HMCS CRESCENT

In September 1943, when the ship that was to become HMCS CRESCENT [1] was laid down in the shipyard of John Brown and Company, Clydebank, there was no reason to suppose that she would become part of the Royal Canadian Navy. The ship was one of eight being built for the Admiralty which together would form a flotilla of intermediate-sized destroyers. Four such flotillas of “C” Class, fleet destroyers were under construction in 1943 – the Caesar, Chequers, Cossack and Crescent groups. [2]

Up until this time, the Royal Canadian Navy had been chiefly concerned with the safeguarding of the North Atlantic convoy routes. However, by the end of 1943, the tide had turned in the Battle of the Atlantic and it was no longer necessary to concentrate upon the acquisition of escort vessels for the convoy runs. Two new considerations now determined policy with regard to the future of the RCN. In the first place, it was decided that any new ships acquired should be vessels that would enable the RCN to play an effective role in the Pacific War. Secondly, it was important that the RCN, at the moment almost exclusively a small-ship navy, should end the war with a well-balanced fleet that would be useful in the post-war period. This would mean the acquisition of fleet destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers rather than the frigates and corvettes upon which the RCN had concentrated hitherto.

In December 1943, the Admiralty agreed to consider releasing to the RCN eight fleet destroyers, and in January, the Director of Plans at Naval Service Headquarters recommended that these should be “Crescent” Class destroyers. [3] Negotiations with the Admiralty continued throughout 1944 as plans were laid for the final stages of the war against Japan. It was January 1945 before the British made a definite offer to lend a whole flotilla of eight “Crescent” Class destroyers to the RCN for use against the Japanese. This offer was tentatively accepted in February by the Cabinet War Committee, although the official acceptance by the Canadian Government was not forthcoming until May, after further negotiations had taken place.

Actually, none of these eight destroyers was in commission on V-J Day, and only two, CRESCENT and CRUSADER, ever became part of the Royal Canadian Navy. The first to be commissioned was HMCS CRESCENT, at Clydebank on 10 September 1945, in a ceremony attended by Captain P. B. German, RCN, the head of the Canadian Naval Mission Overseas.

The ship took her name from the crescent or new moon which had been used as an ornament and as a device in heraldry in western Europe as long ago as the Middle Ages. At that time the crescent was not connected with the Muslim religion, for neither the Saracens of Crusading days nor the Moors of Spain used it as their symbol. [4] It was the OttomanTurks who adopted the crescent as their emblem or device, whence it became the symbol of the Turkish Empire and of Mohammedanism as a religious force.

To use the name Crescent for a fighting ship was by no means a new idea, for there had already been twelve ships of that name in the Royal Navy. In fact, the ship’s forebears date back to the days of the Spanish Armada when the first Crescent took part in that famous battle in which the Elisabethan sea-dogs defeated the Spaniards. Other ships by the same name fought under Blake during the Dutch Wars of the 1650’s and against the French during the eighteenth century and the Napoleonic era. There was a Crescent present at the capture of Martinique in 1762 and another with the expedition which took Cape Colony from the Dutch in 1795.

The tenth Crescent was more intimately associated with Canada than any of her predecessors had been, for she served as flagship on the North America and West Indies Station from 1895 to 1897 and was based on Halifax during the summer months. Another HMS Crescent, the 12th of that name, was actually transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy where she commissioned as HMCS FRASER in 1937. This ship, a destroyer of 1,375 tons, served with the RCN until June 1940, when she was lost off the Biscay coast while assisting in the evacuation of refugees and troops from France.

Several of these early ships have won Battle Honours for the part which they played in British naval victories. These Battle Honours, now borne by HMCS CRESCENT, are:

Her commissioning ceremony having been carried out on 10 September, harbour and sea trials followed during the next ten days. Then, on 21 September, a four-hour, full-power trial was carried out. When this had been successfully completed, CRESCENT proceeded over the Arran measured mile four times and a mean speed of 31 [5] knots was recorded. On return to harbour, the ship was finally accepted from the Admiralty by the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Commander C. P. Nixon, DSC, RCN.

Three days later, CRESCENT weighed anchor for Portland on a short shake-down cruise. From there the ship sailed to St. Helier, on the island of Jersey at the invitation of the Lieutenant-Governor and people of the island. The Channel Islands had been occupied by the Germans from the summer of 1940 until 8 May 1945 when the British forces returned. During this period of German occupation, the Canadian Red Cross sent supplies to the people and it was for this reason that CRESCENT had been invited to call there.

