Allied Warships

HMCS Loch Morlich (K 517)

Frigate of the Loch class

HMCS Loch Morlich as completed.

Navy	The Royal Canadian Navy
Type	Frigate
Class	Loch
Pennant	K 517
Built by	Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. (Wallsend-on-Tyne, U.K.)
Ordered	13 Feb 1943
Laid down	15 Jul 1943
Launched	25 Jan 1944
Commissioned	17 Jul 1944
End service	20 Jun 1945
History	Decommissioned 20 June 1945. Returned to the Royal Navy and transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy on 1 April 1949 and renamed Tutira. Sold to be broken up for scrap in 1961. Scrapped in 1966.

Commands listed for HMCS Loch Morlich (K 517)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

	Commander	From	To
1	T/A/Lt.Cdr. Leslie Lewendon Foxall, RCNR	6 Mar 1944	18 Dec 1944
2	T/Lt. George Frederick Crosby, RCNVR	19 Dec 1944	25 May 1945
3	T/Lt.Cdr. Thomas Gilmour, RCNR	26 May 1945	20 Jun 1945

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Notable events involving Loch Morlich include:

16 Aug 1944
HMS Vitality (Lt. K.S. Renshaw, DSC, RNR) conducted exercises off Tobermory with HMS Fowey (A/Lt.Cdr. G.E. Newey, RNR) and HMCS Loch Morlich (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.L. Foxall, RCNR). (1)

22 Aug 1944
HMS Vitality (Lt. K.S. Renshaw, DSC, RNR) conducted exercises off Tobermory with HMS Fowey (A/Lt.Cdr. G.E. Newey, RNR) and HMCS Loch Morlich (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.L. Foxall, RCNR). (1)

25 Aug 1944
HMS Vitality (Lt. K.S. Renshaw, DSC, RNR) conducted exercises off Tobermory with HMCS Loch Morlich (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.L. Foxall, RCNR) and HMS Morpeth Castle (T/A/Lt.Cdr. E.R. Pate, DSC, RNR). (1)

26 Aug 1944
HMS Vitality (Lt. K.S. Renshaw, DSC, RNR) conducted exercises off Tobermory with HMCS Loch Morlich (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.L. Foxall, RCNR) and HMS Morpeth Castle (T/A/Lt.Cdr. E.R. Pate, DSC, RNR). (1)

19 Feb 1945

Convoy CU 59.

This convoy departed New York on 19 February 1945.

On departure it was made up of the following ships (New York Section);
Allatoona (American (tanker), 10297 GRT, built 1945), Briar Creek (American (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1944), Cape Avinof (American, 5124 GRT, built 1945), Cape Diamond (American, 5124 GRT, built 1944), Churubusco (American (tanker), 10195 GRT, built 1943), Crow Wing (American (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1944), Edge Hill (American (tanker), 10296 GRT, built 1944), Empire Bounty (British (tanker), 12000 GRT, built 1944), Fort Ridgley (American (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1944), French Creek (American (tanker), 10297 GRT, built 1944), James Lykes (American, 6760 GRT, built 1940), Lightning (American, 8591 GRT, built 1942), Marine Devil (American, 11757 GRT, built 1944), Marine Raven (American, 11757 GRT, built 1943), Marine Wolf (American, 11757 GRT, built 1944), Noonday (), Ocean Mail (), Paulus Hook (American (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1944), Pine Bluff (American (tanker), 10296 GRT, built 1944), Queenston Heights (American (tanker), 10448 GRT, built 1943), Robin Locksley (American, 7101 GRT, built 1941), Salmon Falls (American (tanker), 10297 GRT, built 1945), Scotts Bluff (American (tanker), 10448 GRT, built 1945), Sea Nymph (American, 8258 GRT, built 1944), Sea Robin (American, 7886 GRT, built 1944), Sea Serpent (American, 8591 GRT, built 1942), Surprise (American, 8591 GRT, built 1942), Towanda Victory (American, 7607 GRT, built 1944), Waxhaws (American (tanker), 10297 GRT, built 1944), Woodstock Victory (American, 7607 GRT, built 1944) and Yaka (American, 6165 GRT, built 1944).

The escort carrier, HMS Battler (A/Capt. H. Norman, RN) [in an aircraft ferry role] and troop transport USS Monticello (Capt. L. Frisco, USNR) were also part of the convoy as was the RFA tanker Wave Empreror (8196 GRT, built 1944),

On departure from New York the convoy was escorted by the destroyer USS Winslow (T/Cdr. W.T. Samuels, USN, with T/Capt. W.L. Benson, USN on board (Commander Task Group 61.1)) and the destroyer escorts USS Thomas W. Gary (Lt.Cdr. R.M. Ayer, USNR, with Cdr. T.G. Murrell, USCG on board (Commander Escort Division 57)), USS Brister (Lt.Cdr. R.D Tucker, USNR), USS Finch (Lt.Cdr. C.D. LeHardy, USNR), USS Mills (Lt.Cdr. V. Pfeiffer, USCG) and USS Richey (Lt. R.J. Auge, USCG).

