All posts by Dinger

About Dinger

A sea cadet at RCSCC LION from 1963 to 1968, I joined the Naval Reserve at HMCS STAR in 1968 as a Bos'n. I was an Officer Cadet in the ROUTP, commissioned in 1971, and awarded my watchkeeping ticket in 1973. I served at sea, at one time or another, in all five Gate Vessels and HMCS FORT STEELE & CHAUDIERE as well as the Coast Guard icebreaker Louis St. Laurent and served as OIC of the patrol vessels RALLY and RAPID. At STAR from 1968 to 2007, I served as XO twice and then as CO from 2002 to 2005. I rounded out my career by serving as SSO Training at NAVRESHQ in Quebec City in 2008, retiring in 2009 as CO of HMCS HUNTER in Windsor. I was Executive Director for the Friends of HMCS HAIDA till 2011 and have been an active volunteer onboard HAIDA since she arrived in Hamilton in 2003.

OTD – 5 & 6 March 1944

OTD
CHILLIWACK's whaler alongside U-744
CHILLIWACK’s whaler alongside U-744

On 5 and 6 March, 1944, while part of the escort of the 63 ships of Convoy HX-280 from New York and Halifax to Liverpool HMCS CHILLIWACK, whose mast is on STAR’s quarterdeck, took part in a thirty-two hour attack on U-744, which finally resulted in her capture about 440 nm west of Ireland.  Men from CHILLIWACK boarded U-744 and recovered code materials but much was lost when their whaler capsized.  U-744 had to be sunk as unseaworthy.

CHILLIWACK already had one U-boat to its credit; U-356 on December 27, 1942.

Our New Badge

What's New?
Hamilton Naval Association badge

BLAZON:
On a hurt between in chief a stock-less anchor and in base a sledge hammer fess-wise a
heavy anchor chain of three links fess-wise all Or. The whole surrounded with a ribbon Or
edged Azure inscribed with the name of the organization beginning and ending with a stylized
maple leaf Rouge and joined in base with a shackle Or. Ensigned overall with a Naval Crown
Proper.

SYMBOLISM:;
The blue background represents the ocean and lakes of Canada, the anchor chain signifies
the link between the Naval community represented by the stock-less anchor and the city of
Hamilton, represented by the hammer. The shackle joins the end of the ribbon holding
elements together and is used to depict a naval environment. The red Maple Leaves mark the
organization as being Canadian.
(The description of a heraldic design is called a Blazon, normally little or no punctuation is
used in heraldic blazons. A hurt is a blue disc. ‘In chief’ is above the mid point and ‘in base’
means below that point. Fess-wise means ‘across horizontally’, the names of Colours are
usually in Norman French and capitalized, Or is gold, Rouge is red, Azure is blue, Proper
means ‘in its natural colour’. “Ensigned overall” is above or on the top of.)

Plain language Description;
A gold chain of three links is depicted horizontally in the centre of a blue disc with a golden,
stock-less anchor above it and a golden sledge hammer below. The whole device is
surrounded by a golden or yellow ribbon on which the name of the organization is written and
two Maple Leave are shown, one at the beginning and on at the end of the name.. The ribbon
is edged in blue and the ends of the ribbon are joined by a golden shackle. On top of the
whole device is a Naval Crown in its natural colour.