HMCS Rimouski (K121)
Encyclopedia
HMCS Rimouski was a Royal Canadian Navy
which took part in convoy escort duties during World War II
.
Rimouski was laid down at George T. Davie & Sons Ltd.
, Lauzon
on 12 July 1940 and launched on 3 October 1940. She was commissioned into the RCN on 26 April 1941
Rimouski served in the Battle of the St. Lawrence
and participated in RCN operations as part of Operation Pointe Maisonnette, the Canadian military's counter-offensive to the German military's Operation Kiebitz
. Operation Kiebitz was a plan by the Kriegsmarine
to have several senior naval officers (including Otto Kretschmer
and Wolfgang Heyda
) attempt to escape from the Camp 30 prisoner of war camp
at Bowmanville
, Ontario
to rendezvous for a planned extraction by U-536 off Pointe de Maisonnette
, New Brunswick
on 26–27 September 1943.
Canadian military intelligence and police intercepted and decoded the encrypted Kriegsmarine instructions to its prisoners at Camp 30 and the RCN planned a response centred on an anti-submarine task force that would be hidden near the extraction point. Rimouski was outfitted with an experimental version of diffuse lighting camouflage for the operation. Military guards were aware of the tunnelling efforts at Camp 30 but deliberately (and covertly) allowed them to proceed so as to not tip off the Kriegsmarine. Incidentally, Wolfgang Heyda did escape, however not by the tunnel as he used a zip wire on electrical cables to carry him outside the camp fence. He made his way by Canadian National Railways passenger trains to northern New Brunswick only to be apprehended by RCN and Canadian Army personnel on shore at the Pointe de Maisonnette lighthouse.
U-536 lurked offshore for the coded light signal from the escapees and the RCN personnel attempted to replicate what the escapees would have done, however the submarine detected the presence of the RCN task force led by Rimouski and remained submerged and evaded attack or capture, without successfully carrying the prisoners, but was sunk the following month before she was able to make it home.
The following spring, Rimouski was one of 57 RCN warships that participated in Operation Neptune
, the code name for the Normandy Landings as part of D-Day
(Operation Overlord
).
A common tradition of painting a mascot on a naval ship's gun shields, the Rimouski featured a boisterous cowboy with a 10-gallon hat lassoing a U-boat from the back of his steed.
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
which took part in convoy escort duties during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Rimouski was laid down at George T. Davie & Sons Ltd.
Davie Shipbuilding
Davie Shipbuilding is a historic shipbuilding company located in Lauzon, Quebec. The facility has undergone restructuring and is currently operating as Davie Yards Incorporated.-History:...
, Lauzon
Lauzon, Quebec
Lauzon is a former city in southern Quebec, Canada, located on the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lévis. Founded in 1910, Lauzon had a population of about 14,500 when it merged with Lévis in 1989...
on 12 July 1940 and launched on 3 October 1940. She was commissioned into the RCN on 26 April 1941
Rimouski served in the Battle of the St. Lawrence
Battle of the St. Lawrence
The Battle of the St. Lawrence involved a number of submarine and anti-submarine actions throughout the lower St. Lawrence River and the entire Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Strait of Belle Isle and Cabot Strait from May-October 1942, September 1943, and again in October-November 1944...
and participated in RCN operations as part of Operation Pointe Maisonnette, the Canadian military's counter-offensive to the German military's Operation Kiebitz
Operation Kiebitz
Operation Kiebitz was a failed Kriegsmarine operation during World War II in 1943 to organize an escape of four skilled German U-boat commanders from a Canadian POW camp . Its counterattack by the Royal Canadian Navy, Operation Pointe Maisonnette in Chaleur Bay became a key operation in the Battle...
. Operation Kiebitz was a plan by the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
to have several senior naval officers (including Otto Kretschmer
Otto Kretschmer
Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak...
and Wolfgang Heyda
Wolfgang Heyda
Wolfgang Heyda was a German U-boat commander during World War II.-War service:After U-boat commander training aboard , Lieutenant Commander Heyda took command of on 21 June 1941, and began his first war patrol on 11 November 1941...
) attempt to escape from the Camp 30 prisoner of war camp
Bowmanville POW camp
The Bowmanville POW camp Camp 30 was a Canadian-run POW camp for German soldiers during World War II located in Bowmanville, Ontario.Prisoners Otto Kretschmer and Wolfgang Heyda were the subject of an elaborate escape attempt named Operation Kiebitz....
at Bowmanville
Bowmanville, Ontario
Bowmanville is the largest community in the Municipality of Clarington in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario about 75 km east of Toronto and 15 km east of Oshawa along Highway 2...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
to rendezvous for a planned extraction by U-536 off Pointe de Maisonnette
Pointe de Maisonnette, New Brunswick
Point de Maisonnette is a cape located in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada. Its geographic coordinates are 47º50'15"N, 65º00'13"W.It is the dividing point for delineating the northern limits of Caraquet Bay from Chaleur Bay...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
on 26–27 September 1943.
Canadian military intelligence and police intercepted and decoded the encrypted Kriegsmarine instructions to its prisoners at Camp 30 and the RCN planned a response centred on an anti-submarine task force that would be hidden near the extraction point. Rimouski was outfitted with an experimental version of diffuse lighting camouflage for the operation. Military guards were aware of the tunnelling efforts at Camp 30 but deliberately (and covertly) allowed them to proceed so as to not tip off the Kriegsmarine. Incidentally, Wolfgang Heyda did escape, however not by the tunnel as he used a zip wire on electrical cables to carry him outside the camp fence. He made his way by Canadian National Railways passenger trains to northern New Brunswick only to be apprehended by RCN and Canadian Army personnel on shore at the Pointe de Maisonnette lighthouse.
U-536 lurked offshore for the coded light signal from the escapees and the RCN personnel attempted to replicate what the escapees would have done, however the submarine detected the presence of the RCN task force led by Rimouski and remained submerged and evaded attack or capture, without successfully carrying the prisoners, but was sunk the following month before she was able to make it home.
The following spring, Rimouski was one of 57 RCN warships that participated in Operation Neptune
Operation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
, the code name for the Normandy Landings as part of D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
(Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
).
A common tradition of painting a mascot on a naval ship's gun shields, the Rimouski featured a boisterous cowboy with a 10-gallon hat lassoing a U-boat from the back of his steed.
Crew
- Commodore Angus George Boulton was the commanding officer in 1941.
- Rear-Admiral John Pickford was the commanding officer from 1943–1944, being the youngest commanding officer in the RCN during World War II.
- Douglas Clark was the Sick Berth Attendant from 1941-1945.
- Earnest Burgess 1943-1945