At 0720Q/20, the Woodstock Victory had to stop due to engine trouble. USS Richey was detailed to escort her. They rejoined the convoy around 1930Q/20.

Around 1830Q/20, the Boston section of the convoy joined. This had departed Boston on the 19th and was made up of the following ships Bienville (American, 7626 GRT, built 1943), Hastings (American, 6065 GRT, built 1944), John Ericsson (American, 16552 GRT, built 1928), Edmund B. Alexander (American, 21329 GRT, built 1905) and USS Lejeune (T/Capt. F.W. MacDonald, USN).

On departure from Boston this section was escorted by the escort destroyers USS Sellstrom (Lt.Cdr. W.L. Morrison, USCG with Cdr. J.H. Forney, USCG on board (Commander Escort Division 23)), USS Ramsden (Lt.Cdr. S.T. Baketel, USCGR), USS Rhodes (Lt. A.C. Wagner, USCG) and USS Savage (Lt.Cdr. J.A. Norton, USCGR).

At 0530O/24, the Cape Diamond had to stop due to engine trouble. USS Ramsden was detailed to escort her. They rejoined the convoy around 1800N/25.

At 0730N/26, in approximate position 47°49'N, 22°45'W, the Irish Sea section of the convoy parted company. It was made up of the following ships; Allatoona, Briar Creek, Churubusco, Empire Bounty, Fort Ridgley, French Creek, Paulus Hook, Wave Emperor and HMS Battler. USS Thomas W. Gary, USS Brister and USS Savage went with them as escorts.

At 1100A/28, to the west of Brest, the escort of the Channel section was reinforced by the destroyer HMCS Iroquois (Capt. K.F. Adams, RCN) and the escort destroyers HMS Tanatside (Cdr. B.J. de St. Croix, DSC, RN) and HMS Brissenden (Lt. D.D.E. Vivian, DSC, RN).

At 0030A/1, HMCS Iroquois was detached.

At 0045A/1, the escort of the Channel section was further reinforced by the frigates HMCS New Waterford (T/A/Cdr. W.E.S. Briggs, DSC, RCNR), HMCS Teme (T/Lt. D.P. Harvey, RCNVR), HMCS Loch Achanalt (T/A/Lt.Cdr. R.W. Hart, RCNVR), HMCS Loch Morlich (T/Lt. G.F. Crosby, RCNVR) and HMS Hotham (A/Lt.Cdr. S. Ayles, RNR).

At 0145A/1, the Pine Bluff and Sea Serpent were detached to Cherbourg escorted by HMCS New Waterford, HMCS Loch Achanalt and HMS Hotham.

At 0500A/1, the Edge Hill was detached to Southampton. Apparently unescorted.

At 0800A/1, the Cape Avinoff, Crow Wing, James Lykes, Lightning, Ocean Mail, Queenston Heights, Salmon Falls, Scotts Bluff and Waxhaws were detached to proceed to ports on the east coast of the U.K / Antwerp. They were escorted by HMS Tanatside and HMS Brissenden.

The remainder of the convoy arrived in Le Havre roads around 1330A/1. HMCS Teme and HMCS Loch Morlich were detached.

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The Irish Sea section had meanwhile proceeded towards the North Channel and was joined at 1635A/28, to the north of Ireland, in position 56°14'N, 07°59'W, by Force 33, which was made up of 4 corvettes of the 30th Escort Group; HMS Pevensey Castle (Cdr. E. Hewitt, RD, RNR), HMS Caistor Castle (A/Lt.Cdr. H. Hutchinson, RN), HMS Kenilworth Castle (T/A/Lt.Cdr. J.J. Allon, RNR) and HMS Launceston Castle (Lt. R.M. Roberts, RNR).

At 2345A/28, in position 55°08'N, 05°50'W the Empire Bounty was detached to Belfast escorted by USS Savage.

At 0500A/1, west of the Isle of Man, in position 54°04'N, 05°06'W the British support group Force 33 parted company.

At 0605A/1, in position 53°45'N, 05°08'W the Barry Roads section of the convoy was detached escorted by USS Brister. It arrived in the Bristol Channel late on the 1st.

USS Thomas W. Gary meanwhile continued with the Liverpool section, which included HMS Battler. The Liverpool section arrived at its destination in the afternoon of the 1st.