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For Posterity's Sake 
A Royal
Canadian Navy Historical Project
HMS NABOB
D77
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CELER ET AUDAX
SWIFT
AND DARING |
HMS Nabob down by the stern
after being torpedoed. Even though severely damaged, she
managed to return to base 1070 miles away.
Source: IWM
Official Admiralty Collection A25368 |
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Laid down: 30 Oct 1942
Launched: 09 Mar 1943
Commissioned: 07
Sep 1943
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Paid off: 10 Oct 1944
Fate: Broken up in 1978 |
Laid down as the merchant
vessel Edisto, but converted to an aircraft carrier while building,
she was commissioned HMS Nabob at Tacoma, Wash., on 07 Sep 1943. After working up, she entered Burrard Drydock at Vancouver on
01 Nov for modification to RN standards, completing 12 Jan
1944. About this time it was arranged that she and a near-sister
Puncher, should be manned largely by Canadians while remaining RN
ships. In Feb she embarked 852 Squadron (FAA) of Avengers at
San Francisco and sailed for the U.K. via New York, where she took
aboard a flight-deck cargo of Mustangs for the RAF. She joined the
British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow on 01 Aug, and that month took
part in two operations off the Norwegian coast, the second being and
attack on the Tirpitz. On 22 Aug, Nabob was torpedoed by U 354 in
the Barents Sea, resulting in a hole some 32 feet square abaft the
engine room and below the waterline. Amazingly, she made Scapa under
her own power on 27 Aug, but was not considered worth repairing
and was paid off at Rosyth on 10 Oct. She left there in 1947 to
be broken up in Holland, but was resold and converted for merchant
service, emerging in 1952 as the German MV Nabob. Sold Panamanian in
1967 and renamed Glory, she was broken up in Taiwan in 1978.
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Commanding Officers |
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Capt
Horatio Nelson Lay, OBE, RCN - 15 Oct 1943 - 30 Sep 1944 |
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
- Book of Remembrance entry 
- Grave or burial information
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CHIZY, Harold
SBA, V-51974, RCNVR,
MPK - 22 Aug
1944
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CONNOLLY,
Charles W.
L/Cook (S), V-2601, RCNVR,
MPK - 22 Aug
1944
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CURRIE,
George Howard
Supply Assist, V-25263, RCNVR,
MPK - 22 Aug
1944
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JONES,
John Cameron
L/Steward, A-3211, RCNR,
MPK - 22 Aug 1944 |
LEWIS, Joseph
AB, V-41131, RCNVR,
MPK - 22 Aug 1944
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MACDONALD,
Duncan A.
AB, V-52782, RCNVR,
MPK - 22 Aug 1944
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MacKENNEY,
Arnold V.
SA, V42713, RCNVR
Killed - 22 Aug 2944 |
MELROSE, David
AB, A-5395, RCNR,
MPK - 22 Aug 1944
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STAINES,
Frederick Charles
Supply Assist, V-23788, RCNVR,
MPK - 22 Aug
1944
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TUCCI, Albert
AB, V-38583, RCNVR,
MPK - 22 Aug 1944
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WHITEHOUSE,
Eric,
Regulating PO, 2464, RCN,
MPK - 22 Aug 1944
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In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten
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A-B |
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Brock,
Nicholas
____-2001 |
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C-D |
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Callander,
Alexander
Maxwell
1924-2011 |
Dillon,
Charles 1912-2002 |
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E-F |
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Ewing,
George John
1921-2014 |
Forster,
Dennis Thompson
1916-2005
Survived the torpedoing of Nabob |
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G-H |
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Harding,
Norman L.
____-____ |
Harris,
William
____-2003
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Hewitt,
Wilbert Harold
____-2005 |
Hinchcliffe,
Cecil Irving
1895-____
Survived the torpedoing of
Nabob |
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I-J |
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Jackson,
Ronald
1900-1979
Served in Nabob as XO. Survived
the torpedoing of Nabob |
Jolleys,
John William
1924-1999 |
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K-L |
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Kalichack,
Anthony 1923-2004 |
Kurney,
William
John
1920-2008 |
Lay,
Horatio Nelson
1903-1988
Survived torpedoing of Nabob |
Love,
Leonard E.
1924-2008
Survived torpedoing of Nabob |
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M-N |
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Morgan,
Richard Thomas
1923-2009 |
Mossop,
Hudson
____-2004 |
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O-P |
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Paone,
Luigi
Armando
1921-2005 |
Pearson,
David Marshall
1925-2007 |
Platt,
Joseph Vincent
1921-2004 |
Potvin,
Jean-Paul
1915-1981 |
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Q-R |
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Reid,
Ronald
Douglas
1925-2004
Survived the torpedoing of Nabob |
Roberts,
James H.