The ship berthed alongside the breakwater in St. Helier harbour on the morning of 2 October. A civic reception was held for the ship’s company in the Town Hall where speeches were made by the Bailiff, the Commanding Officer, and the Lieutenant-Governor. [6] At the conclusion of his speech, the Bailiff presented the ship with a replica of the official seal of the island. In the afternoon, the ship was open to visitors and many of the ship’s company were taken on a motor tour of the island. The following day, CRESCENT paid a similar visit to the island of Guernsey, anchoring off St. Peter Port, the largest town of the island. The Commanding Officer reported the calls at the two islands in the following way:

The ship’s visits to Jersey and Guernsey are considered to have been a great success. We were received with boundless hospitality and the people of both Islands were only too anxious to express through us their thanks and appreciation for Canadian Red Cross supplies sent them during the German occupation. [7]

Having returned to Portland on 3 October, the ship spent the next few days provisioning and fuelling before sailing on the first leg of her passage to Esquimalt. En route to the Azores, a force 7 gale was encountered, the first rough weather so far experienced by the ship. She stood up well to the storm, being reported as extremely steady in a heavy sea. After almost a month at sea, CRESCENT arrived at Esquimalt on 7 November and secured alongside HMCS ALGONQUIN.

During her fitting out period at Clydebank, a jeep for the ship’s use had been obtained on loan. Permission was later granted by the head of the Canadian Naval Mission Overseas to keep this vehicle as part of the ship’s stores. Stowed on chocks amidships and covered with canvas, the jeep survived the passage to Esquimalt without any difficulty. The Commanding Officer found possession of the jeep an immeasurable advantage to the ship and recommended that a small motor vehicle become part of the standard equipment of all destroyers that have stowage space for one. The recommendation was not concurred in. “Whilst appreciating the value of a jeep for runs ashore, carting stores, etc., a principle is involved which, if given official approval, can lead to much abuse… If one ship has an official or even an unofficial jeep allowed, all ships will want one.” [8] Lack of space and top-weight consideration were two of the main factors in turning down the recommendation. A motor cutter had been landed to reduce top-weight during building, and it was considered that carrying another boat would be more to the point if stability would allow of the extra weight. So ended a valiant experiment in shore transportation. [9]

HMCS CRESCENT was appointed training ship to HMCS GIVENCHY on 29 November 1945. During January, she undertook the first week-end cadet training cruise of a series of nine that continued until March. The cadets were exercised at anchoring and mooring ship and were employed in boat-pulling and in lowering and hoisting sea-boats. They took over the wheel and operated the telegraphs for a time on the return passage to Esquimalt. In some of the subsequent cruises, cadets were employed practicing chart work and radar navigation instead of seamanship evolutions. Two ten-days cruises and a one-month training cruise were undertaken before 9 June to complete the cadet training programme until fall.

After a week’s stay in Vancouver for the city’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, HMCS CRESCENT carried His Excellency, the Governor-General from Vancouver to Victoria and thence up the Strait of Georgia to Twin Islands. [10] From there she proceeded up the east coast of Vancouver Island and secured on HMCS UGANDA in Alert Bay. [11] The two ships spent a good deal of time in company during the next two months. This was the first time that CRESCENT had operated with another RCN ship and provided the officers-of-the-watch with much-needed experience in station-keeping and manoeuvring. The communications ratings also benefited from operating with another vessel and, in fact, the period proved of benefit to the entire ship. During the course of these manoeuvers and drills, UGANGA and CRESCENT made a voyage to Alaska, proceeding as fas as Dutch Harbour in the Aleutian Islands and returning by way of Kodiak and Juneau.

October found CRESCENT alongside at Esquimalt for a boiler cleaning, and semi-annual leave was granted. Then on 7 November, she departed to rendezvous with HMCS WARRIOR at Balboa in the Canal Zone for duty as a carrier attendant during flying operations. After fuelling at San Diego, CRESCENT steamed south to join WARRIOR on 19 November. The following day, the two ships weighed anchor for Acapulco, Mexico. That afternoon, CRESCENT had her first experience as plane guard for an aircraft carrier. The operating of the aircraft was watched with great interest by many men who had not seen such flights before, and all hands were impressed by the handling of the aircraft when taking off or flying on. Moreover, the frequent manoeuvring necessary during the daily flying programmes provided HMCS CRESCENT with excellent practice in ship handling.

Working with an RCN carrier provided an opportunity for recreation that would not normally be available to the ship’s company. Upon several occasions, deck hockey and volley-ball teams were put aboard WARRIOR where matches could be played on the flight-deck. In the evenings, CRESCENT closed to half a cable on WARRIOR’s beam in order to hear the latter’s band concerts. After much independent cruising during the year, operating with HMCS WARRIOR proved to be a most interesting experience.

