Pinned post for Q&A :)

@waynesworldofsci-tech

Жыл бұрын

Did you reenact the coke bottle battle while onboard Sackville? If you and Alex didn’t you missed a trick! The RCN rocks!

@TheEDFLegacy

Жыл бұрын

If there are multiple Flower class corvettes escorting a convoy, is it a bouquet?

@Jon.A.Scholt

Жыл бұрын

Was Sackville named after the Sackville-Baggins?

@brendonbewersdorf986

Жыл бұрын

Comparing Corvettes how does the Italian Gabbiano-class stack up against the flower class Corvette?

@DaveSCameron

Жыл бұрын

At last (Well nearly, same Class if not HMS Celendine.) Neil, many thanks Sir 👍

I've just realized that in a different dimension somewhere, Drachinifel is the curator and chief historian for the museum battleship HMS Vanguard.

@TheEDFLegacy

Жыл бұрын

I think I would rather be in the different dimension where he is curator and chief historian of the immaculately restored HMS Warspite.

@bkjeong4302

Жыл бұрын

No, he should be the curator and chief historian of the museum ship HMS Duke of York.

@michaelinsc9724

Жыл бұрын

No, you're all wrong. He should be the chief curator for the museum FLEET!

@farmerned6

Жыл бұрын

"I could retire and be the curator of this place" "You know I really think you might."

@MillerFourFingers

Жыл бұрын

@@TheEDFLegacy of all the ships that I wish could have been saved...and I'm not even a Brit...I wish that one had. It well and truly earned a retirement.

The condition of that vessel appears to be absolutely brilliant. Kudos to the Canuck volunteers!

@razor6888

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your reply, they do the best they can with what they have available. It is possible to get her sea worthy again... and Haida as well... I think it would make world news to see these pieces of history sail together, imagine Drach's excitement being on board while underway under her own power, a important part of history... we can dream right. 🙂Your friend and ally always.

The 4-inch deck gun on HMCS Sackville used to sit outside the Royal Canadian Legion Branch in my hometown of Amherstburg, Ontario. When Sackville was being restored they searched across Canada to find the proper model deck gun since her armaments were removed in the 1950s, during her time as a research vessel. According to the archives of the Amherstburg Echo newspaper in March 1984 “The Amherstburg Legion has agreed to swap the 4-inch naval gun from the HMCS Kamloops, displayed in front of their building, for a 12- pounder so the Canadian Corvette Trust can refurbish the last remaining Corvette, the HMCS Sackville.”

@razor6888

Жыл бұрын

I did not know that. Greetings from Branch 295 Chilliwack.

@stvdagger8074

Жыл бұрын

@Hugh Culliton th extra weight might tip the ship over

The last survivor of one of THE most important ship classes of WWII.

@farmerned6

Жыл бұрын

Amen lose the Battle of the Atlantic, and Hitler wins WW2

@inyobill

Жыл бұрын

Of course, you've read "The Cruel Sea".

@Historybuff_769

Жыл бұрын

​@inyobill I love that book. I got an original copy

@inyobill

Жыл бұрын

@@Historybuff_769 OK, now I'm seriously jealous. I believe it to be the closest to understanding for those of us who didn't have to go through that will ever come to.

@alanhughes6753

Жыл бұрын

@@inyobill Note only have I read "The Cruel Sea", but I also have a copy of "Three Corvettes" - Nicholas Monsarrat's storys of his service in Corvettes during WW2.

The last survivor of a gallant workhorse class. Also a fitting memorial to the brave crews of all the little ships who ground out a unsung but vital victory in the longest campaign of World War 2.

@CorePathway

Жыл бұрын

Poor bastards, those who sailed the North Atlantic in those dinghies. The naval equivalent of miserable trench warfare.

Now we know that Drach will be asking for a 40 mm POM POM with a fully functional tracking system for his birthday. He was waaaaay too giddy moving it around! Great video!

@ArenBerberian

Жыл бұрын

And that's not even one of the crazy 8 mounts that larger RN ships had. Shame not a single one of those has been preserved to see.

