A Chronicle of Events

Which Took Place During
The Month of August, 1944
Aboard
 HMCS IROQUOIS
While In The Bay of Biscay

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This chronicle  was kept at the time by Radar Operator Ted Doyle Facts and figures were compiled from official logs
and personal observations.


August  1 0745 Left Scapa Flow  for shoot  -  Blind firing H.A. & L.A.
2030 Proceed to Plymouth  -  Cruising stations.
August   2 At sea.
August  3  1200  Arrived at Plymouth  -  oiled.
1600 Alongside HMCS Huron at Flagstaff.
2200 Shore leave.  Port watch ammunitioned till 0200.
August  4  1015 Slipped.  Met HMCS  Haida and HMS Diodum.  Left for coast of  France.
1900 Defense stations.  Recalled to port.  Spent middle watch in R/F.
0330  Alongside tanker.
August 5 0930 Tied to buoy.  Haida alongside.
1300 Slipped with Bellona, proceed to Bay of Biscay.  Defense stations.
1730 Action stations – aircraft – false.
1950 Joined by HMS Tartar and HMS Ashanti.
2100 Action stations.  Passed a flat top with destroyers.
August 6 0022 Contact enemy convoy.  Range 25000 yds.
0037 Open fire.  Range 12500 yds.
0047 Target on fire.
0049 Open fire on second target.  Range 6500 yds.
0055
 
 		 Second target on fire.Between 0100 and 0220, merchantmen, minesweepers and minelaying trawlers were set aflame.  Seven definitely sunk.  Captain  fired Lanchester M/G at trawler less than 1000 yds away from bridge.
0320 Second convoy – five destroyers – more opposition.
0405 Haida's Y gun out of action.  Iroquois straddled. Star shell overhead.
0420
 		 E-Boat attack - 3 or 4.  Credited with one.  Were close inshore (between Brest and Lorient going north) in mine fields.  Pulled out. E-Boats followed.
0435 Opened fire.  Lost contact.
0800 Secure action stations.
0845
 
 		 Relieved from watch.  Dried eggs for breakfast.  Ate bread and coffee.  No time to work.  Mess deck an unholy mess.  Time to clean up and return ammunition.  Fired 1500 rounds, mostly radar range and bearing.
1045
 
 		 Sat down for ½ hour before dinner.  Bellona, Haida, Tartar and Ashanti returned to port.  Haida lost two men, two mountings out of commission.  Joined by four sloops and frigates.
1625
 
 		 Action stations – sub.  Frigate dropped two hedgehogs on its stern, got it.   (U736).  Picked up a couple of survivors and fish.  Dropped more charges.  Secured action stations.
1750
 		 Another contact – drop more charges.  Pulled out leaving two frigates. Made the BBC tonight.  No action stations unless contact with enemy.
  August  7
 		 0400
 		 Two hours sleep – coastal guns at St. Nazaire firing at us. Looking for subs during morning. Couple of contacts – charges dropped – no dice.
1245 Enemy aircraft in area.
1400 Another contact.
2000 Left escort to return to Plymouth.
2200 Left escort to return to Plymouth.
2230 Action stations – aircraft – open fire – friendly.
August 8 0700 Blue watch to cruising stations – close to harbour.
0900 Alongside tanker – take on provisions and ammunition.
1900 Finished ammunitioning – swimming over the side.
2100 Pep talk by Captain.  Correspondent aboard.
2115 Slipped – proceed to sea to meet Tartar and Ashanti.
August 9
 		 No action stations.  Met HMCS Ottawa, HMCS Kootenay and HMCS St Laurent (Sally).  In sight of land.
1300
 		 Action stations.  Shore batteries opened fire – straddled us.  One salvo between us and Ashanti.  Laid smoke screen and scrammed. In sight of land, can see town.
2000 Met three destroyers and a cruiser.  Joined forces.
2200
 		 Action stations.  Next destroyer to us almost hit by shore battery. Said to be a glider bomb.  Convoy in area.  Missed it.
August 10 0600 Secured action stations.
0800 Off watch.
1400 Action stations.  29 hostile A/C in area.  Secure.
1520 Action stations.  Periscope – false.  Two destroyers left.
2100 Action stations.  Start back to Plymouth.
2330 Secure action stations.
August  11 0700 Entered harbour – alongside tanker.
1000 To buoy.
1230 Pipe down.
 August  12 At buoy, expect to go a shoot.
1230 Makers.
1730 Rumours of me getting draft to HMCS Stadacona for CW.
August  13
 		 1030
 		 Slipped. Almost stove in whaler pulling away from HMS Ursa. With HMS Mauritius, a 6” cruiser.
1110 Action stations – practice.
1230 Secure.
2045 Depth charges dropped.  Subs believed to have been sighted. No dice.  Secure.
2200 Action stations.
August 14 0315 Contact fishing vessel.  Open fire.  Cease fire.
0600 Secure action stations.  Nothing doing all day.
2200 Action stations.
2400 Contact convoy – nine ships - passed by.
August 15 0030 Contact convoy - seven ships – passed by.
0215 Contact four fast ships – presumed destroyers.
0230
 		 Ursa and us opened fire on two destroyers.  Shore batteries open up.  Cruiser returned fire.
0300 Fired four fish.  No hits.  Enemy torpedo passed beneath us. Left enemy burning.
0345 Another contact.
0415 Merchant ships close to shore.  Cruiser afraid to go in.  Ursa and us close in – so close that salvos going over target started fires ashore.  Set fire to two tankers.  Left.
0500 Another contact.
0615 Closing in.  Open fire – three minesweepers, one Ack Ack and two or three merchant ships.  Really a lot of ships flying around. Two ships aground.
0700 Another run.  Ack Ack.  HIT!
0745
 