Off Acapulco, CRESCENT and WARRIOR were joined by HMCS UGANDA and the three ships carried out exercises for forty-eight hours before visiting this well-known Mexican resort town and port. On 29 November 1946, Lieutenant P. G. May, RCN, and fifteen men proceeded to Mexico City to form part of the Canadian Naval Contingent attending the inauguration of President Miguel Aleman Valdes. Acapulco proved to be a satisfying combination of fine bathing beaches, smart hotels, and charming society – in fact, a very pleasant port-of-call.

The task force set sail for San Diego on 3 December, and HMCS CRESCENT, having detached from the force, arrived back at Esquimalt on the 14th. The ship remained alongside for leave and maintenance for the rest of December and throughout the first part of January.

During the early part of 1947, CRESCENT undertook four short cadet training cruises and one longer cruise to the Canal Zone. Then, in April, HMC Ships UGANDA and CRESCENT called at Prince Rupert in order to present the community with the ship’s bell that had belonged to HMCS PRINCE RUPERT, a “River” Class frigate of the Second World War. An extensive sports programme was arranged including basket-ball, soccer, and a boxing exhibition, and the ship’s companies enjoyed the three days spent at Prince Rupert. There followed a short cruise to San Diego, and then in May the ship was taken in had for her annual refit.

The refit was not completed until the end of the summer. From 21 August to 1 September, CRESCENT was alongside at Vancouver for the Pacific National Exhibition. Then after more work had been done aboard, the latter part of September was spent undergoing trials and preparing for sea. A shake-down cruise around Vancouver Island was followed by a week of anti-submarine exercises carried out with HMCS ANTIGONISH and the USN Submarines Queenfish at the beginning of November. Exercises were carried out daily and steady progress was made throughout the week in training anti-submarine teams. Parties of officers and men from CRESCENT were given the opportunity of going to sea in USS Queenfish, the better to appreciate the duties of the submariner. Except for one afternoon, asdic conditions were excellent during the period and a good deal of worth-while work was accomplished.

On 10 November, HMCS CRESCENT put to sea on a ten-day cruise with new-entry seamen from HMCS NADEN. One of the places where the ship anchored for training was Kulleet Bay, [12] a spot which the ship’s company apparently enjoyed. The report on their activities there reads as follows:

Kulleet Bay being completely without any form of human life except a very small Indian settlement was considered a good visiting place as there were oysters, cod, and grilse in abundance. There was also one suspected salmon in the vicinity who made off with the Commanding Officer’s plug. [13]

Aside from these sporting activities, the “new-entries” obtained a good deal of practical experience before this cruise was completed on 26 November.

The ship then remained alongside throughout December while leave was granted. During January, CRESCENT was in dry dock for a few days and there followed the usual trials and preparations for sea. Then, on 3 February 1948, the ship sailed on a training cruise that was to take her to the Caribbean. Having stopped in several ports in southern California, CRESCENT and ONTARIO proceeded via Acapulco to the Panama Canal. They met up with HMCS NOOTKA and HMS Sheffield, and the four ships exercised on the way to St. Johns, Antigua, in the British West Indies. There a mock E-boat attack on the Squadron was carried out by fast motor boats. At Peter Island [14] a few days later, the ship carried out a sham bombardment and landing.

From there HMS Sheffield proceeded to Bermuda and the RCN ships made for the Panama Canal. En route to Cristobal, the squadron was subjected to mock air attacks by Black Widow aircraft from the USAF base at Colon and then by jet fighter aircraft. The attack by the jet aircraft impressed the Commanding Officer as a true picture of what could be expected by ships at sea in the future. “In these attacks they [the jet aircraft] were travelling over 600 knots by plot. This meant that unless they were picked up at least ten miles away, it was too late to achieve anything by gun-fire….It was noticeable that no longer could sound be used to give general direction, as the aircraft travelled just as fast as the sound and you could not hear them approaching.” [15]

CRESCENT and ONTARIO traversed the Panama Canal on 10 April and arrived back at Esquimalt on the 25th. Two short cadet training cruises and anti-submarine exercises with the USN Submarine Caiman were carried out during May, before visiting New Westminster at the end of the month. There the ship’s company were very well received and the Commanding Officer recommended that more frequent visits should be made to the city by HMC ships. During the course of this visit to New Westminster, the ship’s officers saw an interesting salute fired to celebrate the 24th of May:

