HMCS SNOWBERRY K166

 

Flower Class Corvette

 


 

HMCS SNOWBERRY K166

Source: IWM Ministry of Defence Foxhill Collection of Ship Photographs FL 5516

Click on the above photo to view a larger image

 

Laid down: 24 Aug 1940

Launched: 08 Aug 1940

Commissioned: 26 Nov 1940

Transferred to RCN: 15 May 1941

Commissioned: 15 May 1941

Paid off: 08 Jun 1945

Fate: Broken up in 1947

 

Built for the RN, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 26 Nov 1940 as HMS SNOWBERRY. She arrived at Halifax on 13 Dec 1940 for further work and sailed 09 Feb 1941, with convoy HX.108 for the U.K. There she completed fitting out at Greenock, completing 03 Apr 1940, and worked up at Tobermory before joining Western Approaches Command, Greenock, in May. On 15 May 1941 she was transferred to the RCN and commissioned as HMCS SNOWBERRY K166. She left Aultbea early in Jun 1941 to join convoy OB.332, arriving at Halifax on 23 Jun 1941 to join Newfoundland Command. From Jul to Oct 1941 she made three round trips to Iceland, and on 08 Dec 1941 arrived at Charleston, S.C., for six weeks' refit. On 12 Feb 1942, she left St. John's to escort SC.69 to Londonderry. In Mar 1942 she joined the newly formed WLEF, shifting in June to Halifax Tanker Escort Force for one round trip to Trinidad and two round trips to Aruba with Tanker convoys. In Sep 1942 she was placed under U.S. control, escorting New York-Guantanamo convoys until Mar 1943, when she arrived at Charleston, S.C., for refit, including fo'c's'le extension. On completion in mid-May 1942, and after workups at Pictou, she joined the newly established EG 5 (later EG 6) and returned to U.K. waters in Aug 1942. While serving with this support force on 20 Nov 1943, as escort to a U.K.-Gibraltar/ Freetown convoy, she took part in the sinking of U 536 north of the Azores. When the group replaces its corvettes with frigates in Mar 1944, SNOWBERRY proceeded to Baltimore, Md., for five weeks' refit, afterward returning to Halifax. She went to Bermuda to work up in July 1944, and on returning was briefly assigned to WLEF but left St. John's in mid-September for the U.K. There she joined Portsmouth Command for the balance of the war. She was handed back to the RN at Rosyth on 08 Jun 1945, and sunk as a target vessel off Portsmouth in 1946. Salvaged and broken up at Thornaby-on-Tees in 1947.

 

U-Boats Sunk:  U-536 sunk on 20 Nov 1943 by HMCS NENE K270, HMCS SNOWBERRY K166 and HMCS CALGARY K231 in position 43-50 N, 19-39 W

 


 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos          HMCS SNOWBERRY - Convoy Escort

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

Lt Roy Stanley Kelly, RCNR - 30 Nov 1940 - 05 Feb 1942

LCdr Philip John Brown Watts, RCNVR - 06 Feb 1942 - 21 May 1943

Lt J.B. O'Brien, RCNVR - 22 May 1943 - 09 Nov 1943

A/LCdr James Alexander, RCNVR - 10 Nov 1943 - 24 Dec 1943

Lt J.B. O'Brien, RCNVR - 25 Dec 1943 - 14 Jan 1944

LCdr James Alexander Dunn, RCNVR - 15 Jan 1944 - 30 Apr 1945

Lt Benjamin Thomas Robert Russell, RCNR - 01 May 1945 - 08 Jun 1945

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Barber, G - Feb 1945


Beaton, Norm - Feb 1945


Beranger, Charles Anthony - Feb 1945


Bishop, D.C., SD - Feb 1945


Black, C.W. - Feb 1945


Boynton, Bob - Feb 1945


Bragden, K.V. - Feb 1945

 

Brummitt - Feb 1945


Burke, T.H. - Feb 1945


Butler, R.W., L/Sig - Feb 1945

 

Campbell, Claude Lane, Lt, RCNVR - 10 Apr 1941


Carroll, Cambell - Feb 1945


Carson, J. - Feb 1945


Choguni, R. - Feb 1945


Christie, F.J. - Feb 1945

 

Clarke, John Alfred Gibson, SLt, RCNVR - 24 Jul 1942


Clements, G.A. - Feb 1945


Cobhagen (?), C - Feb 1945


Cote, B. - Feb 1945


Dailey, R., Sto 2c - Feb 1945


Dawson, J. - Feb 1945


Dentec (?). E., Sto 1c - Feb 1945


Dibley, G.V., ERA - Feb 1945


Fraser, w., AB - Feb 1945


Freestone, W. - Feb 1945

 

