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For Posterity's Sake 
A Royal
Canadian Navy Historical Project
HMCS
SPIKENARD K198
Former
HMS SPIKENARD K198
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HMCS Spikenard K198 approximately 2 months
before she was torpedoed and sunk
Credit: Department of National Defence of
Canada #MC-2975
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Laid down: 24
Feb
1940
Launched: 10
Aug 1940
Commissioned: 06
Dec 1940
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Transferred
to RCN: 15 May 1941
Commissioned:
15 May 1941
Sunk: 11
Feb 1942 off
Iceland by U-136
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Built for the RN, she was
commissioned on 06 Dec 1940, at
Quebec City as HMS Spikenard. She arrived at Halifax five days later to complete
fitting out and working up. She left Halifax on 21 Jan 1941,
escorting convoy HX.104 to the U.K., where she received her
finishing touches at South Shields, Tyne, from 04 Feb to 21 Apr
1941. She arrived at Tobermory on 22 Apr 1941 to work up, and on 15
May 1941 she transferred to the RCN and was commissioned as HMCS
Spikenard. On 10 June 1941 she left Aultbea to escort convoy OB.332. Arriving at Halifax on
25 Jun 1941, she joined Newfoundland Command, and between Jul 1941 and
Jan 1942, made three round trips to Iceland as ocean escort. On 01
Feb 1942, she left St. John's for convoy SC.67 on the
recently inaugurated "Newfie-Derry" run, and on 10 Feb
1942 HMCS Spikenard was torpedoed and sunk by U-136, about 465 nautical
miles west of Malin Head, Ireland in position 56º10'N, 21º07'W,
while escorting convoy SC-67.
Convoy
SC.67 sailed early in Feb 1942 from NewfyJohn - bound for Londonderry.
The Canadian corvette HMCS Spikenard K198 was the senior ship of
the escort for SC.67. Other escorts included Corvettes HMCS
Chilliwack K131, HMCS Shediac K110, HMCS Louisburg K143, HMCS
Lethbridge K160 and HMCS Dauphin K157. All went well until just
before 2300 on 10 Feb 1942. The convoy was due south of
Iceland, when Chilliwack attacked a submerged contact on the port
bow of the formation. Almost immediately thereafter, Louisburg at
the rear of the convoy spotted the wake of a torpedo running down
her port side. Spikenard had been zigzagging on the starboard wing
of the convoy when another torpedo struck the nearby tanker, Heina.
A few seconds later, a torpedo that ripped out her forepeak and
destroyed the bridge and radio struck Spikenard. Spikenard may have
become aware of U-136 in the few minutes before - as action stations
had been sounded & the speed increased just before she was hit.
We'll never know, because not a man on Spikenard's bridge survived
that night. In a few minutes, Spikenard sunk by the fore and headed
for the bottom. Only eight men survived - to be found by a westbound
British ship the next day. Spikenard had been torpedoed at about the
same time as the tanker, & sank so quickly, that the other
escorts didn't realize she was gone until morning.
Photos and
Documents
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Commanding Officers |
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LCdr Hubert George Shadforth,
RCNR - 08 Dec 1940 - 10 Feb 1942 |
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
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ANDERSON,
John
Stwd, V13860, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
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BATE,
Leonard
L/Tel, V7646,
RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
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BLOUIN,
Joseph A.Y.
AB, V3582, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
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BOUDREAU,
John R.
AB, A4557, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
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BOUTIN,
Conrad W.
AB, V23077, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
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CAMPBELL, Alan
D.
AB, V22882, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
CANAVAN, Lloyd
F.
Sto 1c, V25810, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
CONDIE, James Ritchie
Sig, V9836, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
CONNOR, John Walter
Sto 1c, V2408, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
COVE, Gilbert Lloyd
ERA 4c, V26057, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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COWAN, Murray Allan
L/Sto, 21586, RCN
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
CURR, Stanley Raymond
AB, V5972, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
DEARLOVE,
Kenneth H.
Sig, 4085, RCN
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
DONNET, Daniel Heron
AB, V22305, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
DUNN, Rupert Maxwell
Ck(S), A2473, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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EDWARDS, Norman
J.
Sto, V6522, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
FAWCETT, Charles
C.