We don't have a lot of ships retained as museum vessels, but the ones we have are cracking examples of important classes. Sackville is a national treasure.

@razor6888

Жыл бұрын

May she always be so. 🙂

@bebo4374

Жыл бұрын

Drach. As an American we’re working on curbing those annoying Canadian bright days.

@skip9766

Жыл бұрын

She’s absolutely beautiful! Long may she serve in her new role.

I've always felt sorry for the guys that crewed the Flowers. They were never dry, never warm, and mostly seasick since that whaler hull rolled like crazy in the heavy seas of a North Atlantic winter. Just being crew was worthy of a medal. It's especially significant that this sole survivor of the class is the original design and not one of the later improved designs that were much more seaworthy and comfortable for the crew. Usually with museum ships what you get is the latest example of the class. She is a true survivor.

@keithagn

Жыл бұрын

Quite true. I've read they would roll on wet grass. My dad was a member on Trentonian, and he said waves were higher than the ship. I thought he was pulling my leg, but I read that was true too. Regards

@Richard28011

Жыл бұрын

I remember a quote from a ex crewmen played during the Nova Scotia International Tattoo back in the 90's "She had a Draft so shallow she'd roll on wet grass" Hearts of oak and Iron men.

I worked with a guy about 10 years ago who's father did convoy duty on Corvettes in WWII. I was in Halifax Nova Scotia and visited the Sackville. I took a ton of pictures and when I got back to Vancouver I printed off all the photos. Upper deck , wheelhouse, lower deck , galley, crew hammocks, engine room, everywhere. I gave them to my co worker on a Friday morning to take home to show to his elderly dad.. On Monday my co worker came back and said. "My dad talked more about the war this weekend than he's spoken in 60 years. The photos unleashed a flood of memories." As did this video for me....

My dad was a Leading Coder on HMCS Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and the Town Class HMCS Huntsville. He visited Sackville before he passed- he was glad to; I asked him how it was for him and he said "It was spooky. All the sounds, smells, just how it was back then."

"The Cruel Sea" is one of my favorite WW2 movies, and HMCS Sackville is definitely on my bucket list of museum ships to visit. Thanks for the preview!

@philiphumphrey1548

Жыл бұрын

Remarkable how realistic and accurate The Cruel Sea and the fictional HMS Compass Rose were. More than can be said for most modern war films.

@Bruce-1956

Жыл бұрын

​@@philiphumphrey1548 so very true. The actors who played in British black & white war films of the post war era had actual experience of war, that is the reason that these films were realistic.

I like how they used this ship as the model for HMCS Dodge from the movie Greyhound

@General_Rubenski

Жыл бұрын

Thought it was Dickie?

@Big_E_Soul_Fragment

Жыл бұрын

@@General_Rubenski Dicky's the callsign for Dodge

@inyobill

Жыл бұрын

Just figgered out why I haven't gotten to see it. Apparently only available on Apple streaming. Does not appear to be availble on NF, Ama, or Dis here in Germany :-( - A double disappointment, I'm a huge Tom Hanks fan and of course, have huge interest in the Battle of the Atlantic, ever since I read The Cruel Sea many years ago at the age of about 17.

@88porpoise

Жыл бұрын

​@@inyobill I would recommend finding an option to watch it. But bear in mind that it is a modern action movie. If you are looking for documentary level accuracy, don't bother. It does have various factual errors (most more minor, such as using a somewhat later Fletcher class destroyer because that was the closest thing available to use) but some bits are a tad ridiculous. It has far more reality and authenticity than a film like Midway, but just know what you are looking at.

@draco84oz

Жыл бұрын

I had to special order the DVD it, and gave it to my dad for his Birthday - he's always been a fan of Das Boot, and when I first watched this (and read The Good Shephard), I thought it'd be a good companion for that movie. He agreed, and its a very well paced and tightly edited war movie. From the author of Horatio Hornblower, no less!

Seeing Drach get all giddy with the well-oiled nature of the Pom-Pom is extremely satisfying.

