Navy Minister Macdonald revealed Sunday night that Canadian Tribal class destroyers have been operating with the British Home Fleet in northern waters and provided, "close escort" for the Russian convoy which was attacked by the Nazi battleship Scharnhorst, later sunk by units of the British Navy.
Mr. Macdonald said in a press release that these powerful destroyers, including the Haida and the Iroquois, also have been on convoy duty to Iceland in recent months. Other Canadian Tribals on overseas service are the Huron and the Athabaskan.
The statement quoted Cmdr. H. G. DeWolf, of Halifax,
commanding officer of the Haida, as telling what his ship saw of the Scharnhorst
attack, which came after the convoy had been shadowed by aircraft and submarines
most of the voyage. "We were on close escort duty inside the cruiser screen,
when the Scharnhorst came up first" said Cmdr. DeWolf, "and we took up
our station on the threatened flank. We could see the flashes from the
cruisers' guns as they opened fire.
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The German battleship Scharnhorst. (Photo furnished by Tom Ingham)
"The Scharnhorst turned away but later threatened the convoy from the other side. Once again the cruisers engaged her and then the action went away from us as we had to remain with the convoy." Cmdr. DeWolf said the Tribals have been operating with units of the Home Fleet in far northern waters for the past several months, up in latitudes where there is little daylight. They had also been on Icelandic convoys sometimes as close escort and other times as part of the support forces.
In four months they were alongside a jetty only once and that time for a 24 hour spell. They celebrated Christmas in a northern seaport and put to sea again immediately afterwards. As part of a destroyer division with a destroyer flotilla of the Home Fleet, they are kept busy.