925-2002 In ship's company photo Feb-Jul 1945
Ship's Mascots
Ping ____-____

Former Crew Members

(CC) = Commissioning Crew 24 Apr 1944

(SC1) = Ship's company photo, Londonderry, Ireland between Feb and Jul 1945

Allan, Douglas, PO, RCN, Buffer (CC) (SC1)

Anderson, William C. (Bill). Stoker - 24 Apr 1944 - 05 Jun 1944 (CC)

Baldwin, Stanley (CC)

Barclay, Garnet (CC) (SC1)

Bate, George, Lt, Doctor - Nov 1944 - Aug 1945 (SC1)

Bell, Frank (SC1)

Briggs, Ed (SC1)

Bush, William G. (Bill) AB LTO - 25 Apr 1944 - 15 Feb 1945

Cambridge, Allan, Stoker - 1944 - 1945 (CC) (SC1)

Chinery, Arthur (Art), A/LS - 18 Jun 1944 - 12 Aug 1945 (SC1)

Cliff, Hall (SC1)

Collison, Stan G., Sto 1 - Jun 1944 - Jun 1945

Cormack, David, Wt (E), RCNR (CC) (SC1)

Cornelius, Leighton (SC1)

Coyle, Tommy (CC) (SC1)

Craig, Asa (CC)

Cresswell, Ken (SC1)

Cudney, Ivan (CC) (SC1)

Curry, Thomas Allison, Lt, RCNR, NavO (CC) (SC1)

Cushing, Don (SC1)

Dale, Ivan (CC)

Darlington, Harold (CC)

Dettmar, Eric Samuel, Tel - 24 May 1944 - 30 Aug 1945 (SC1)

Douglas, Robert Alexander C., Lt, RCNVR, Ist Lt (XO) (CC)

Drake, Gordon (CC) (SC1)

Edgar, Ray (SC1)

Edwards, Robert N. (Bob), AB - 24 Apr 1944 - Nov 1945 (CC) (SC1)

Ferguson, James (CC)

Fleming, Joseph David, Sto 1 - 24 Apr 1944 - 1945 (CC) (SC1)

Galvon, Henry F. (Hank), Coder - 24 Apr 1944 - Mar 1945 (CC) (SC1)

Garret, Roy Percy, CPO, RCNVR, ERA3 (CC)

Gauthier, Roman (SC1)

Gellert, Norman Arthur, Sig - 20 Jun 1944 - 31 May 1945 (SC1)

Gorski, Peter, AB, ASDIC - 24 Apr 1945 - 12 Apr 1946 (CC) (SC1)

Gould, William Pierce, Lt, RCNR (CC) (SC1)

Graham, Gerald (Spud) (CC) (SC1)

Hall, Cliff - 1944

Heaton, Rolland A., Tel - 13 Oct 1944 - 25 Jul 1945 (SC1)

Humes, Henry (CC) (SC1)

Iverson, Allan (CC) (SC1)

Johnson, Lee (CC)

Judson, Malcolm (CC)

Judson, Winston, AB - Apr 1944 - May 1945

Kerr, Clifford (CC)

Kirstein, Fred (CC)

Klinghammer (SC1)

Krochenski, Stanley (CC)

Krouse, John (CC)

Laderoute, Norbert Joseph, A/Wt (E), RCNR - 16 May 1945

Laskarin, Joe, AB

Lee, William (CC) (SC1)

Leitch, Kenneth (CC)

Lepage, Nelson, Sto 1 A/S - 25 Apr 1944 - 25 Aug 1945 (CC) (SC1)

Little, John K., AB - 24 Apr 1944 - Jun 1945 (CC)

Ljuggren, Gordon (CC)

Lowe, Charly (CC) (SC1)

Lowe, Ronald

Lummis, Gordon (SC1)

Lummiss, Harry (CC) (SC1)

MacDonald, Robert L., L/Tel - 25 Apr 1944 - 08 Feb 1945

MacKeracher, Donald A., Lt, RCNVR, Signals Officer - 09 Mar 1944 (Stand by) / 24 Apr 1944 (CC) (SC1)

MacLeod, Robert (CC)

