HMCS CHILLIWACK

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The mast on HMCS STAR’s quarterdeck is from the Flower Class corvette, HMCS CHILLIWACK (K131).  Built in Vancouver, BC in 1941, she had a career of less than 4 ¼ years in the RCN.  Most of that time she operated out of St. Johns, Newfoundland escorting convoys to Iceland or the United Kingdom.  She participated in several of the most epic convoy battles and was credited with sinking two U-boats.

  • SC 94 (August 1942) – 11 sunk of 33 ships attacked by 17 U-boats, 2 U-boats lost & 4 U-boats damaged
  • ONS 154 (December 1942) – 14 sunk out of 45 merchant vessels attacked by 20 U-boats, during which she participated in the sinking of U356 on 27 December
  • ON 166 (February 1943) – 49 ships attacked by 19 U-boats, 14 merchant ships sunk & 3 U-boats
  • HX-280 (March 1944) – On 6 March, 1944, she participated in an epic thirty-one hour pursuit of U-744.  Sailors from CHILLIWACK boarded the submarine in an attempt to retrieve code books and materials but the submarine eventually sank.
CHILLIWACK’s whaler attempting to board U-744.

One of 129 Canadian corvettes, ten of which were sunk during the war, CHILLIWACK is a sister to HMCS SACKVILLE, the Canadian Naval Memorial ship in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Paid off 14 July 1945, CHILLIWACK and thirty-two other corvettes were brought to Hamilton and broken up for scrap at STELCO.

The mast was erected on the property of Dr. W. McGregor, 49 Main Street North, Waterdown and came to STAR through Ralph Naccarato of Pantano Construction

CHILLIWACK’s mast on STAR’s quarterdeck.

Currently in use in the wardroom as a table is a wheel from the tiller flats of the one of the corvettes broken up in Hamilton, purportedly that of CHILLIWACK. It is hoped to eventually mount the wheel beside the mast.

Wardroom table from corvette tiller flats wheel, “rescued” by Cdr (Ret’d) Bob Bowman.