Background Events -
January-April 1945
Russians
reach Germany, Indian Ocean operations, British
inshore & Russian convoy battles continue, US
takes Iwo Jima, British Pacific Fleet in action,
Okinawa invaded, Defeat of Germany
1945
JANUARY
Tuesday, 16 January
Submarine
PORPOISE (Act/Lt Cdr H B Turner) was
declared lost after failing to return to Trincomalee. The most likely cause
of her loss was an attack by Japanese anti-submarine vessels near Penang after damage by an aircraft.
PORPOISE had laid minefields MLO.24 and MLO.25 in the Malacca Straits earlier
on the 9th. Cdr Turner, Lt
M H M Kennedy, Lt D D G Roberts, Warrant Engineer E A Adams, Ty/Lt V F F
Drew. RNVR, Ty/Lt E O M Taylor RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt C E Trier RNVR, and the entire
crew of sixty six ratings were lost.
FEBRUARY
Friday, 22 February
Canadian corvette
TRENTONIAN (Lt C S Glassco RNCVR),
escorting convoy BTC.76 with ML.600, was sunk near Falmouth in the English Channel by U.1004.
Ty/Lt G K Stephen RCNVR and
five ratings were lost, and
95 survivors rescued by ML.600 and another ML from a convoy astern.
MARCH
Tuesday, 6 March
Midget submarine
XE.11 (Lt A Staples, SANF (V)) was
lost in collision with a boom defence vessel laying buoys in Loch Striven.
Lt Staples and the two ratings
were lost, Sub Lt W Morrison
RNVR and the third rating rescued.
Saturday, 17 March
Canadian
minesweeper GUYSBOROUGH (Lt B T R
Russell RCNR) was sunk by U.878 off
Ushant in the English Channel.
Sub Lt (E) R M Bell-Irving RCNVR, Lt T V Holland RCNVR, Lt
O H Rumpel RCNVR, Ty/Act/Lt R S Slade RCNVR and forty seven ratings were
lost. Thirty seven survivors
were rescued by frigates INGLIS and LORING
Tuesday, 20 March
Sloop
LAPWING was torpedoed by U.716 off
Kola Inlet. Cdr J A Binnie
was lost.
APRIL
Monday, 16 April
Canadian
minesweeper
ESQUIMALT (Lt R C Macmillan RCNVR), on
independent patrol, was sunk by U.190 near Halifax, five miles off Chebucto
Head. Ty/Lt J R Parker
RCNVR, Ty/Lt J M G Smart RCNVR, Sub Lt B M Whitehead RCNVR, Act/Ty/Warrant
Engineer J E Roberts RCNR, Skipper J O F Bellazzi RCNR and thirty nine
ratings were lost. Twenty
six survivors were rescued by minesweeper SARNIA
Background Events -
May-September 1945
Germany surrenders, Battle of
Atlantic ends, Italy taken,
Burma & Okinawa conquered, A-Bombs tested & dropped,
Defeat of Japan.
