
HMCS RED DEER J255 / 196
Bangor
Class Minesweeper

Ship's badge - 1945
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HMCS RED DEER J255
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Battle honours and awards:
1942-45, Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942, 1944
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Laid down: 01
Jan
1941
Launched: 05
Oct 1941
Commissioned: 24
Nov 1941
Paid
off: 30
Oct 1945
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Re-acquired by RCN: 1952
Paid off: 1959
Fate: Sold for scrap
and broken up in 1959
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Commissioned at Montreal on 24 Nov 1941,
RED DEER arrived at Halifax on 03 Dec 1941. She was assigned to WLEF,
later serving at various times with Halifax Local Defence Force,
Gulf Escort Force, and Sydney Force. On 12 Jan 1942, she
rescued survivors from the British SS CYCLOPS, which was torpedoed
125 miles southeast of Cape Sable, the first victim of the epic
U-boat campaign off the U.S. east coast. In May 1944, she began a
refit at Liverpool, N.S., and was sent to Bermuda to work up late in
July. In Feb 1944, she had been allocated to Newfoundland
Force, and she continued a member of this force until VE-Day. She
was paid off at Halifax on 30 Oct 1945, and laid up at
Shelburne, later being placed in strategic reserve at Sorel.
Re-acquired by the RCN in 1952, she was never re-commissioned, and
was sold in Feb 1959, for breaking up at Sorel.
Photos
and Documents Ship's
company photos
Commanding Officers
Lt Arthur Moorhouse,
RCNR - 24 Nov 1941 - 02 Feb 1943
Lt John Arthur Mitchell,
RCNR - 03 Feb 1943 - unk |
Lt Donald Benjamin Day. Ross,
RCNVR - 06 Jun 1944 - 02 Jul 1945
Skpr/Lt R.A. Doucette,
RCNR - 01 Oct 1945 - 30 Oct 1945 |
In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten

Agnew,
John N.M.
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Atkins,
Charles
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Balmer,
Douglas W.
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Bridgman,
Arthur G.
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Channell,
Albert M.
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Cooke, Ronald
T.
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Cree, George
H.
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Elley, Lorne
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Epps, Rodger |

Fitzpatrick,
William
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Hayes,
Denis W.
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Huras,
Cecil W.
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Jodrey,
Lester R.
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Johnston,
Joseph D.
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Knowles,
John C.
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Kolt, Edward
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Lucin,
Anthony
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McCumber,
Lloyd W.
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Murray,
William J .F.
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Newman,
John E.
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Patterson,
Percy W.
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Watters,
John C.
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|
|
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Former Crew Members
Alguire, Bill, Cornwall, ON - Sep 1943
Arthur, Paul Rodney, S/Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1945
Baggett, Fred, Dauphin, MB - Sep 1943
Banks, Robert John, Vancouver, BC - Sep 1943
Billann (?sp), R., LS, Woodstock, NB - Sep 1943
Boulet, Joseph Ernest Frederick, Skpr, RCNVR - 13 Mar 1942
Boyce, D., Quebec, QC - Sep 1943
Bremner, Russell George, SLT, RCNVR - 26 Jul 1943
Buchanan, Hugh Pendrie, Lt, RCNVR - 16 May 1945
Burke, Al, LS, Montreal, QC - Sep 1943
Chandler, William Harry, SLT, RCNVR - 02 May 1945
Ellis, George, AB, Toronto, ON - Sep 1943
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Evans, G., Long Branch - Sep 1943
Fox, Gordon Kingsley, Lt, RCNVR - Jan 1942
Girairdin, G.G., Regina, SK - Sep 1943
Gould, Arthur Graham, SLT, RCNVR - 09 Mar 1944
Hall, John Gracey, SLT (E), RCNVR - 24 Feb 1944
Heasley, George, AB, Victoria, BC - Sep 1943
Humphrey, James Gordon, Lt, RCNVR - 25 Feb 1944
Hunter, John L. 
Kerr, Henry Kirby, Lt (E), RCNVR - 05 Mar 1945
Knapp, H., SBA, Barrie, ON - Sep 1943
McCormick, Jim, V34467, Toronto, ON - Sep 1943
McManus, Frederick Andrew, Lt (E), RCNVR - 22 Mar 1944
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McNeillie, George Gardner, SLT, RCNVR - 11 Jul 1943
Noseworthy, Harry, SLT, RCNVR - 26 Apr 1945
ODell, Carroll Alexander, SLT, RCNVR - 20 Jul 1942
Redford, Douglas Bernard, Cd (E), RCNR - Jan 1942
Silvester, Ernie, Powell River, MB - Sep 1943
Sowerby, John Cornelius, Lt, RCNVR - 11 Feb 1943
Storey, John Edmond, Lt (E), RCNVR - 23 May 1943
Thomas, Jack Arthur, SLT (E), RCNVR - 26 Jun 1943
Thompson, T., London, ON - Sep 1943
Tongas, Bill, Toronto, ON - Sep 1943
Tucha (?SP), D. L/Sto, Montreal, QC - Sep 1943
Winter, Dave, V41848, Winnipeg, MB - Sep 1943
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Photos
and Documents