Gaby, Robert MacBeth, SLt, RCNVR - 28 May 1943


Gordon, E. - Feb 1945


Gosselin, R.G. - Feb 1945

 

Green, James John Henry, Mate, RCNR - 06 Feb 1942

Greenburg, Harry, Tel - Feb 1945

 

Halliday, R., L/Tel - Feb 1945


Harvey, Frank, Sto 1c - Feb 1945

 

Harvey, William F., HSD, RCNVR - c 1943-1944


Henderson, J. - Feb 1945


Hockman, F., ERA - Feb 1945

 

Horne, G.V. - Feb 1945


Hughes, Bill - Feb 1945

 

Hutchings, Frank Goddard, Mte, RCNR - 03 Jul 1941


Janicki, Harry, Tel - Feb 1945


Keffer, H., ERA - Feb 1945

 

Kiefter, Joseph E.H.M., SLt, RCNVR - 03 Jul 1942


Kelley, J. - Feb 1945


Kellog, Tom - Feb 1945


Kennel, Thomas H. - Feb 1945


King, T. - Feb 1945

 

Kinnell, Thomas, Radar Operator 


Kinney, A., Coder - Feb 1945


Korall, Paul - Feb 1945


LaFontaine, J. - Feb 1945


Laughlin, Dave - Feb 1945


Lawrence, R. - Feb 1945


Lazaruk, Steve - Feb 1945


Linkovich, George - Feb 1945


Lowdon, D. - Feb 1945


Lyon, Hugh A. - Feb 1945


Mackay, G.A., L/Tel - Feb 1945


MacLeod, Walter, Sto - Feb 1945


Maxwell, G.D., LS - Feb 1945

 

Miathiel, B - Feb 1945

Michiel, M - Feb 1945

 

Muisiner, K - Feb 1945


O'Brien, Hugh Hackett SLt - 11 Jun 1944 - 1945

 

O'Brien, John Barry, Lt, RCNVR - 10 May 1943

 

Peel, Bob, Buffer - Feb 1945


Priest, H. - Feb 1945


Richards, H., AB - Feb 1945


Riley, John R. - Feb 1945


Ritchie, K. - Feb 1945


Sampson, G. - Feb 1945


Schafer (?), G., ERA - Feb 1945


Scott, G. - Feb 1945


Shippey, A. 0 Feb 1945


Simmons - Feb 1945


Skitt (?), T. - Feb 1945


Slightham, George, A/Lt, RCNVR - 18 May 1944 - 1945


Smith, C.D. - Feb 1945


Stewart, D.H. - Feb 1945


Sutcliffe, J. - Feb 1945


Taylor, John Dalrymple, Lt - 21 Jun 1943 - 1945

 

Thomson, Sandy, LS Radar 2 - Feb 1945


Tylee, M.A. - Feb 1945


Vottbeck, R.D. - Feb 1945


Wallis, J. - Feb 1945


Walton, Thomas Allan, SLt, RCNVR - 25 Jun 1944 - 1945


Webb, Frank - Feb 1945


Weins, N. - Feb 1945


West, A. - Feb 1945


Williams, M. - Feb 1945


Wood, H., LS - Feb 1945


Wood, Roy C. SA - Feb 1945

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

HMS SNOWBERRY

Photo taken from HMCS ORILLIA

 

From the collection of William Kenneth Littlefair, PO Tel, RCNVR

Courtesy of Bill Littlefair

 

Webmaster's note:  Note the shoreline in the background and that SNOWBERRY is missing her forward gun.  This photo was likely taken during SNOWBERRY's transit from Montreal to Halifax to be outfitted - prior to her transfer from the RN to the RCN.

HMCS SNOWBERRY K166 guards convoy circa 1942-43

Source: Legion Magazine Archive, RCN photo

HMCS SNOWBERRY K166 circa 1942

Source: the Flickr photo collection of Ron Bell

HMCS SNOWBERRY at Charleston, South Caroling circa 1943

Courtesy of John Hawley

HMCS SNOWBERRY at Charleston, South Caroling circa 1943

Source: the Flickr photo collection of Ron Bell

HMCS SNOWBERRY K166 coming alongside HMCS Saskatchewan H70

From the collection of H.J. Simmons

Courtesy of RCSCC Bowmanville

HMCS SNOWBERRY K166

Source: Flower Class Corvette Forums

HMCS SNOWBERRY K166

Courtesy of Erling Baldorf

 


 

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