Dr. Clark's eye roll when Drach said you could hit the hedgehog with a hammer ... priceless!😂😂😂😂😂😂

Lovely video. The Sackville is about 2km from my door. See her almost daily, and I used to work in the building with the windy Canadian Flag. A little known historic tidbit is that the Sackville DID sink one ship. It was the tall ship Larinda. During the evening of September 29, 2003, Hurricane Juan made landfall pretty much at Halifax Harbour, and with sustained winds over 90knts, Sackville broke her mooring lines and rammed and sank the US owned tall ship which had run from the storm and was taking shelter in the berth beside her.

@Marshal_Dunnik

Жыл бұрын

I hope we said sorry

@cpofastforward7720

Жыл бұрын

A little known tidbit is that in the lawsuit that followed it was found that Sackville did not sink that ship. It was already sinking when Sackville touched her, not rammed her. Sackville did not even hasten the end as Sackville did not break all her mooring so returned to her normal spot when the wind shifted.

@Marshal_Dunnik

Жыл бұрын

@@cpofastforward7720 Autonomously sinking a Yankee tall ship, as if it was 1812 all over again, is the better story. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story!

@cpofastforward7720

Жыл бұрын

@@Marshal_Dunnik I am all about a good Salty Dit :D . But in this case I have run across many people who do not know about the lawsuit and the findings that the Sackville crew at the time did all that experienced seamen would be expected to do. And that the yacht owner did not. Without that knowledge they blame the crew and Trust for the tragedies that follow and assume the crew and Trust should accept some responsibility.

@Marshal_Dunnik

Жыл бұрын

@@cpofastforward7720 Yea, true enough, the story does imply her crew did not tie her down well enough

As a kid, I would have thought this ship was too small and unimpressive.... As an adult, I realize how wrong I would have been....the Sackville is an awesome vessel!

Absolutely lovely! The Flower class is arguably one of the most important ship classes of WWII and is not getting anywhere near the attention they deserve.

@johnjephcote7636

Жыл бұрын

HMS Pansy anyone? Ark Royal (I think) to Flower..."Who are you?"..."Periwinkle" - "Have you a pin?"..."No, I am a pale blue flower". (Ark) "Good, then I'll come and fertilise you!".

I was one of many donors when Sackville was first acquired as a museum ship. Never been aboard. The one trip I made to Halifax found her closed for some sort of safety reason. Thanks for this video. Happy to see she is well taken care of.

@garywagner2466

Жыл бұрын

You may also be aware that Sackville starred with Tom Hanks in “Greyhound.” The miracle of CGI.

@j_taylor

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for helping to preserve this national treasure!

"They don't depth charge whales." That's what I love about Drach's videos, you always learn something. This was a fun tour of an important little ship. Thanks!

@MM22966

Жыл бұрын

Don't kid yourself; given a chance, that whale would sink you and your whole convoy!

@robertpearson8798

Жыл бұрын

I think they tried it once but thought better about it afterwards.

I spent 2 1/2 years of my US Coast Guard service on an American built flower class corvette in the late "60s. The USCGC Escanaba ... 255 ft with one 5" 38 gun, Heghogs, 6 ASW torpedoes and a ww2 vintage sonar... Made all of 18 knots at 200+- RPM at full speed... had a tugboat towing propeller so could tow anything!!! :)> She was a very good sea boat...

@benwilson6145

2 ай бұрын

She was a Owasco-class cutter not a Flower Class

Beavering away is a perfectly good expression, although uncommon. I can't imagine any Canadian taking exception to it.

Drac you failed to mention the other armament of a Canadian Flower, anything the crew could get their hands on. A retelling of Oakville vs U-94 may be in order for those who never hard of it or saw the Canadian Navy video. It says something about the Canadian sailors since the sub was rammed twice, depth charged while on the surface (what's the setting for that depth?), bombarded with all the mounted guns, boarded by 2 naked sailors armed with improvised melee weapons among other things, and subject to a deluge of everything from small arms fire to empty bottles to hurled insults.

