HMCS RED DEER J255 / 196

 

Bangor Class Minesweeper

 

 

Ship's badge - 1945

HMCS RED DEER J255

 

Battle honours and awards:  1942-45,   Gulf of St. Lawrence  1942, 1944

 

 

Laid down: 01 Jan 1941

Launched: 05 Oct 1941

Commissioned: 24 Nov 1941

Paid off: 30 Oct 1945

Re-acquired by RCN: 1952

Paid off: 1959

Fate: Sold for scrap and broken up in 1959

 

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

 

 

 

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

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

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

 

 

Photos and Documents

 

HMCS RED DEER J255

 

DND / RCN Photo

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

Burchell, Elley, and Richie on HMCS RED DEER J255 - 1943

 

From the collection of Cecil Huras

Courtesy of Ric Huras

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

Huras and Hanson on HMCS RED DEER J255

 

From the collection of Cecil Huras

Courtesy of Ric Huras

Unknown sailors on HMCS RED DEER J255

 

From the collection of Cecil Huras

Courtesy of Ric Huras

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

McKercher, Burchill, and Heaslip on HMCS RED DEER J255

 

From the collection of Cecil Huras

Courtesy of Ric Huras

Addison in Bermuda

 

From the collection of Cecil Huras

Courtesy of Ric Huras

Station Card for Cecil Huras, HCMS RED DEER

 

     

 

From the collection of Cecil Huras

Courtesy of Ric Huras

 

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 

Douglas Balmer sitting on a paravane on HMCS RED DEER, St. John's, Nfld 1945

 

From the collection of Douglas Balmer

Courtesy of Jeff Balmer

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

 

 

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