The Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-11-11, Page 8Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - Page 7
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HMCS Goderich bell a momento of patriotic spirit
From page 1
The HMCS Goderich's keel was laid
on January 15, 1941 at the Dufferin
Shipbuilding yard in Toronto. Flying
pennant number J260, the HMCS God-
erich was commissioned on November
23, 1941 at Montreal. She was 180'
long, 28'6" a beam and had a draught
of 8'. Her steam powered engines
propelled .two screws which gave her
a maximum speed of 16 knots and a
cruising range of 3 000 miles.
In addition to depth charges, the
Goderich was armed with 1-4" gun;
1-3" gun and two 20 mm cannons. The
Bangor class minesweepers carried a
crew of six officers and 77 ratings.
On November 27, 1941, The Goderich
Signal -Star reported that town officials
visited the ship in Montreal bearing
gifts from local organizations. Some
of the bounty the ship received were
cash donations from the Royal Cana-
dian Legion, and the Goderich Board
of Trade. The Ahmeek chapter of the
IODE and the Lions Club gave two
Mantel Bakelite radios for the crew's
entertainment. The Goderich Red Cross
Chapter provided crewmen with much
needed leather jackets and woolen caps
'to keep crewmembers warm during
long winter nights on watch. The Sig-
nal -Star, observed that the navy looked
"like a hard life" and encouraged its
readers to assist "these gallant men."
Lieutenant R. R. Kenney, the. com-
mander of HMCS Goderich, grate-
fully acknowledged the gifts and the
crew gave the Goderich delegation
"three lusty cheers and a `tiger." The
Goderich representatives were given
an inspection and tour uship and
wished the crew `GodspeL.:. Lafer, a
metal plaque of Goderich's Coat -of -
Arms was displayed on the bridge.
In a letter addressed to council dat-
ed April 9, 1942, Lieutenant Kenney
'thanked the town for its on-going gen-
erous support and acknowledged the ar-
rival of a recent carton of McCormick's
`sweets' forthe crew. Kenney took
pride in informing town council that
the HMCS Goderich had "carried out
most every duty a ship of this class is
capable of performing with flying col-
ors." Lieutenant Kenney also boasted
of the crew's hockey prowess as they
beat teams from several other ships.
Lorne Moon, now 91 of Ingersoll, is
one of the last living crewmen of the
HMCS Goderich. Stoker Petty Officer
Moon served aboard the Goderich from
January to November 1943. He recalls
sleeping with clothes on and shoes un-
der the pillow to be ready for battle sta-
tions at a moment's notice.
Moon remembers having to knock
ice four inches thick off of the ship's
superstructure with sledgehammers to
prevent the ship from capsizing while
patrolling off the Labrador coast in
winter.
One of Moon's first missions while
on the Goderich was the rescue of the
crew of the U.S. tanker Brilliant's that
had broken in two during a storm. The
Brilliant had broken in two on January
21, 1943.
The next month while steaming into
Halifax harbour, Moon witnessed the
S.S. S. L. Fulton blown up by a mind in
February 1943. The Goderich picked
up a string of 43 mines planted by a U -
Boat just outside Halifax's submarine
gates.
Moon's most tragic memory was the
loss of one of his shipmates. Moon
watched helplessly as SPO Orville
Myles was swept ever board in a vio-
lent storm on August 14, 1943. Myles
left behind a wife and two children in
Walkerville.
"We had some good times," recalls
Moon. The Goderich was "full of
characters but they were good guys"
which made life at sea more bearable.
Moon recounts bouts of heavy drink-
ing on shore leave "hut when you spill
more than you drink it's a good time
to quit."
Moon praised Lieutenant Kenney "as
the best commander I ever had, he was
from the Merchant Navy, he knew what
he was doing." Moon also stressed his
gratitude to the Town of Goderich for
the extra comforts that it provided.
Even after the war, in the several re-
unions held in town, Moon remembers
that "we were treated like kings" in
Goderich.
Just before Moon's arrival on the
HMCS Goderich, she was involved in
a collision with the merchant vessel
Iacoma on November 17, 1942. For-
tunately, there were no major injuries
reported on either vessel.
She served on convoy duty until June
1943 when she was assigned mine-
sweeping and coastal patrol duties on
the east coast for the duration of the
war.
The HMCS Goderich sank one ship.
The S.S. British Freedom was one of
Photo used with appreciation
The HMCS Goderich was commissioned
on November 23, 1941 at Montreal and
measured 180 feet long with a 28 -foot
beam. The steam -powered engines gave
the ship a maximum speed of 16 knots
and a cruising range of 3,000 miles. The
ship was involved in a collision with a
merchant vessel in 1942 and served on
convoy duty until June 1943.
three of ships torpedoed off of Halifax
00 January 14, 1945. The S.S. British
Freedom stubbornly refused to sink as
her stern rested on the ocean's bottom
with her how raised out of the water.
As she was a potential obstruction to
navigation, the Goderich was ordered
to sink her with depth charges.
In March 1945, the Goderich took
part in an `inconclusive' hunt for a U -
Boat.
The HMCS Goderich was decom-
missioned in November 1945. Al-
though never re -commission, she was
modernized in 1951 due to the Korean
War crisis and sold for scrap in Febru-
ary 1959.
In gratitude to the town's valued sup-
port of the vessel, Commander W. A.
Childs presented the ship's bell to May-
or D.D. Mooney on behalf of Brook
Claxton, the Minister of Defence on
May 17, 1947.
Claxton wrote thanking the town for
its "generous contributions made to
the comfort and welfare of those who
served in this gallant ship." Mayor
Mooney accepted the bell as a 'me-
mento' to the patriotic spirit and gener-
osity of Goderich's citizens who rallied
to support the 'Ship's Company" in a
time of national crisis.
Low vision clinic runs Thursday
To the Editor;
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Vision Clinic at Suncoast Mall
across from McDonald's on Thurs-
day Nov.12 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
The clinic provides an opportunity
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uled appointment with a CNIB Spe-
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CNIB is a nationwide, commu-
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The Canadian National Insti-
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