At 1145, in company with the Mayor, officers of HMCS CRESCENT witnessed the firing of a 21 gun salute by the tradition bound Hyack Anvil Battery, employing a most economical and efficient means of paying tribute. The orifice in one anvil was filled with powder, covered with a worn playing card and a second anvil place on top, the firing of the charge producing a loud bang and blowing off the top anvil eady for the reloading. The Commanding Officer, HMCS CRESCENT, had the honour of firing the 17th gun, achieved by the simple expedient of touching a red hot poker to a train of powder …. This practice originated with the Royal Engineers when they founded New Westminster 88 years ago. [16]

June and July saw HMCS CRESCENT alongside at HMC Dockyard, Esquimalt, for her annual refit. Following this, the ship carried out two cruises in a working-up programme on the west coast, and then a squadron consisting of HMC Ships ONTARIO, CAYUGA, ATHABASKAN, ANTIGONISH and CRESCENT sailed for Pearl Harbor on an autumn cruise. The ships arrived at Pearl Harbor on 19 October and exercised in the area until 5 November, when they departed on their return passage to Esquimalt. During December and January, HMCS CRESCENT was alongside at Esquimalt for leave and maintenance in preparation for her spring cruise.

On the day of departure, CRESCENT’s sailing orders were cancelled and the Commanding Officer was ordered to Ottawa by air for a briefing. Instead of sailing for the West Indies with the rest of Task Group 215.9, CRESCENT was to be sent on a cruise to China. At that time, the Communist forces were rapidly over-running the mainland of China. The cities of Peking and Tientsin had fallen to the Communists and by February most of the country north of the Yangtze River was in their hands. Some eight hundred Canadians were living in China and many people were anxious concerning the fate of these Canadian citizens who had been caught up in the Chinese civil war. When questioned in the House of Commons in connection with CRESCENT’s departure, the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Claxton, had this to say:

The ship is going on a cruise to the Far East, and if there should be a need of coming to the assistance of any Canadians, it will be available to give that assistance. [17]

On 30 January, the Commanding Officer returned from Ottawa, and three days later HMCS CRESCENT sailed from Esquimalt to proceed via Pearl Harbor and Kwajalein atoll to China. She reached the Yangtze on 25 February and anchored for the night off Woosung, an outport of Shanghai situated a few miles down-stream. The following morning, the ship embarked a pilot and weighed anchor. CRESCENT reached Shanghai after a hair-raising but successful passage up the river, where every inch of space appeared to be occupied by a Chinese junk intent upon committing hara-kiri across the ship’s bows. Having arrived without incident, CRESCENT was fortunate enough to be berthed in midstream just off the Bund (18) in the down-town, European part of the city. It was soon apparent that Shanghai was indeed one of the largest cities in the world with modern buildings of good size and an astonishing variety of architecture, mostly fairly modern. CRESCENT, being the first Canadian warship ever to enter Chinese territorial waters, was given a warm welcome by the European settlement in Shanghai and particularly by the Canadians there, some one hundred and fifty in number.

From Shanghai, HMCS CRESCENT was scheduled to proceed up the Yangtze River to Nanking to take a turn as guard-ship there. The Royal Navy had maintained a guard-ship at Nanking since November 1948, when the British ambassador had requested such a ship to bring essential supplies, provide a stabilizing influence if conditions deteriorated, and be prepared to evacuate the British communities. [19] The approval of the Nationalist Government at Nanking was obtained before such a guard-ship was sent, and a regular scheme for the rotation of ships had been worked out.

On 10 March, HMCS CRESCENT slipped and proceeded up the Yangtze to Nanking. This part of the river is narrow, and the ship was seldom more than two hundred yards from one river bank or the other. The only soldiers seen were Nationalists, who were busy supervising the local villagers in the building of primitive earthworks on the river banks and in the nearby hills. A few shots were heard, but they were considered to come from Nationalists troops at rifle practice. Nevertheless, gun crews and control parties were closed up in a state of readiness all during the passage.

HMS Cossack, the RN ship that CRESCENT had come up the river to replace, slipped and departed for Shanghai on 14 March, and HMCS CRESCENT assumed the duties of SCNO (A) Nanking. The uneasy truce which marked the civil war in China at that time continued throughout the period while CRESCENT was at Nanking, but no untoward incidents occurred. The capital of Nationalist China gave the ship’s company an entirely different picture of the country from that which they had received at Shanghai:

Nanking is not a big city [20] nor an attractive one, being a contrast between great poverty, squalor, and filth, and, in the government and diplomatic buildings, great comfort and even luxury. We were allowed ashore only on sports or recreational leave in the nearby compound of the International Export Company…or else to parties organized by the Canadian, British, or American Embassies….Close by the compound was a village of straw huts, some of them less than four feet high and only about six feet square, in which anywhere from two to three people lived. It rained a lot in Nanking, and there was a continuous sea of mud everywhere in this wretched village. Certainly in Shanghai we saw no scenes like this. [21]