Malcolm Judson (SC1)

Martin, John (CC) (SC1)

Mason, Albert, AB - 30 May 1944 - 21 Jan 1945

McBeth, John (SC1)

McClintock, Robert (CC)

McDonald, David (CC) (SC1)

McGregor, Chris, Tel (T.O.) (SC1)

McNabb, Kenneth (CC) (SC1)

McPherson, Bruce Roffey, Slt, RCNVR - 29 Mar 1945 (SC1)

Meier, Max (CC)

Mitchell, Harold John, Sig - 26 Jul 1944 - 21 Aug 1945 (SC1)

Morris, Albert (CC)

Morris, Stan (SC1)

Murphy, John (Jack) (CC) (SC1)

Pare, Leo (SC1)

Peeble, James Arthur, A/Lt (E), RCNVR - 16 Jun 1945

Perry, Gordon - Apr 1944 - Feb 1945

Pirie, Neil John, PO E.A. 4 / CPO E.A. 3 - 24 Apr 1944 - Aug 1945 (CC)

Playfair, Peter Ferris, Surg-Lt - Aug 1944 - Oct 1944

Porteous, Alvin, PO, RCNVR, LTO (CC) (SC1)

Roberts, James, SPO - Jun 1944 - 25 Oct 1945

Robinson, James Victor - AA3 Gunner, 1944-1945

Rothery, William, Chief Stoker, RCN (CC) (SC1)

Shaw, Donald (CC)

Small, F.A.

Smith, W.D. (SC1)

Steen (SC1)

Stiles, Edward (Doc), SBA - 24 Apr 1944 - Sep 1945 (CC)

Taylor, Allan (SC1)

Thomson, Robert, Sig

Thorpe, Jack

Tkach, John (CC) (SC1)

Tuckey, Kenneth (CC) (SC1)

Twist, William G. (Bill), CERA 4c - 26 Jul 1944 - 31 May 1945 (SC1)

Underhill (SC1)

Wade, James (CC)

Weed, Ralph (CC)

Watkins, Robert A., A/LS - Oct 1945 - Dec 1945

Watson, James, AB - 23 Jun 1944 - 21 Feb 1945

Wilkinson, Hugh Malcolm, Slt (El) (R), RCNVR - Jan 1945

Photos and Documents

Commissioning 1944 Leith, Scotland. Photo Caption reads: " Lady Darling, flanked by ship's builder Henry Robb and Lt. Rodney Pike, Holding newly carved ship's crest at commissioning ceremony in Leith, Scotland, 1944", Photo taken from the supplement to the Orangeville Citizen of June 8th, 1988. celebrating the Ship' Crew 1988 Reunion.

From the collection of Albert Abercrombie

Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie

Christmas Day 1944 at sea on HMCS Orangeville - Cooks Mike Guerin (left) and Ivan McCabe

Courtesy of John Hawley

The Skipper takes it easy between watches

Photo taken from June 1988 HMCS Orangeville reunion newspaper- a supplement to the Orangeville Citizen of June 8th, 1988.

From the collection of Albert Abercrombie

Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie

Ship's Mascot - PING the cat.

Photo taken from the supplement to the Orangeville Citizen of June 8th, 1988. celebrating the Ship' Crew 1988 Reunion. Photo originally came from photo of ship's crew taken at Londonderry and in the arms of Bob Edwards according to that photo's photo key.

From the collection of Albert Abercrombie

Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie

O/S Leighton Cornelius, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Cornelius, East Garafraxa, formerly of Orangeville, who is serving aboard the corvette HMCS Orangeville. O/S Cornelius, 18 years old, joined the RCN on July 10, 1944 , trained at HMCS York, Toronto and Cornwallis Nova Scotia, was transferred to HMCS Avalon, St. Hohn;s Newfoundland, and subsequently to the Orangeville." Photo taken from the supplement to the Orangeville Citizen of June 8th, 1988. celebrating the Ship' Crew 1988 Reunion.

From the collection of Albert Abercrombie

Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie

A Commemorative Copy of "Etchings in Salt" April 1945

From the collection of Albert Abercrombie

Courtesy of Bill Abercrombie

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