U.S. Warships USS William P. Lawrence-- Part 2

A full page picture comes with the month of August showing the USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) and amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD-20) sailing with 15 other U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Australian Navy, Canadian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships in formation during Talisman Sabre 2019.

Talisman Sabre 2019 illustrates the closeness of the Australian and U.S. alliance and strength of the military-to-military relationship.  This is the eight iteration of this exercise.

--Cooter

Some More 2020 Deaths-- Part 1: Stern, Larsen and Peart

From the December 27, 2020, Chicago Tribune "World mourns losses in year of virus" by Bernard McGhee, AP.

I have already listed a lot of people who died last year in the last several posts from 2020.  These are additional ones.  Any music people in the list will have a more detailed mention in my Down Da Road I Go blog under Music Deaths.

This has the deaths listed by month.

JANUARY

DAVID STERN-  77

The basketball-loving lawyer who ran the NBA for 30 years as the longest-serving commissioner.  Jan. 1.

DON LARSEN, 90

Threw a perfect game in 1956 with the New York Yankees for the only no-hitter/perfect game in World Series history.  Jan. 1.

NEIL PEART, 67

Renowned drummer for the Canadian band Rush.  Jan. 7

USS Detroit-- Part 2: War of 1812 and Civil War

The first two U.S. Navy ships named USS Detroit.

**  The first USS Detroit was a 12-gun ship built by the British during the War of 1812 in Malden, Canada.  It was carrying 19 guns when it was captured at the Battle of Lake Erie where it was the flagship of the Royal Navy.  It then became the USS Detroit and served the Americans until it was scrapped in 1815.

**  The second USS Detroit was that name for only a few months in 1869.  It was the USS Canandaigua before and after then.  This ship served during the Civil War.  The U.S. Navy had a massive renaming of ships around 1869.

Cootroit

Titanic Victim Margaret Rice (nee Norton)-- Part 1: To Canada to U.S. and Back to Ireland

From the Encyclopedia Titanica.

Mrs. William Rice (Margartet Norton) was born in Westmeath, Ireland on 6 October 1872.

At age 19 she married William Rice in Ireland who became shipping clerk with the Grand Trunk Railway and they moved to Montreal after the birth of their first son, George Hugh, born 1902.    After their arrival in Canada, George died after choking on a dummy (pacifier).

In 1909, the couple moved from Montreal to Spokane, Washington where William worked for the Great Northern Railroad as a machinist.  Their youngest son Eugene was born in 1909.

In 1910, William was killed in a train accident and Margaret collected a substantial insurance settlement and returned to Ireland with her boys.

In 1912, she decided to return to Spokane.  She and her five sons, Albert, Eric and Arthur, booked passage on the Titanic and boarded at Queenstown with ticket number 382652, price 29 pounds, 2 shillings and 6 d.

--Cooter

Finds 400-Year-Old Skeleton, Charged $5,000

From the June 17, 2013, Yahoo! News.  The Lookout "Ontario couple finds 400-year-old skeleton, gets $5,000 bill" by William Holt.

Ken Campbell of Sarnia, Ontario, was digging post holes in his backyard when he came across some bones.  His wife Nicole Sauve encouraged him to unearth the rest and they called police who cordoned off the area.

Forensic anthropologist Michael Spence examined the site and said that the skeleton was that of a 24-year-old Indian woman who died in the late 1500s or early 1600s.

Spence then contacted the Registrar of Cemeteries who told the couple they had to hire an archaeologist to examine the rest of their backyard at their cost.