HMS Consort arrived to relieve CRESCENT on 23 March, and the latter weighed anchor the same day and proceeded down-stream for Woosung, the outport of Shanghai. Aboard were His Excellency, the Canadian Ambassador, and Mrs. Davis, who had taken passage for Woosung. While at anchor in the river that night, CRESCENT found herself in an excellent position to view the assault of the Communists against the Nationalist bridge-head on the north bank of the river. Sporadic star-shell, flares, and gun-fire from the opposing factions some five miles away could be seen and heard throughout the night.

The following day, the Canadian Ambassador and Mrs. Davis disembarked at Woosung and CRESCENT, having oiled, proceeded to rendezvous with HMS Cossack for exercises en route to Hong Kong. The two ships arrived on 27 March, and the men from CRESCENT found Hong Kong a most attractive place. It had been many weeks since the ship’s company had been in a port where they could move about freely at their own leisure, and the change was most welcome.

Preparations were made to take part in Operation “Lancer”, a combined-services effort designed to test the defences of Hong Kong and the New Territories [22] against a land assault from the north. On 30 March at 0900, CRESCENT weighed anchor and proceeded to take up her designated position off the New Territories. From this position, it was possible to control the only line of retreat along which the “enemy” forces would be forced to travel. Steam was kept at one Hour’s notice, but action was slow for the Navy in the opening phase of the exercise and was confined chiefly to establishing W/T and R/T communications with the Army ashore. Early the following morning, CRESCENT weighed and proceeded to lend support to the flank of the “friendly” forces. Apart from a significant signal from the Army that their advance had been “temporarily delayed at the Hong Kong Brewery,” the day’s events passed off without incident, and much needed experience was gained in bombardment procedures and communications with shore parties. The ship anchored overnight and kept steam at one hour’s notice until the following morning when the operation came to an end.

On 8 April, HMCS CRESCENT landed a party of thirteen officers and 127 men to lay a wreath and mount a guard of honour at Sai Wan over the graves of the Canadian soldiers buried there. These men from the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada had died in 1941 defending Hong Kong against the Japanese. The following is an excerpt from the letter sent to the Officers Commanding, Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada:

We landed at 1415 and arrived [at Sai Wan] by bus at 1500 to find the Canadian Flag flying for the day, as had been previously arranged, and sentries from this ship already posted at four corners of the Canadian sections. The day was overcast and it had been raining, but it was dry for the occasion and it looks as if the rain will hold off until nightfall. The ship’s company, of whom 140 were present, were formed up on the sides of the plot with a full platoon as guard on the upper side facing the sea. After the Padre had conducted a short but impressive service, I laid a wreath in the centre of one section and two men from HMCS CRESCENT, who had relatives in your regiments, laid another in the centre of the second section. The guard presented arms and the bulgers played the “Last Post” followed by the “Reveille”. The guard then moved off and the men were dismissed….We have left sentries posted at Sai Wan until sunset, both officers and men having volunteered for this duty. While the proceedings were under way at Sai Wan, a small party proceeded to Stanley Cemetery where a further wreath was laid. [23]

HMCS CRESCENT was still at Hong Kong on 20 April when news was received of the attacks made upon HMS Amethyst in the Yangtze River. The Amethyst had been on her way up river to relieve HMS Consort as guard-ship at Nanking when she had been attacked by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. [24] The reports indicated that the ship had been badly damaged and had run aground. HMS Consort, in attempting to come to her assistance, was also damaged and forced to withdraw down-stream, and a further attempt by HM Ships London and Black Swan to rescue the Amethyst was fought off by the Chinese Communist forces. These events meant that CRESCENT was one of two working destroyers left on the China Station. In view of this fact, the Commanding Officer arranged to cancel the ship’s projected visit to Manila.

On 25 April, HMCS CRESCENT slipped and proceeded to sea to contact HMS Consort who was in fog and without radar, steering for Hong Kong. The fog cleared early in the afternoon and smoke from Consort was sighted on the horizon. HMCS CRESCENT closed and took station astern, both ships proceeding at twenty-four knots. Consort was obviously quite severely damaged with many holes and patches visible in her hull and superstructure. Only one W/T set remained in operation and the gunnery control station (T.S.) was completely wrecked. At 1700, CRESCENT closed and passed papers and medical supplies to HMS Consort and, when detaching, cleared lower deck and “cheered ship” as she passed at twenty knots.

