Allied Warships

HMCS Chilliwack (K 131)

Corvette of the Flower class

NavyThe Royal Canadian Navy
TypeCorvette
ClassFlower 
PennantK 131 
Built byBurrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd. (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) 
Ordered14 Feb 1940 
Laid down3 Jul 1940 
Launched14 Sep 1940 
Commissioned8 Apr 1941 
End service14 Jul 1945 
History

Fo'c's'le extended at Dartmouth (Nova Scotia, Canada) on 10 October 1943.

Chilliwack along with HMCS Hamilton and several other Canadian corvettes escorting Convoy HX 280, depth charged to the surface U-744, which was scuttled by her crew. A number of submariners were rescued by Chilliwack before U-744 sunk.

Decommissioned 14 July 1945.
Sold 5 October 1945.
Broken up at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1946.

 

Commands listed for HMCS Chilliwack (K 131)

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.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Lt. Leslie Lewendon Foxall, RCNR31 Mar 194125 May 1943
2T/A/Lt.Cdr. Clifton Rexford Coughlin, RCNVR26 May 194311 Apr 1944
3T/Lt. Douglas Rannie Watson, RCNR12 Apr 194414 Jul 1945

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Notable events involving Chilliwack include:


8 Dec 1941
HMS L 27 (Lt. N.L.A. Jewell, RN) shifted from St.John's to Harbour Grace. She was being escorted by HMCS Chilliwack (T/Lt. L.L. Foxall, RCNR). (1)

22 Mar 1942
HrMs O 10 (Lt. J.H. Geijs, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Lough Foyle together with HMS Reading (Lt.Cdr. D.V. Clift, RN), HMS Richmond (Lt.Cdr. A.F.L. Evans, RN), HMCS Bittersweet (A/Lt.Cdr. J.A. Woods, RCNR) and HMCS Chilliwack (T/Lt. L.L. Foxall, RCNR). (2)

27 Dec 1942

German U-boat U-356 was sunk in the North Atlantic north of the Azores, in position 45°30'N, 25°40'W, by depth charges from the Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Laurent (A/Cdr. G.S. Windeyer, RCN) and the Canadian corvettes HMCS Chilliwack (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.L. Foxall, RCNR), HMCS Battleford (T/Lt. F.A. Beck, RCNVR) and HMCS Napanee (T/Lt. S. Henderson, RCNR). HMCS Napanee also picks up 25 survivors from the British merchant King Edward that was one of U-356's last victims.

HMCS Napanee also picks up 18 survivors from the Dutch merchant Soekaboemi that was torpedoed and damaged by German U-boat U-356. The damaged Soekaboemi was later sunk by U-441.

23 Feb 1943
HMCS Chilliwack (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.L. Foxall, RCNR) picks up 53 survivors from the American merchant Hastings that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-186 in the North Atlantic in position 46°30'N, 36°23'W.

6 Mar 1944
After unsuccessful attempts at towing the boat to port German U-boat U-744 was sunk at 1830hrs on 6 March 1944 in the North Atlantic, in position 52°01'N, 22°37'W, after being torpedoed by the British destroyer HMS Icarus (Lt.Cdr. R. Dyer, RN). U-744 was attacked for over 30 hours by depth charges from HMS Icarus, the Canadian frigate HMCS St. Catharines (T/Lt.Cdr. A.F. Pickard, RCNR with Cdr. P.W. Burnett, DSC, RN escort group commander onboard), Canadian corvettes HMCS Fennel (A/Lt.Cdr. W.P. Moffat, RCNVR), HMCS Chilliwack (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.R. Coughlin, RCNVR), Canadian destroyers HMCS Chaudiere (A/Lt.Cdr. C.P. Nixon, RCN), HMCS Gatineau (A/Lt.Cdr. H.V.W. Groos, RCN) and the British corvette HMS Kenilworth Castle (Lt. J.J.Allon, RNR).

26 Mar 1944
HMS H 50 (T/Lt. A.F. Wicker, RNVR) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMCS Chilliwack (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.R. Coughlin, RCNVR), HMCS St. Laurent (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Stephen, OBE, DSC, RCNR), HMCS Halifax (T/Lt. M.F. Oliver, RCNR), HMCS Chaudiere (A/Lt.Cdr. C.P. Nixon, RCN), HMCS Fennel (A/Lt.Cdr. W.P. Moffat, RCNVR), HMCS St. Catharines (T/A/Lt.Cdr. A.F. Pickard, RCNR) and HMCS Morden (T/Lt. E.C. Smith, RCNVR). (3)

2 May 1944
HMS H 28 (Lt. A.S. Melville-Ross, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMCS Morden (T/Lt. E.C. Smith, RCNVR), HMS Fennel (A/Lt.Cdr. W.P. Moffat, RCNVR) and HMCS Chilliwack (T/Lt. D.R. Watson, MBE, RCNR). (4)

18 Jul 1944
HrMs O 15 (Lt. J.B.M.J. Maas, RNN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMCS Kamloops (T/A/Lt.Cdr. D.M. Stewart, RCNR), HMCS Morden (T/Lt. K.B. Culley, RCNVR) and HMCS Chilliwack (T/Lt. D.R. Watson, MBE, RCNR). (5)

23 Aug 1944
HMS Trident (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, DSO, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Larne with an Escort Group. These also included convoy attack exercises.

[This was most likely with ships from Escort Group C 2, which were at Larne at this time. The ships in question were the frigate HMCS St. Catharines (T/Lt.Cdr. A.F. Pickard, RCNR) and the corvettes HMCS Chilliwack (T/Lt. D.R. Watson, MBE, RCNR), HMCS Kamloops (T/A/Lt.Cdr. D.M. Stewart, RCNR), HMCS Morden (T/Lt. K.B. Culley, RCNVR) and HMCS Owen Sound (T/Skr.Lt. J.M. Watson, RCNR).] (6)

19 Dec 1944
HMS Upright (Lt. J.A.L. Wilkinson, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Bermuda with HMCS Chilliwack (T/A/Lt.Cdr. D.R. Watson, RCNR) and HMCS Penetang (T/A/Lt.Cdr. A.R. Hicks, RCNVR). (7)

Media links


Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1939-1945

MacPherson, Ken and Milner, Marc

Sources

  1. ADM 173/16813
  2. File 2.12.03.6379 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
  3. ADM 173/18526
  4. ADM 173/18473
  5. File 2.12.03.6400 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
  6. ADM 173/19088 + ADM 187/39
  7. ADM 173/19287

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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