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oakville rem em bered · F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 2 · P a g e 21 T h e r e a lit y o f w a r c o n td ... £ HMCS Oakville at war COMMISSIONED AT MONTREAL on November 18th, 1941 HMCS Oakville joined Halifax Force on her arrival. On its formation in March 1942, she transferred to WLEF. In July 1942, HMCS Oakville returned to Halifax Force to escort Halifax-Aruba convoys and, on her sec ond arrival in Aruba, August 1942 she was diverted to support convoy TAW. 15, the Aruba -Key West section. Throughout this journey the convoy was attacked on August 28th in the Windward Passage, losing four ships. HMCS Oakville suc ceeded in sinking the U94, in part by ram ming. HMCS Oakville to a reprieve in Guantanamo for repairs and arrived back in Halifax on September 16, 1942 where more repairs were completed by December 1, 1942. From Halifax, she joined the U.S. Eastern Sea Frontier Command to escort New-YorkGuantanamo convoys until March 22, 1943, where she arrived back in Halifax to join WLEF. HMCS served with three of its escort groups W-7 from June 1943; W8 from December 1943, and W-6 from April 1944. In mid December she began a major refit and Galveston Texas, which included fo'c's'le extension, and was completed on March 29, 1944. After some minor repairs in Halifax, she pro ceeded to Bermuda for workups in May, thereafter returning to her duties with EG W-6. A refit began at Lunenburg in early April 1945 and was discontinued in June. Thereafter HMCS Oakville was paid off at Sorel on July 20, and sold to the Venezuelan Navy in 1946 and renamed Patria, serving until 1962. (continued from page 20) and devotion to capture the U-94 and its crew. As the U-94 sank, Lawrence, Powell and the Germans abandoned the sub. By this time, HMCS Oakville was now about a mile away, the USS Lea picked up the crew of the U-94 including Powell and Lawrence, who were thought to be Germans. After a few days, both were returned to the HMCS Oakville for victory celebrations. This extraordinary Canadian naval victory lifted the spirits of those fighting in the war, as well as the Canadian people, for the war was long, cold and dark. This victory was a news editors dream, and Powell and Lawrence traveled across Canada and to New York City, from coast to coast, to talk all about this forty-five minute exploit. LENGTH 20S` I" OVERALL BEAM 33' I" DRAFT 8` 3" forward . 13'5" AFT DISPLACEMENT 950TONS PROPULSION 2.750 H. P . RECIPROCATING STEAM. 2 OIL FIRED BOILERS SINGLE SCREW DRIVE SPEED ENDURANCE COMPLEMENT ARMAMENT 16 KNOTS 3.450 NAUTICAL MILES 85 PLUS I . 4" GUN ANTI-AIRCRAFTWEAPONS HEDGEHOG DEPTH-CHARGE RAILS AND 4 THROWERS DETECTION GEAR ASDIC AND RADAR Oakville Museum featured a special presentation & month of HMCS Oakville, November 1st, 2001 O N NOVEMBER 1,2001 OAKVILLE MUSEUM AT ERCHLESS ESTATE hosted a special presentation of the HMCS Oakville, spear headed by local resident and naval historian Ed Stewart. This event kicked off the month long exhibit at the Oakville Museum, which highlighted the combined collection of the HMCS Oakville. Mr. Ed Stewart arranged for the documentation of the Life and Times of HMSC Oakville, and arranged for special guests, including WWII War Veteran Joe Symth, the Oakville Navy League and Sea Cadet Chairman Mr. Ross Bint. War Veteran Joe Symth recalled his experiences on the HMCS and gave those who attended the spe cial evening insight into War. We thank Mr. Joe Symth for speaking to all of us on realities of war. Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate would also like to thank the Oakville Historical Society, the Oakville Navy League and the Sea Cadet's for pr<> viding detailed information on the HMCS Oakville. ADD YOUR NAME AND MEMORIES TO THE OAKVILLE TRAILS AND BE A PART OF A LEGACY For a minimum contribution of $50, any member of the community can become part of a legacy. His or her name, family name or in memorium or other message is then placed on one of the Legacy panels on the Heritage Trails column at the top of Tannery Park on the west bank of the Sixteen overlooking historic Oakville Harbour. The Trails are all about making links: north to south, east to west, past to present, and - with donations like this - present to future. Other donors have chosen to honour the trails they regularly walk, the schools they attend, the pets who enjoy the trails with them or the special people they can never forget. Danielle Olscamp, Development Officer for the Trails, lost her brother Robert in 1976, but sometimes it still seems like yesterday. "He was only 18, just getting ready to blaze his own trails," she says. "I always wondered what else I could do to help ease my parents' grief." Contributing to the Legacy Panel Campaign was the answer. "He would have loved the Trails. And putting his name on something that will last forever is so satisfying." The Trails pass through areas of natural beauty where wildlife still abounds, where human activity has little impact, or where nature has recovered after human use has ceased or changed. They take us to the places where our history has occured: where settlements began, enterprise flourished, neighbourhoods grew and institutions developed ..... where, over the generations, people individually or collectively shaped our town and established our values. Contributions to the Legacy Panel campaign, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Oakville, are fully tax deductible. Larger donations may qualify donors to include a family photograph with their message. To find out more about how you can participate in creating a legacy for generations to come, contact Danielle Olscamp at the Foundation office at 905-845-7841 or mail in the form found on this page. In d iv id u a l Name: $50.00 (Uine) Maxim um &f 25 letter* including spaces per area, fa m ily Nam e o r M em ory; Contribution* can be made through the mall or credit card by calling (905) 34^7841, R O N O rSN A M * Awmv. $1 0 0 .0 0 (2 tines) M aximum letters up to 50, Vow aU© in«?lude a h isto rica l o r o ld fa m ily photograph; _ ] In d iv id u a l Name; *§<M)0 (various prices depending m size) (1 line) of 25 letter* w tudm # spaces per area, Your name or chosen memory w ill be permanently inscribed on a panel at Oakville Harbour in Tannery Park, A letter of Certification from the Mayor and tax receipt to r the fu ll amount of your donation w ill be i*#tied. [ H Fam ily Nam e o r M em ory; IlflCMW (2 line*) Maximum letters up to SO: Name o r message to be inscribed Type o f Paym ent If you are interested o r w o u ld lik e m ore in fo rm a tio n , please fo n tae t; 0 a ftie lfe C O W am p H eritage T ra ils D evelopm ent O fficer f~ ~ ]ca e h Q P I Cheque Q M oney O rde r C re d it C ard P leats make C he^ue/M oeey (Order Payable ft* m fm "Henta«e f m h Pwjeef" Pi) Bo. Mirto, i ij/f n*vrlU, » W rmao