An impressive memorial service, held at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Hong Kong, for those who lost their lives in the Yangtze River engagements, was attended by the Commanding Officer, two other officers, and ten men from HMCS CRESCENT. Then on 3 May, the ship weighed anchor and proceeded out of Hong Kong for Alacrity Anchorage [25] near Shanghai. CRESCENT had aboard certain RN personnel who were being sent to Shanghai to replace those killed and wounded in the fighting on the Yangtze. Alacrity Anchorage was reached on the afternoon of the 5th and proved a very exposed berth.

That night an urgent message was received informing CRESCENT that the Canadian and British consulates were asking for all the ship’s available US funds to be sent them in the morning. Only US and Hong Kong dollars had any stability in Shanghai at that time, and it was thought that the consulates required the American money to tide them over the difficult period between the expected departure of the Nationalists and the arrival of the Communists. HMCS CRESCENT sent over $65,000 which the consulates were very pleased to receive.

On 9 May, the ship weighed and proceeded on her return voyage to Canada. Following the route she had taken on the way out via Kwajalein and Pearl Harbor, CRESCENT arrived at Esquimalt on 4 June 1949. “Two hours after her arrival [the ship] was completely shorn of her seventy-odd camphor chests, her one-stringed fiddles, and her innumerable other souvenirs, and was visibly lighter in the water.” [26]

HMCS CRESCENT’s next assignment was the transportation of eighty members of the Canadian Women’s Press Club from Vancouver to Victoria on 24 June. The weather for the first part of the voyage was perfect and the ship swarmed “from stem to gudgeon” with the fairer sex. Being active members of the Fourth Estate, their thirst for knowledge was insatiable. It was thought that adequate arrangements had been made in all spheres to ensure that everything would run smoothly. However, as is inevitable on these occasions, one unforeseen incident occurred which caused considerable amusement on all sides.

[Although] the ship and the ladies both had tight schedules to maintain,… there was a slight delay in getting the luggage ashore. With the ladies on the jetty, some zealot was heard to shout, “Hurry up and get those bags ashore”. The laughter that ensued assured us that there had definitely been a “meeting of the minds”, and the RCN can with some reason hope for a continued good press. [27]

During the rest of the summer and autumn, CRESCENT was engaged upon short training cruises on the west coast. One of these cruises took the ship to Skagway, Alaska, and another to Santa Barbara, California. One amusing incident, that took place during the summer, concerned a message received from Naval Headquarters while CRESCENT was in the Queen Charlotte Islands area. This message, which arrived on 22 July, stated that authorization had been granted by Treasury for an official reception to be given at Pearl Harbor. The Commanding Officer remarked that

“as the message was in answer to one sent seventy-one days before (11th May) and the ship was anchored off the fog-bound Indian village of Skidegate, no immediate action was taken”. [28]

On 1 December 1949, HMCS CRESCENT paid off into the Reserve Fleet. She commissioned again on 26 September 1950 in the presence of Rear-Admiral W. B. Creery, CBE, Flag Officer Pacific Coast, who spoke briefly to the ship’s company. Trials were carried out during October, including full-power trials and depth-charge firings on 16 October. Owing to the salmon run, these depth-charge firings had to be made in a minimum depth of one hundred fathoms of water. Accordingly, CRESCENT proceeded westerly out the Strait of Juan de Fuca for this purpose, and then altered course to the eastward again to carry out a two-hour full-power trial, which was most satisfactory.

HMCS CRESCENT was to be based at Halifax to carry out the duties of East Coast training destroyer. She sailed from Esquimalt on 6 November, and reached Halifax just over one month later. After a period of leave over the holiday season, CRESCENT spent the rest of January preparing for a cruise to Bermuda. There she carried out exercises with HMCS MICMAC and served as plane guard for HMCS MAGNIFICENT. One 26 February, while CRESCENT was serving as plane guard, three aircraft crashed. Two of the pilots were rescued, one of them being picked up less than four minutes after he had crashed. No trace of the third pilot was sighted although CRESCENT closed the oil slick within three minutes of the crash. However, the lives that the ship was able to save that day made all hands realize the necessity for the long hours of waiting at emergency stations while the ship served as plane guard.

Having returned from the exercises off Bermuda, CRESCENT undertook three UNTD training cruises during the summer of 1951. [29] Then, from September to February 1952, the ship was alongside at Halifax undergoing her annual refit. Just prior to this refit, the two ships, CRESCENT and CRUSADER, were permanently transferred to the RCN as a gift from the United Kingdom. Since 1945, they had been serving with the Royal Canadian Navy on loan from the Admiralty. Now, on 5 September 1951, they became the property of the Canadian Government. This made it easier to undertake alterations and additions and prepared the way for the modernization of the destroyers whenever Naval Headquarters felt that this was desirable.