Lt, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
FISHER, Edmond James
AB, V23034, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
GALBRAITH, Stuart
L/Sto, A2105, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
GAMBLE, John McIlveen
ERA 4c, V8328, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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GILBOE, Arthur Francis
AB, V19071, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
GREENBLATT,
Moses
Tel, V23388,
RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
GRIFFIN, Patrick Bernard
Sig, V5682, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
HALL, John Robert
AB, V18166, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
HOUNSELL, Lionel
R.E.
OS, V23734, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
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HUGHES, Robert
A.
Lt, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
Drafted to Spikenard on 27
Jun 1941 as Lt, RCNVR |
JAMIESON, Robert David
LS, 3838, RCN
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
JORDAN, Donald
AB, V19161, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
KENNEDY, Thomas Robert
L/Sto, V5831, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
KETTLE, Alfred Smedley
CPO, A2382, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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KITCHEN, Cyril Frederick
L/Sto, A1571, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
LAMOUREUX, Romeo
J.
AB, A1705, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
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LEGENDRE, Jean-Marie
Sto PO, A2115, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
MACLEAN, John Arthur
CERA, A2742, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
MARKHAM, Gerald A.
Slt, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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MEACOE, William Arthur
Coder, V5988, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
MILTHORP, Patrick
R.F.
Lt, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
MORLEY, William
AB, V22326, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
OXBOROUGH, George
W.
LS, 3009, RCN
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
PRYOR, Albert Lorne
OS, V24421, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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REAL, Clare Andrew
AB, V12453, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
REGALBUTO, Charles
C.
OS, V6987, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
RENNIE, William Allen
SBA, V18336, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
RICHARDS, Donald
P.
VA, V2589, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
RING, Norman Eldon
AB, V22923, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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SEAMAN, William John
Sto, V2412, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
SENNETT, John Peter
Sto, V19061 RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
SHADFORTH, Hubert
G.
LCdr, RCNR
Commanding Officer
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
SMITH, Harold Wesley
AB, A2780, RCNR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
STEPHENS, William
D.
AB, V16322, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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STEWART, Albert Mathers
AB, V12454, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
UPTON, Charles Michael
A.
O/Coder, V3475, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
WALKER, Samuel Charles
Tel, V22378,
RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
WATTS, Daniel James
P/Stwd, V27265, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
WEBB, William Laurence
A.
AB, V17387, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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WHITTEMORE, Edwin
G.
Ck, V23517, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
WILCOX, Russell Harold
Sto 1c, V16140, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942 |
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Former Crew Members
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Bradford,
Peter, Lt, RCNVR - 24 Apr 1941
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Day, Alex A., PO - survived the sinking of HMCS
Spikenard |
Marston,
Joseph Charles, A/Mate, RCNR - 02 Apr 1941 |
Photos and Documents
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Photo 1 |
Photo 2 |
Photo 3 |
Photo 4 |
(1)
Gerry Zaphe (left) and shipmate on HMCS Spikenard (2) Unknown
sailor - friend of Gerry Zaphe from photo 1 - on HMCS
Spikenard (3) Gerry Zaphe on HMCS Spikenard (4) Unknown
sailor on the fo'c's'le of HMCS Spikenard
From the collection of Gerald (Gerry) Zaphe
Courtesy of Robert Cooke
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CONNOR, John Walter, Sto, V/2408, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
Courtesy of Bruce Connor |
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MEACOE, William Arthur, Coder,
V/5988, RCNVR
MPK - 10 Feb 1942
Courtesy of Larry Meacoe |
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BATE, Leonard L/Tel, V/7646, RCNVR , MPK - 10 Feb 1942
From the collection of Leonard Bate
Courtesy of Tara Danard
Note: at the time of the photo Leoanrd was an
OS, aged 18 |
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At sea on HMCS Spikenard K198
L/Tel Leonard Bate with the "x"
beside his head
From the collection of Leonard Bate
Courtesy of Tara Danard |
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HMCS Spikenard sailors
Left: George William Oxborough, Centre:
Unknown, Right: Conard William Boutin
Both George Oxborough and Conrad Boutin died
when HMCS Spikenard was sunk
Courtesy of William Johnson |
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