Thanks a Lot, Wifey.  --Cooter

Charles Melvin Hays: Canadian Railroad Man-- "Some Appalling Disaster"

From Wikipedia. //// Born May 16, 1856. Died April 15, 1912. //// Began his railroad career as a clerk at age 17 and rapidly worked his way up until, in 1896, he became general manager of Grand Trunk Railway in Canada. In 1909, he became president. //// A big desire of his was to build a second Canadian transcontinental railroad. However, his company faced bankruptcy and he went to England to seek financial assistance. //// He was on his way back aboard the RMS Titanic and reportedly, the evening before the ship struck the iceberg, made a comment about the steamship companies seeking passengers by building newer, bigger and faster ships, saying, "The time will come soon when this trend will be checked by some appalling disaster." //// He assisted women aboard the lifeboats and then he, his son-in-law and secretary perished. His body was recovered by the Minia and he was buried at Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal. ////

Charles Hays' Chateau Laurier in Ottawa

From Wikipedia. .//// Opened in 1912 and, with its 429 rooms, one of the grand hotels of the world and very impressive from the outside. It was commissioned by Grand Trunk Railway President Charles Melville Hays and built for $2 million. It was his desire to have similar hotels built all along his railroad. //// He had some problems getting this one built as it is located on land that was part of Major Hill Park, but Canadian Prime Monister Sir Wilfrid Laurier (for whom it was named) assisted in getting the land. //// It was built from 1909-1912, in tandem with the construction of Ottawa's Union Station for railroads. A tunnel connected the two structures. One of the reasons Hays was on the Titanic was so he could be at the hotel on its grand opening on April 25, 1912. //// The hotel is now part of the Fairmont Hotel and Resort Chain which also has the Jaspar Park Lodge (1923) in Jaspar, Alberta; the Macdonald Edmonton (1923) in Edmonton, Alberta; Hotel Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia and Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. //// A Man With a Vision. --DaCoot

Canadian Titanic Victim Charles Hays Promoted Railroads and Tourism

From the April 16, 2012, Montreal (Canada) Gazette "Titanic victim promoted tourism to ship's owner" by Phil Reimer. //// CHARLES MELVIN HAYS, president of the Grand Trunk Railway, died when the famous ship sank. His home office was in Montreal and he was returning home after attempting to get funds to complete a railroad from Winnipeg to Prince Rupert. //// While in Canada, Hays was attempting to convince the White Star Line (Titanic's owner) to bring tourists to Canada.) At the time, most cruise ships carried immigrants as third-class and Hays wanted tourists to be able to go that class. //// Hays had just completed the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and its grand opening was set for April 25, 1912, but that was delayed until June after the Titanic sank. Hays had plans to build other magnificent hotels like this all across Canada. //// Of the 130 Canadians aboard, just 45 survived. //// Someone You Never Hear About. --Cooter

Lost Beneath the Ice: The HMS Investigator

From the Nov. 18, 2013, CTV Canada AM "Lost Beneath the Ice: Book sheds new light on the HMS Investigator."

The 122 ton HMS Investigator left Britain in January 1850 on a mission to rescue an earlier expedition led by Sir John Franklin. The Investigator never returned and its wreck was discovered by Parks Canada archaeologists in 2010 in Mercy Bay.

The ship had become hopelessly stuck in the ice before finally being abandoned in 1853 after the crew had survived remaining on board for two years. The ship is credited with finding the elusive Northwest Passage, so sought by earlier explorers.

Never Heard of It. --DaCoot

Canadian World War I Internment Camps

From the September 2, 2012, Spectrum "First World War internment camps a 'difficult scar' for Canadian Ukrainians" by Bill Graveland.

I didn't know about World War I internment camps and never would have guessed they had them in Canada.

Arrested, declared "enemy alien" and shipped off to do hard labor, more than 8,000 German, Austra-Hungarian and Turkish Canadians were put in the camps.  The Canadian government identified 80,000 as enemy aliens and 8.600 were sent to 24 internment camps.

Four of the camps were in the Canadian Rockies to which a majority of Ukranian descent people were sent.  This part of Canadian history has largely been overlooked.

The Harper government set up a $10 million Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund in 2008. 

More than 100 died in those four camps, six while trying to escape.

Little remains of the Castle Mountain Internment Camp in Banff National Park other than a commemorative sign, though it once held 660 prisoners under extremely harsh conditions.

Stuff I Didn't Know.  --Cooter

Attention "Born to be Wild" Motorcyclers

While looking to find out where hawa was (it's in Canada), I came across a list of notables from that town.  And among them were the Edmonton brothers who were born there: Dennis and Jerry.