Earlier in the year, a new ship’s badge had been designed for HMCS CRESCENT. It was very similar to the RN badge that she had worn hitherto which showed a plain silver crescent against a black field. The new badge, however, was of the circular pattern which had been adopted for use throughout the RCN. Navy blue was used instead of black for the field or background, and a single red maple leaf was placed upon the crescent. White and navy blue were chosen as the ship’s colours, and later [30] a motto, “In Virtute Cresco” – “I Grow In Strength”, was also officially approved.

Upon completion of her refit in February, HCMS CRESCENT undertook several cruises to “work-up” ship, the longest of these taking her to Bermuda where the ship’s company cleaned and painted the ship. The first cruise of the 1952 UNTD training season got under way on 19 May, with Task Group 213.1 – consisting of HMC Ships CRESCENT (Senior Officer), SWANSEA, and LA HULLOISE – en route for Gibraltar. The group fuelled at Ponta Delgada in the Azores and then put in at Gibraltar for four days. Tours of the citadel in naval and military trucks were organized and an extensive sports programme was carried out ashore.

Upon leaving Gibraltar, the ships of the task group separated in order to carry out a night encounter exercise. SWANSEA and LA HULLOISE proceeded along the Spanish coast, while CRESCENT detached and steamed along the North Africa shore in order to approach the night rendezvous from an unknown direction. All ships disguised themselves as merchant vessels and a very interesting night exercise resulted. Upon illuminating a suspicious merchant vessel at 6,000 yards, CRESCENT found that it was SWANSEA. Then, the rendezvous having been accomplished, the three ships resumed course for southern France.

The next port of call for the task group was Toulon. The ship’s company learned upon their arrival that a Communist-inspired general strike threatened so that leave could not be granted. Despite the red flag waving a civic reception for the officers and cadets of the three ships was held in the foyer of the Opera House. There they were greeted with a long oration in French by the Mayor of Toulon which few understood, a glass of champagne, and a thundering series of the better-known revolutionary musical pieces by the local transport union orchestra led by the head of the local Communist party. The following day, the Paris authorities proclaimed that the strike was over, and leave could be given to the ship’s company. During the remainder of their stay, tours to the Cote d’Asur, the Toulon docks, and the local Provençal vineyard and country-side were organized for officers, cadets, and men.

From Toulon, the task group proceeded to Villefranche where a regatta was held, which HMCS LA HULLOISE won easily. This marked the extremity of the voyage, for on 10 June the task group sailed for the Azores and home. The Atlantic crossing was completed on 21 June, when the ships arrived back in Halifax. The training cruise was felt to have been most successful since cadets who had been in the service less than two months were behaving like veterans of the sea by the time they returned to Canada.

Two more UNTD training cruises were carried out during the summer, 31 and then CRESCENT spent some weeks alongside for leave and maintenance before resuming the duties of training ship for HMCS STADACONA. The only lengthy voyage made during this period took the ship to Havana for five days during December. Then CRESCENT was made ready for her return voyage to Esquimalt early in the new year. The actual voyage from Halifax to the west coast was completed early in February, taking less than a month despite stop-overs in Kingston, Jamaica; Manzanillo, Mexico; and Long Beach, California. On the 25 February 1953, HMCS CRESCENT paid off into the Reserve Fleet in order that she might be modernized along the lines of HMCS ALGONQUIN.

The work of modernization, carried out in HMC Dockyard, Esquimalt, took two and a half years to complete. At the end of that time, it would have been difficult to recognize HMCS CRESCENT, equipped as she was with a new superstructure and with her fo’c’sle deck extended aft for almost the entire length of the ship. [32] The changes which had been made inside the ship were equally extensive and made for greater efficiency in the operation of the ship as well as more comfort for the ship’s company.

The recommissioning of HMCS CRESCENT took place at the Esquimalt Dockyard on 31 October 1955. However, more work had to be done and harbour and sea trials carried out, so that it was 2 February before the ship was formally accepted. She then prepared to take place as the senior ship of the Second Canadian Escort Squadron based at Esquimalt. After a short “work-up” cruise to Nanoose Harbour [33] during February, CRESCENT sailed on 3 March for the West Indies. Task Unit 303.0.1, consisting of HMC Ships CRESCENT (Senior Officer), NEW GLASGOW, STE. THERESE and JONQUIERE, passed through the Panama Canal and proceeded to rendezvous with ships of the Atlantic Command en route to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. There followed a month of exercises in the Caribbean which proved of great value to the entire ship’s company. The return passage through the Panama Canal was made on 18 April, exactly one month after the ships had passed that way before, and on 10 May, Task Unit 303.0.1 returned to Esquimalt.