1924-2008 |
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S-T |
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Schillier,
Lawrence
1920-2016
Survived the torpedoing of Nabob |
Seely,
Norman William
____-2003 |
Smith, Stan
1925-2012 |
Stevens,
Harold
1920-1985 |
Storrie,
John Herbert
____-2007
Survived torpedoing of Nabob |
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Tait,
John 1920-2006 |
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U-V |
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Vetters,
William
1924-2008 |
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W-X |
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Warawa,
Walter Wolodymyr
____-2016
Survived the torpedoing of Nabob |
White,
William George ____-2011 |
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Former Crew Members
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Bellamy, Morris -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Block, Ronald -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Clements, James, Writer -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Collins, Al, Pay-Lt -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Cookman, Al -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Cooper, Cecil Ross, V60196 - 
Delaney, Bernard
Duncan, Jack -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob |
Forbes, Gordon, AB -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Gordon, Robert, G., Navigator's Yeoman -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Hill, William, Reverend - Commissioning crew.
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Hobson, Nick -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Hutchins, Victor Royen, Ck - 1944 Survived
torpedoing of Nabob |
Mainwaring, John -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
McDonald, Glen, NavO - survived torpedoing of
Nabob
Meredith, George - survived torpedoing of Nabob
Powers, Robert W., Stoker
Schiller, Lawrence, LS -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob
Zielke, H.L., Stoker -
Survived torpedoing of Nabob |
Links
HMS
Nabob
HMS
Nabob - Fleet Air Arm Archives
HMS
Nabob - Fly Navy
History
of HMS Nabob - Royal Navy Research Archive
Photo
Gallery of HMS Nabob - Royal Navy Research Archive
Ship's
company photos for HMS Nabob
Photos
and Documents (below)
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HMS Nabob
From the collection of John C. Jones
Courtesy of Bruce Jones
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HMS Nabob
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love |
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HMS Nabob
From the collection of John C. Jones
Courtesy of Bruce Jones |
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(1)
Aircraft landing of HMS Nabob (2) Aircraft taking off from HMS
Nabob - RMS Queen Mary below aircraft (3) Aircraft taking off
from HMS Nabob - Firth of Forth railway bridge and unknown escort carrier in background
Photos 1 & 2 from the collection of Leonard Love
/ Courtesy of Nicky Love
Photo 3 from the collection of John C. Jones /
Courtesy of Bruce Jones
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Deisel depart crew of HMCS Nabob
Front row, George Meredith and Leonard Love
(2nd and 3rd from left respectively)
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love |
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HMS Nabob - Torpedoed!
(1)
HMS Nabob, down by the stern after being hit by a torpedo from U-354. Note
the crew all on the port side of the flight deck to help with the
ship's trim (2) Frigate HMS Bickerton - struck by a GNAT
torpedo from U-354 that was meant to finish off HMS Nabob. After her
crew was removed, HMS Bickerton was sunk by a torpedo from HMS
Vigilant. (3) HMS Kempthorne astern of HMS Nabob
(3)
Life rafts and floats on the flight deck of HMS Nabob. HMS
Trumpeter astern of HMS Nabob (4) HMCS Algonquin alongside HMS
Nabob (5 & 6) Back at Scapa Flow, the Commanding Officer
addresses the crew (7) Crew of HMS Nabob formed up on the
flight deck - possible a service for those lost.
DND/RCN photos (with the exception of photos 1
and 2)
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love
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Newspaper article on the torpedoing of HMS
Nabob
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love |
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Newspaper article on the torpedoing of HMS
Nabob
From the collection of John C. Jones
Courtesy of Bruce Jones
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Leonard Love, George Meredith and others
carrying one of their shipmates who was killed when HMS Nabob was
torpedoed
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love |
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Buried with full Naval Honours
Service for the twenty one members of the crew of the escort carrier Nabob who lost their
lives when their ship was torpedoed during an attack on the Tirpitz
(1)
The
firing party from HMS Cocharane arriving at Douglas Bank Cemetery at Rosyth
Photos
1, 3 & 5 Source: IWM
Admiralty Official Collection
Photos
2 & 3 from the collection of John C. Jones / Courtesy of Bruce
Jones
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HMS Nabob jacket patch
From the collection of Harold Stevens
Courtesy of Rob Stevens |
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Merchant Vessel Nabob - former HMS Nabob
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love
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Newspaper article on the visit of the merchant vessel
Nabob (formerly HMS Nabob) to Vancouver, BC, summer 1962
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love
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Poem - Ode to Nabob
From the collection of John C. Jones
Courtesy of Bruce Jones
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22 Aug 1944 - 50 Years later
(1)
Newspaper article on the 50th Anniversary of the torpedoing of HMS
Nabob - 1994 (2) Souvenir of the crew reunion on the 50th Anniversary
of the torpedoing of HMS Nabob (3) Reunion group photo
(4 & 5) Letter from BC Premier Bill Van Der Zalm to Leonard Love
and the attendees of the Nabob reunion
22 Aug 1944 - 60 Years later
Newspaper articles on the 60th Anniversary of
the torpedoing of HMS Nabob - 2004
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love |
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Flyer from the RCNA on a book about HMS Nabob
From the collection of Leonard Love
Courtesy of Nicky Love
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