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Old 14-08-16, 05:52 PM
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Default HMCS Uganda

Voltigeur had placed in the 'Off Topic' section a photo of HMCS Uganda:
http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ad.php?t=55812

So I thought I would place some of the photos I have of her in the RCN section:

HMCS Uganda in the Pacific, 1945:



Ship's Company of HMCS Uganda prior to her departure for the Pacific Theatre:
Her Captain for this period was Captain Rollo Mainguy RCN, & her Commander, Commander Harry Pullen, RCN.




Two post war photos of HMCS Uganda at Valparaiso harbour, Chili, 1946.
In the first photo HMCS Uganda is on the left approaching the harbour, & in the second photos she is being docked.





I will give some more of HMCS Uganda's history in another post.......

Bryan
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Old 14-08-16, 06:01 PM
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Default HMCS Uganda

Warrant Engineer Benjamin Wilcox McINTOSH,(later Lieut([E]) RCN, served on HMCS Uganda as Warrant Engineer when she was employed as a Training Cruiser out of Esquimalt in 1947:

He entered the RCN in Nov 1926 as a 2nd class Stoker, by March 1934 he was PO Stoker, and Chief Stoker in June 1938. He was advanced to Warrant Engineer Apl 1943, Commissioned Engineer Sep 1949, & promoted to Lieut(E) Apl 1951. He was pensioned in May 1959 & died in Delta BC on Nov 14, 2000.

He had wartime service in the Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean & Pacific theatres.




Bryan
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Old 14-08-16, 06:02 PM
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Default HMCS Uganda

HMCS Uganda was the only RCN ship to see active service in the Pacific theatre war against the Japanese. She was to serve with the RN Pacific Fleet between April & July of 1945.

HMS Uganda was completed on 3 July 1943 at Vickers-Armstrong & saw service in operations in the English Channel & Bay of Biscay. In July she was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet as part of "Force K" , & whilst supporting Allied landings at Salerno was hit by a German glider bomb on Sep 13, 1943. She also supported the Allied landings at Salerno. She was in Charleston USA for a year's refit before being presented to the RCN on Oct 21, 1944, being commissioned as HMCS Uganda. After modernization in UK she sailed for the Pacific theatre
in Jan 1945, transiting the Suez canal on her way. Upon arrival in the Pacific theatre in April, she joined the RN 4th Cruiser Sqdn. In April she was part of Task Force 57 on operations in the Okinawa area & in screening Aircraft Carriers of the Fleet operating against Japanese airfields in the Ryukyu Islands. On June 14 she participated in the bombardment of Truk Atoll & was involved in operations against Tokyo in July.

In July HMCS Uganda basically voted herself out of the war. The reason was primarily political. The Canadian Government no longer intended to deploy personnel, other than volunteers, to the Pacific Theatre. The "Volunteers Only" policy, as it was called, required that all naval personnel specifically re-volunteer for service in the Pacific Theatre before they would be dispatched to participate in hostilities. Unaware of the impending policy change, HMCS UGANDA had already set sail to augment the British Pacific Fleet.
The "Volunteers Only" policy change had serious implications for UGANDA, as her commanding officer, Captain Edmond Rollo Mainguy, recognized. If the majority of the ship's company decided they did not wish to re-volunteer, the operational efficiency of his ship would suffer and his ability to continue to support the British Pacific Fleet would be jeopardized.
The issue came to a head when the ship's company was required to decide on whether or not they wished to re-volunteer, while simultaneously voting in an advance poll on 2 June for the general election. By nightfall, 344 members of the ship's company had re-volunteered, while 556 of their shipmates had not. As a result, and due in no small part to the logistical nightmare of trying to send home personnel who opted not to re-volunteer, the Admiralty decided that UGANDA should return to Esquimalt to disembark the non-volunteers. Still, it took some time to organize this, and she continued on operations until relieved by HMS Argonaut on 27 July, when UGANDA departed the Pacific Theatre.

Obviously there was a lot of hard feelings on this subject at the time. It was certainly a stain on both the war reputation of Uganda & the RCN. The 'Uganda Incident's' repercussions were to be felt for some time afterwards in the RCN.

Post 2WW Uganda was employed as a training ship operating out of Esquimalt on the west coast of Canada. On Jan 14, 1952 Uganda's name was changed to HMCS Quebec. However Uganda/Quebec was very expensive to maintain & operate, she was paid off on June 13, 1956 & was subsequently sold for breakup, ironically to Osaka Japan, where she was broken up from Feb 1961.