The summer cadet training cruise took the ship to California, Mexico, and Pearl Harbor. At Magdalena Bay in Lower California, where ship handling exercises and boat work were conducted, HMCS CRESCENT made the acquaintance of the Mexican crayfish:

It was…at this time that the ubiquitous small Mexican saltwater crayfish made his appearance in overwhelming numbers. Several ships, including HMCS ONTARIO, experienced plugged condensers. In HMCS CRESCENT, seven large garbage cans full were extracted and to add insult to injury, not only were they worthless for eating purposes, but also made the ship reek like a French lobster boat. [34] Crowsnest commented; “The shrimp boat is coming!” [35]

After CRESCENT had returned from the training cruise in August, she participated in several autumn exercises. Exercise Cortex 1-56 [36] included all forms of operation from single ship evolutions to full squadron participation. During October, anti-submarine warfare exercises were carried out with HMC Ships JONQUIERE, NEW GLASGOW, and STETTLER, and the USN Submarine Redfish. Exercise Cortex 2-56, [37] the last of these operations for 1956, concentrated upon various weapon and seamanship exercises. After this, the ship remained alongside at Esquimalt so that annual leave could be granted and minor repairs carried out.

On 22 January 1957, CRESCENT, SIOUX, CAYUGA and ATHABASKAN sailed on a six-week cruise to United State West Coast waters where joint exercises with the USN were carried out. When they had returned, at the end of March, further training manoeuvers took place off Cape Flattery. These were designed to train both air and surface forces in the defence of the American Northwest and British Columbia against guided missile attacks from submarines. Two other exercises were carried out with the USN during April and May. The first of these was an air defence manoeuvre in which surface and air units protected an aircraft carrier from shore-based jet aircraft. The second was a “hunter-killer” exercise in which the surface forces steamed through an area where the two USN submarines, Besugo and Pomodem, were operating. All this training activity added up to a very busy four months for HMCS CRESCENT.

However, the ship spent the next three months undergoing her annual refit, [38] and it was 3 September before she had completed her post-refit trials and was ready for sea. During the autumn CRESCENT, along with HMC ships FRASER and ATHABASKAN, undertook a pilotage cruise of British Columbia waters. This was completed in time for the ship to participate in anti-submarine exercises for the Joint Canadian Maritime Warfare School and in a two-week period of intensive gunnery practices and firings in November.

CRESCENT was alongside at Esquimalt for leave and maintenance during the month of December 1957. The normal customs and traditions of Christmas Day were observed aboard ship. The Command Chaplain conducted a short service for CRESCENT and CAYUGA’s duty watches and their dependents. The guests remained for dinner which proved to be a very happy occasion. The youngest man aboard, donning the Commanding Officer’s uniform, entered into his role with gusto and carried it off extremely well to the evident enjoyment of his messmates.

On 16 January, the Second Canadian Escort Squadron, consisting of CRESCENT (Senior Officer), CAYUGA, SKEENA, FRASER and MARGAREE, sailed from Esquimalt on a cruise to the Far East. En route to Japan convoy, defence exercises were carried out with the United States Navy between extensive periods when tactical manoeuvring and operational training were practiced.

While the squadron was at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force arrived – the first Japanese ships to visit Pearl Harbor since the Second World War. The squadron consisted of one destroyer of post-war Japanese build and three frigates obtained from the United States. The ship’s company was carefully briefed for this occasion as the United States authorities wished to ensure that this first visit of the Japanese would be a success. During the time that the Canadian ships were in harbour, no untoward incident occurred.

In the Far East, the Second Canadian Squadron visited Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Saigon. The visit to Tokyo was operational, but the ship’s company were able to enjoy interesting entertainment ashore, including the inexpensive organized tours of the city which were very popular. At Hong Kong, which also proved to be a good leave port, a wreath was laid at the Sai Wan cemetery to honour the many men from the Canadian Army who lie buried there. The third city visited was Saigon, the capital of South Viet Nam, which proved to be a large and interesting city, although the climate left a good deal to be desired. It was reported that the hot season at Saigon did not start until May or June, but afternoon temperature readings of over one hundred degrees in the shade seemed far too hot to most of the ship’s company.

HMCS CRESCENT is now in her third year as senior ship of the Second Canadian Escort Squadron. (This was current at the time this history was written by the Naval Historical Section, Naval Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario, on 27 May, 1958.)