These boys became rock and rollers, joining a band called the Sparrows there which later had one John Kay join them and they went on to become Steppenwolf.  Dennis Edmonton wrote the rock and roll classic "Born to Be Wild."  But had left the group by the time this song hit it big.  But brother Jerry stayed with the group.

Stuff You Didn't Know.  --Cooter

U.S. World War I Subchaser in Canada

From the Oshawa (Can) Express "Subchaser of the First World War' by Jennifer Weymark.

Oshawa's harbor is home to the Harry H which has been there for decades, but the ship started out way back during World War I as the SC-238, with SC standing for Sub-Chaser.

In the summer of 1916, two German submarines operating off the US coast sank 5 ships during the summer, spurring the Navy to design an effective anti-submarine vessel.  At the time, most shipyards were building destroyers and larger vessels out of steel which was in short supply, so it was decided to build the sub-chasers out of wood and in smaller yards.

They were crewed by 2 officers and 24 enlisted men and originally carried two- 3-inch guns and two machine guns.  Later the 3-inch guns were replaced with a depth charge projectors.

By the end of World War I, 441 sub-chasers had been constructed and some even served in World War II.  Others were sold for civilian use, like the Harry H.

Little Boats, Big Job.  --DaCoot

Making No Bones About It: A World War I Story

From the April 13, 2010, Smithsonian.com. "Dinosaur casualties of World War I."

On December 6, 1916, the Canadian merchant ship SS Mount Temple was on its way to England with a set of 75 million-year-old dinosaur skeletons from Canada. It encountered the German raider SMS Mowe which ordered the ship to stop.

Someone aboard the Mount Temple aimed its sole gun at the Mowe which considered that to be a threatening move and it opened fire, killing three and injuring others.

The Mount Temple then surrendered and the Mowe took off the crew and passengers before sinking the ship, unaware of the history on board the vessel. The people from the Canadian ship were eventually sent to Germany on another capture.

Dem Dinos Just Can't Get No Respect. --Cooter

War of 1812 Re-enactment Group Looking for Recruits

From the Sault (Canada) Star by Brian Kelly.

They are looking to organize an Algoma division of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNR) which was active during the War of 1812. A similar group is already active in southern Ontario with many appearances planned for the war's bicentennial.

Men and women are wanted but must be 18. Younger recruits can be standard bearers, settlers or drummers. Recruits are responsible for own costs including their uniforms and must be available during the summer months.

There is a big event planned for Algoma July 17-21, 2012.

www.algoma1812.ca

Sorry, Wrong Side for Me. --DaCoot

World War II's Battle of St. Lawrence-- Part 2

According to Wikipedia, the Battle of St. Lawrence took place over a longer period of time than just the sinking of the four ships mentioned in the previous diving article. It lasted from May 1942 to November 1944, No German U-boats were reported sunk, but Allies lost 23 ships sunk and 3 damaged and 340 killed in the various actions.

The Royal Canadian Navy had been allowed to shrink after World War I, but was rebuilt to the point where at the end of World War II, it was the third-biggest Allied Navy with 400 mostly small ships and 100,000 men and women in service.

The four Allied ships were sunk on two different nights within a month of each other.

On September 5, 1942, the U-513 sank the SS Sacanaga and the SS Lord Strathcone.

On November 2, 1942, the U-518 sank the PLM 27 and the SS Rosecastle.

These four ships collectively today are called the Bell Island Wrecks and can be seen at low tide.

Before sinking the two ships, the U-518 had fired a torpedo at the loading pier on Bell Island, the only location in North America to be subject to enemy attack by German forces during World War II.

Again, Never Heard of It. --DaCoot

World War II's Battle of the St. Lawrence-- Part 1

Definitely a little-known battle between the Allies and Germany during the war, and one that occurred in North America. It was a series of confrontations between German U-boats and anti-submarine units on the lower St. Lawrence River in Canada.

From the September 21st Huffington Post Travel Blog "Diving Newfoundland's World War II Shipwrecks" by Margie Goldsmith.