 		 Broad daylight – going in for last run.  So close can see people through glasses on streets of La Pallice watching us.  Run sweepers aground – torpedoed Ack Ack ship on fire. Now have fighter protection.
0900
 		 Secure action stations.  Captain happy and photographer used all film. 900 rounds fired.
1145 Sighted mine – fired at it.
1300 ALLIES INVADED SOUTH OF FRANCE!!!
2330 Action stations.
August 16 0600 Secure action stations – nothing doing all night.
1000
 
 		 Couple miles off Isle d’Yeu.  Shore batteries (73 mm) open fire. Perfect straddle – between funnels, over foc’sle – could hear  them.  Cruiser opened fire at salvo and silenced them.  Now have air protection.
1600 Met Captain Walker’s anti-submarine group.
1800 Relieved by Tartar, Ashanti and Bellona.  Started back to  Plymouth.
August 17   0600 Entered harbour, alongside tanker. 
0800 Reammunition ship.
1430 Move alongside jetty – all night shore leave.
August 18 Still alongside jetty.
1430 All night shore leave – went ashore to movie.
August 19 Still alongside – scrub and paint.
1230 Pipedown.
1500 Ursa and us move to No. 6 buoy.  No shore leave.
August 20 0945 Midstream – divisions – hot.  Pipedown.
1515 Prepare to leave harbour.
1545 Left with Ursa and the cruiser, HMS Mauritius
1630 Action stations.
1830 Secure.
August 21 No action stations last night.
0820 Action stations.
0850 Secure – nothing doing.  Heavy seas.  South of Bordeaux.
2115 285 radar set shorted and caught fire.
2145 Action stations.
2310 285 repaired.
August 22 0500 Contact.
0645 Secure action stations.
1000
 		 Shore batteries opened up.  Very close.  Smoke screen.  Dropped smoke float close to shore for RAF.
2000 Haida relieved us – on way back.
2145 Action stations.
August 23 0200 Two contacts.
0207 285 target.  Open fire.  Enemy hit.
0225 Second target.  Open fire, direct hit, stopped, afire.
0235 Third target.
0238 Open fire, hit, afire.
0350 In range finder – echo 138.
0408
 		 Open fire – flak ship set up a barrage of AA against our shells. Lots of stuff heaved at us.
0415 Another hit – afire.
0423 Two hit.
0427 Another run.
0432
 		 Open fire – hits, afire, heavy list, sinking.  Lost Ursa and  Mauritius. Almost fired on Ursa.  Found them again.
0450 Another target.
0522 Open fire – hit.
0524
 		 Two ships close together.  They collided.  Burning beautifully. Almost every salvo a direct hit.
0540
 		 Can see town less than 1 ½ miles away when searchlight is on. Waiting for daylight.  A, B, Y guns fired 1200 rounds – all out of ammunition.
0740 Closed to within 1500 yds.  Away boarding party.  Cancel.
0750
 