@Ensign_Cthulhu

Жыл бұрын

Naked? LOL. "Prepare the boarding party, I want a full-frontal assault on.... oh sweet Christ, NOT LIKE THAT!"

@davidnoseworthy4540

Жыл бұрын

And that's just how Canadians roll when you have managed to upset us (and we're NOT sorry)

@GearGuardianGaming

Жыл бұрын

the last thing i would want on my sub is a naked canadian armed with any sort of melee weapon. let alone 2 of them.

@jacktattis

Жыл бұрын

@@GearGuardianGaming hahaha Oh yes indeed

@abrahamdozer6273

Жыл бұрын

When the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine sank U-210 in a prolonged point blank battle, the vessels became so close that some ratings working in the galley and desperately wanting to join the action were throwing empty Coca-Cola bottle at the bridge of the U-boat. It seems that the "Greyhound" story (movie and book) was based on a mash-up of two RCN engagements ... this one and Oakville's.

I worked on HMCS Sackville during my time in the RCN (02) Those aren’t storage containers on the depth charge racks, those were floating smoke markers. Great tour though, thank you for giving her the well deserved attention.

Ah, yes... the Sackville! I've been waiting for this episode ever since we last spoke face-to-face. It's amazing what ships Canada has in its possession within its historical fleet. 🙂

My father served in RCN corvettes for four years during the war, so every time I'm in Halifax at the right time of year I visit HMCS Sackville. Being 23 when he volunteered in October 1939 he was considered one of the old men. In regards the depth charges, the corvettes could replenish their supply from freighters that carried them while at sea as long as the sea conditions allowed. I actually have photographs taken during such an occasion. There were occasions when whales or even large schools of fish were depth charged as sometimes such objects were indistinguishable from u-boats on the ASDIC. My father told of one occasion where after dropping a spread of charges a large amount of bubbles were seen rising to the surface. Believing it was a damaged u-boat coming up they opened up with all weapons only to see a large mass of dead fish appear on the surface. Most of my father's stories were about such things as getting drunk while on liberty and then going back to the ship's gyros while still in that state, or about a fight breaking out in a Derry pub and very quickly spreading through the entire town. He also got a commendation once for jury rigging the ship's stove while at sea so the crew could continue to have hot meals, something that was very important on a notoriously wet ship. I wish I could find a copy of the 1943 movie "Corvette K-225" starring Randolph Scott. A rare movie about Canadian corvettes.

@Conn30Mtenor

Жыл бұрын

My dad was on corvettes- he graduated from high school at 16 and worked in a box factory in New Westminster till he was 17 and joined up in 1940. He was a signalman- worked with HF/DF stations, chased women in Montreal and served on three ships. Saw ships sink and men die; he talked about the war very little for most of his life but in his last two years he started to open up about things. I wish I had spent more time with him then, it would have made a pretty good book.

@steeltrap3800

Жыл бұрын

I'm curious, have you by any chance read "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monsarrat (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Monsarrat )? If not, I suspect you'd love it. A film was made of it as well, but of course the book is far superior. Thanks for the interesting details in your comment. Cheers p.s. Monserrat moved to Ottowa in 1953 while in the UK's diplomatic service.

@keithagn

Жыл бұрын

​@@Conn30Mtenor My dad too served. He was a first class stoker on H.M.C.S. TRENTONIAN. She was torpedoed and sunk February 22, 1945. Six men (boys?) died, and my dad was badly wounded, but survived. Like your dad he didn't talk about anything, and like you I wish I had been able to to talk to him more. Regards.

Thanks for a wonderful episode. Canadians are quite proud of our war heritage and HMCS Sackville is a beloved reminder of our contribution to the battle of the Atlantic. 🇨🇦

Thanks Drac, as a Canadian from the other side of the country I have visited Sackville twice. She looks in even better condition than when I last saw her in the 2000's which is great to see.

on the bucket list. I want so bad to go and see her. The Cruel Sea was one of my favorite movies of all time.

these drone views, Drach has literally brought the world of warships select screen to life.