She had the U-513 sinking the four ships featured, although I found that elsewhere, there were two U-boats involved.

All fours sunken ships are in just 60 feet of water and sitting upright.

The SS Sayanaga wreck has a torpedo hole you can swim into. At 11:07 am, Sept. 5, 1942, the U-513 slipped into the bay and found the Sayanaga on its way out headed for North Sydney with a load of iron ore. It fired two torpedoes, but a battery switch on each was not set and the torpedoes sank to the bottom. Two more were fired and struck, sinking the vessel in less than 30 seconds.

of the 48 crewmembers (including three naval gunners), 30 were reported missing.

The four sunked ships today are considered to be some of the best cold water diving in the world.

Newfoundland has at least 10,000 shipwrecks.

I Had No idea Newfoundland Had That Many Shipwrecks. --Cooter

70th Anniversary of Avro Lancaster Bomber

From May 8th Calgary (Canada) Herald.

This past weekend, the 70th anniversary of the first flight of one of World War II's most successful bombers, the Avro Lancaster in January 1941 was marked with a ceremony held at Nanton, south of Calgary.

It also commemorated the anniversary of VE-Day when the Allies accepted Germany's unconditional surrender May 7, 1945.

Lancasters were operational by 1942 and were the workhorses of the Canadian and British air forces.

The museum at Nanton restored one and fired up the two working engines of the four on the plane.

It also honored World War I Alberta pilot Captain Wilfrid (Wop) May who fought in the same battle Germany's Red Baron was killed. Check out Wikipedia for a very interesting article on May.

A Famous Plane. --DaCoot

Sunken Canadian Ship, Princess Kathleen, Leaking Oil

From the March 2, 2010, Epoch Times.

The Canadian steamship Princess Kathleen of the Canadian Pacific Line, sank in 1952 with 153,000 gallons of fuel aboard. That fuel has now started to leak out of the 394-foot-long, 5,900 ton ship, raising environmental concerns.

At the time of sinking, the Princess Kathleen was carrying 307 passengers when it ran aground and sank ten hours later. All passengers made it to shore in life boats and many pictures were taken.

The company had a large fleet of Princess ships as part of its attempt to develop a coastal cruise ship line in the 1820s and 1930s, serving the Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle triangle.

It was built in 1925 and during World War II was converted into a troopship.

On September 7, 1952, it was off course when it ran aground at Lena Point on Alaska's Lynn Canal at low tide. Later it was found that its radar wasn't working. Operations to remove the fuel began the following month.

Something from the Past Comes Back. --Cooter

Canadian World War II production-- Part 3

Just looking at this short overview of the efforts of Canada's Homefront during World War II, I'd have to say there are several books waiting to be written if they already haven't been.

AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION

A total of 15,418 aircraft were built for Britain and the United States as well as planes for the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force).

The famous Avro Lancaster bombers were built at a plant in Malton, Ontario, now the site of the Lester B. Pearson International Airport.


TANKS

Canada also built 1420 28-ton Valentine tanks were also built, each one requiring 40,000 parts at a cost of $90,000 each. Their top speed was 25 mph. All but 30, were sent to the USSR. A plant emplying 3,500 workers kept them coming.

List This Under Stuff I Didn't Know. --Cooter

Canadian World War II Production-- Part 2

The Bombardier Co, of Valcourt, Quebec, built over 150 military snowmobiles. GM developed a frame for another snowmobile and built 300 of them.

Canadian shipyards starting building patrol vessels in 1940 to protect the coasts. Britain placed an order for twenty-six 10,000 ton cargo ships and then orders for naval escorts and minesweepers.

Before the war, Canada had three shipyards employing less than 4,000 men. At peak production during the war, there were 90 plants on the coasts, Great Lakes and even inland employing 126,000 men and women (Canadians had their own Rosie the Riveters).

All told, Canada built 4,047 naval vessels, 300 anti-submarine warships, 4 tribal-class destroyers and 410 cargo ships.

At the peak production in 1943, the 10,000 tons Fort Romaine ship was made in just 59 days start-to-finish.

Impressive Stats Indeed. --DaCoot