 		 Fire torpedo.  Hit.  Return to cruiser.  Ursa closed in, boarded and took off four prisoners and RDF set. Right in mouth of harbour.  See streets etc. in town a mile away. The town was Audierne about 20 miles south of Brest.
0800 Secure action stations.
1200 Return to Plymouth.
1600
 		 Started south again.  Back to the scene of action.  Close to shore. See ships on beach and people on beach with French and white flags.  Town very plain.
1800 Return to Plymouth.
August 24 0700 Enter harbour and alongside tanker.  Ammunition ship.
1600 Alongside jetty.
2300 Shore leave.
August 25 1600 Still alongside, no shore leave.
2000 Slipped, proceed to sea with HMS Kelvin and Mauritius.
2030 Action stations.
2130 Secure.
August 26 0100 Can see bright flashes in sky  -  bombing Brest.
1350
 
 
 

 

 In sight of Ile d’Yeu.  Fishing vessel sighted flying Free French flag and white flag.  Came alongside  -  three men and women. Women speak English.  Germans left island Friday night.  No food, twenty patriots shot.  Women having their hair shaved. Gave them flour, sugar, chocolate, cigarettes, meat, milk, etc. Traded French flag for pennant.  Another boat (3 men) alongside. Lt. Saks, PO Telegrapher, a telegrapher and a signalman going ashore till Sunday 1800 to inspect W/T stations.
1430 Pulled away.
1550
 		 Action stations.  Aircraft reported shot down, three airmen on rock near shore.  Going in to pick them up under shore battery.
1940 Secure.  Can’t find them.
2130 Action stations.  One false contact.
August 27 0030 Almost rammed Kelvin.
0630 Secure action stations.
1050
 		 Back to Ile d’Yeu.  Motor cutter ashore with Lt. Hayes, L/S Groom, Nelthorpe, Maloney, Grey, Henratty, Frenette and a stoker.  No sign of landing party.
1400
 
 
 		 Motor launch returning.  Flowers, flags, etc. all over it.  Fishing vessel came alongside too.  Flags all over it  -  given to crew as souvenirs.  Also German helmets, grenades, picture of Hitler, coins, postcards and an enormous bouquet of flowers. Several
parcels, Free French flag and Nazi emblems given to the Captain.
1830
 		 In sight of Belle Isle.  Going to send another party ashore.  First Lt and Lt. Saks.  Big Town.
1900
 
 		 Fish boats from ashore alongside.  Fourteen Commandos, one naval officer and one Yank officer aboard.  Officers see Captain. Officers say 900 Germans on island and only fifteen British.
2100 Boat returned to shore.
2115 Another boat alongside.  Mayor of town to see the Captain and give him pennants and flags.
2130 Mayor returned to town.
2145 Landing party returned.
2230 Action stations.
August 28 Can see flashes  from big guns in battle area ashore.
0630 Secure action stations.
0930 Another landing party ashore at Belle Isle to be picked up at 1800.
1730 In sight of Belle Isle again,  motor boat ashore.
1800 Landing party returned.
2145 Action stations.
August 29 0630 Secure action stations
0800 Returning to Plymouth
1430 Enter harbour  -  alongside tanker.
1930 Move to buoy alongside Kelvin and Haida.
2200 Shore leave.
August 30
 
 		 Slip and proceed to sea with Haida.  Heading out into Atlantic. Buzz is that we are going south to pick up French cruiser, Joan d’Arc coming up from Casablanca and take to Cherbourg.
2030 Action stations.
2100 Secure.  Heavy swell.
August 31 1100 Meet Joan d’Arc and start north again.
1845 Action stations.
1900 Secure
September 1 1200 In Channel meeting landing craft, bombers,etc.                                                   
1400 Cherbourg.
Note 1:

 The above chronicle and many more action stories of the Iroquois and other Royal Canadian Navy ships were subsequently recorded, in considerably more detail, in Joseph Schull’s definitive history of the Royal Canadian Navy, “The Far Distant Ships”.

Note 2:

 Ted Doyle was a Radar Operator aboard HMCS Iroquois.  His action station was in the Range Finder “bucket” above the bridge.  The “bucket” was a circular steel vessel (about 5’ diam. & about 4’ deep).  It’s purpose was to rotate a radar antenna attached to it in order to accurately locate (bearing and range) enemy contacts at night.  Gunnery would then use this information to illuminate the targets with starshell.  Visual firing would then take over until contact was lost.

 The “bucket” was manned by two radar operators, Doyle and Tom Bracken.  There were two monitors in the “bucket”, which were used to find and focus the antenna on the contact.  The actual information was passed to the Bridge and to Gunnery from the main radar set below.  The “bucket” was rotated manually by using a horizontal “steering wheel” located between the two operators.

                                                                                                                   Ted Doyle

 
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