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HMCS RED DEER J255
RCN Photo |

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On
22 Mar 1944 SS WATUKA was torpedoed and sunk by U-802. One crew member
was lost. The master, 22 crew members and two gunners were picked up
by HMS Anticosti T274. HMCS RED DEER had also been sent to rescue the
crew but by the time she arrived all survivors had been rescued. The
crew of the RED DEER found the name plaque for WATUKA, seen in the
photo to the left.
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |

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Burchell, Elley, and Richie on HMCS RED DEER J255
- 1943
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |

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Sailors on HMCS RED DEER J255, Bermuda late 1944
Back: L to R: Huras, Green, Burchell, Mitchell,
Elley, Stephens, Doyle, Appleton
Front: L to R: Remple, Holt, Curil (sp?),
McKercher, Caesar (sp?)
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |

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Huras and Hanson on HMCS RED DEER J255
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras
|

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Unknown sailors on HMCS RED DEER J255
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |

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Sailors on HMCS RED DEER J255
Cecil Huras, Quartermaster, with Bosn's call and
pistol
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |

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McKercher, Burchill, and Heaslip on HMCS RED DEER
J255
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |

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Addison in Bermuda
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |
Station Card for Cecil Huras, HMCS RED DEER

From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras |


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Programme for HMCS RED DEER'S 2nd Annual Ship's
Company Dance - 24 Sep 1943, Sydney, NS
From
the collection of Cecil Huras
Courtesy
of Ric Huras
Autographs
on the Programme: L/Sto D. Tucha (?sp), Montreal; LS
Al Burke, Montreal; AB George Ellis, Toronto; AB George
Heasly, Victoria; R.J. Banks, Vancouver; G.G. Girairdin,
Regina; D. Boyce, Quebec; LS R. Billann (?sp), Woodstock;
SBA H. Knapp, Barrie, ON; Dave Winter, V41848, Winnipeg;
Jim McCormick, V34467, Toronto; Fred Baggett, Dauphin, MB;
Ernie Silvester, Powell River, BC; Percy (Patty) Patterson, Sault Ste
Marie; Bill Tongas, Toronto, ON; Bill Alguire, Cornwall, ON;
G. Evans, Long Branch; T. Thompson, London; Cecil Huras,
Stratford, ON |

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Douglas Balmer sitting on the minesweeping gear on HMCS RED DEER, St. John's, Nfld 1945
From the collection of Douglas Balmer
Courtesy of Jeff Balmer |

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HMCS RED DEER jacket patch
This patch is from the collection of a sailor
named Cochar - no other info is known about him at this time.
Courtesy of the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre |

CA186
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CA187
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CA188
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CA189
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CA190
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(CA186)
HMCS RED DEER J255 - RCN photo
(CA187)
Charles Atkins in the bridge window of HMCS RED DEER J255 in
St. John's
(CA188)
Charles Atkins by the ready use ammunition locker HMCS REED DEER J255 in St. John's
(CA189)
Unknown sailor by the ready use ammunition locker on HMCS RED DEER J255 in
St. John's
(CA190)
Unknown sailor on top of the bridge of HMCS RED DEER J255
(CA191)
Unknown sailor by a depth charge on HMCS RED DEER J255 in St. John's
(CA192)
Two
unknown sailors by the ship's work boat on HMCS RED DEER J255. Shoreline of
Newfoundland in the back ground
(CA193)
A quiet day in the radio room of HMCS RED DEER J255 while alongside in St.
John's

CA194
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CA195
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CA196
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CA197
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CA198
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(CA194)
Unknown officer with a woman (possibly a wren) by the bridge Oerlikon of
HMCS RED DEER J255. Iceberg and the coast of Newfoundland in the background
(CA195)
Depth charge exploding astern of HMCS RED DEER J255
(CA196)
Looking aft from the boat deck of HMCS RED DEER J255
(CA197)
Unknown officer by the ready use ammunition locker on HMCS RED DEER J255
(CA198)
Unknown officer by forward gun on HMCS RED DEER J255 in Halifax
From the collection of Charles
Atkins, RCNVR
Courtesy of Lorne Atkins
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