There is a fair amount of info on HMCS Uganda on the internet. The CFB Esquimalt Museum has a good site on the 'Pacific Volunteers Only' policy that affected Uganda. Some of the material above has been taken from their site.
http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.or...uganda-episode

Bryan

Last edited by RCN; 15-08-16 at 01:40 PM.
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Old 31-08-16, 08:12 AM
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Default HMCS Uganda

Hi Bryan

I must admit that I have found all this very interesting. I was of course aware of HMCS Uganda and her being the ship that 'voted herself out of the war'. But reading your comments inspired me to find out more about her and her part in the war. Events following the vote to leave have tended to overshadow the gallant part that she played as part of the British Pacific Fleet and fail to reflect how highly she was regarded by the rest of the Fleet.

But one factor which really shines out of the events of 1945 is the growing sense of a distinctly 'Canadian' identity for the RCN. Uganda was the only Canadian warship serving with the BPF and one senses that the failure to recognise this (by the Canadian government as much as anyone else) played a large part in the events that ensued. The fact that the ship wasn't provided with a Canadian flag and that no maple leaf device was attached or painted on the funnel is incredible!

The subsequent adoption of distinctly Canadian naval badges instead of those used by the Royal Navy reflects this growing desire to establish a truly Canadian identity for the RCN. The part played by the events involving HMCS Uganda in 1945 should not be underestimated in establishing this identity. I can't help wondering if things would have happened as quickly as they did without HMCS Uganda.

Pete
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Old 31-08-16, 01:10 PM
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Hi Bryan

Thanks for that. The RCN has always held an interest for me. I've liked to hear the navy stories I'd been told by East coast relatives and the written ones that abound. Mostly small ship/Battle of the Atlantic stuff. Throwing beer bottles at U-Boats! I just found out about Ferdinand Demara and Cayuga!

Anyways, Ontario and Quebec certainly hold a place in our naval history as the largest ships we've had (barring carriers). Pete, wasn't the maple leaf on the funnel an Atlantic escorts "thing" and not navy-wide? (*Edit- I see a single green leaf on the funnel was to be RCN-wide as of September 1944!)

I may increase to instances that I pick up random RCN cap tallys!!

A great source for photos:
http://www.hazegray.org/

regards
Darrell
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Last edited by Darrell; 31-08-16 at 01:38 PM.
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Old 31-08-16, 04:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Guzzman View Post
Hi Bryan
The subsequent adoption of distinctly Canadian naval badges instead of those used by the Royal Navy reflects this growing desire to establish a truly Canadian identity for the RCN. The part played by the events involving HMCS Uganda in 1945 should not be underestimated in establishing this identity. I can't help wondering if things would have happened as quickly as they did without HMCS Uganda.

Pete
Pete,

HMCS Uganda was not the only "incident" that took place in the RCN in that post war period. If you type in "MAINGUY REPORT" you will be able to read of some of the other "incidents" that took place leading to a fairly quick reform of the RCN during 1949-50.

The basic problem was the lack of 'Canadianisation' in the RCN. Many (particularly ratings) who served in the RCN post 2WW felt it was far too RN oriented in that (& prior) period, & really was ripe for a long overdue change.

Bryan
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Old 31-08-16, 04:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell View Post
Hi Bryan


Anyways, Ontario and Quebec certainly hold a place in our naval history as the largest ships we've had (barring carriers). Pete, wasn't the maple leaf on the funnel an Atlantic escorts "thing" and not navy-wide? (*Edit- I see a single green leaf on the funnel was to be RCN-wide as of September 1944!)

I may increase to instances that I pick up random RCN cap tallys!!

A great source for photos:
http://www.hazegray.org/

regards
Darrell
Darrell,

Don't forget HMCS AURORA, the more modern(than Rainbow or Niobe) Light Cruiser that replaced both of those older ships in 1920. She was the RCN's only other Cruiser.

She was formerly HMS Aurora & launched in 1913 & commissioned in Sept 1914, seeing action at the Battle of Dogger bank in 1915 & service throughout the Great War.

She was gifted to Canada in March 1920 , commissioned in Nov, but unfortunately had a very brief RCN career, being decommissioned the following year ain Aug fater only one cruise.

I have medals of RN ratings that came over with her & elected to remain in the RCN.



Bryan

Last edited by RCN; 31-08-16 at 04:31 PM.
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Old 31-08-16, 04:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell View Post
Hi Bryan

I just found out about Ferdinand Demara and Cayuga!

Anyways, Ontario and Quebec certainly hold a place in our naval history as the

A great source for photos:
http://www.hazegray.org/

regards
Darrell
I think he qualified for the Korea pair. He was impersonating a Doctor on Cayuga during one of her Korean tours. I have medals to one of Cayuga's crew he may have "worked' on!

& thanks also for the site link, I was aware of it.

Bryan
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Old 22-09-16, 02:32 PM
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Default HMCS Uganda Band

I had missed this photo I have of the Band of HMCS Uganda circa 1945.

Bryan

This photo was likely taken after Uganda returned from the Pacific theatre as the only name that tallies with the Pacific theatre crew list is that of the Bandmaster, PO Jeffries. Possibly taken when Uganda was employed post war as a Training cruiser on the west coast of Canada.



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