As someone born and raised in Halifax I was shocked and delighted to see this video in my feed this morning. It's not often my city gets in the spotlight! I've visited Sackville on many occasions and my friend in the RCN worked on this ship last summer. Thank you for bringing attention to this small but important part of Canadian history!

Ah yes, when I saw her...I immediately blurted out Princess Leia's line... You went to sea in THAT? You're braver than I thought...

@inyobill

Жыл бұрын

"I believe they roll their guts out". Extra points for source identificatrion.

I visited her in 2001, while on a port visit with USS Harry S. Truman. Definitely worth the time to go aboard. You won't believe how cramped she is below decks.

Originally it was a Matchbox 1/72 kit that later came out under Revell label. Airfix did the BPB RAF rescue boat, the late Vosper 73' and the pre-war S-7 S-Boat. Which reminds me of a lot of unfinished business ... 😓😓😓

19:48 The Sackville depth charges. Let me introduce you to Pat Waddell, a young Ontarian who decided his WW2 place was to be an RCN sailor. He was assigned to Corvettes and soon realized to hang high his hammock high as the waves washed through these tough little boats. Anyways, peace returned (for a short while) and before Pat was de-mobbed, he was ordered to make the Corvettes storage safe by removing all the stuff that could go "BANG!" Job done, and Pat wanted a souvenir , so a visit to the scrap yard and Pat walked out with a Mark 7 depth charge casing which moved around with him for 20 years, until it ended up in a storage shed at his last managerial job at a forest reserve. With Pat's passing, the new reserve owner decided to repurpose the shed and ordered it cleaned out. In 2018, the labourers found all kinds of rusty tools, spools of cable wire, dead animals and chainsaws, 'steel drums'- and a couple of cases of Forcite dynamite! Pat liked blowing up tree stumps instead of digging them out. The police called in the military demo engineers to move the dynamite and they spotted the war memento depth charge casing and confiscated it. Manager Pete, being a history buff, told the engineers to return the casing, they agreed but soon rescinded their word and after a year of heated phone calls and expensive lawyer letters, Pat's war memento is now a prized piece in Pete's collection. So there is at least one WW2 depth charge exists!

My Dad was a sonarman on a PC during the war, it was on submarine patrol for the full time he was stationed on it. So I certainly enjoyed learning about this wonderful little ship

Had the pleasure of an impromptu tour of Sackville in '86 having taken a wrong turn and gotten lost in the Halifax dockyard when I was returning to my ship (HMS Battleaxe). Sackville had just, or was about to, begun undergoing restoration at the time, and the mammoth amount of work required was all too evident. The shipkeeper (caretaker/nightwatchman) was a WW2 corvette veteran who was immensely proud of Sackville and the work she and her sisters carried out during the war, and what the preservation trust hoped to achieve with her restoration. To my shame I cannot remember the wonderful gentleman's name, but I remember him with great fondness. I'm glad to see that the years of hard work & devotion of trust members and donations have resulted in HMCS Sackville being preserved as Canada's Naval Memorial, and long may she remain as such.

As a resident of the Halifax area watching your video aswell as naval legends video on the sackville makes me proud to see my home port and navy given acknowledgement.

Thank you Drac - as someone who has been watching your channel for a while, it means a lot to see a ship that I see almost every day when I go to work. She's a beautiful ship and I've been so lucky to get the chance to be aboard numerous times and to be able to help the crew out. Thank you for showing her off.

That Dr. Clarke side-eye expression in the background at 29:00 while Drach is talking about hitting ASW rockets with hammers is just too perfect!!

The attached museum is also quite impressive, and CSS Acadia seen in the background of the last shot. Not sure if you checked out the Shearwater aviation museum across the harbour, but they have a great selection of naval aircraft, including an airworthy swordfish.

Fun Fact: HMCS Sackville was one of the ships in Tom Hanks Greyhound movie as "Dickie"!

@nate4745

Жыл бұрын

"Give 'em Hell, Dickie!"

The Flower class is my absolute favourite Seond World War ship class. The look, history, role, size and purpose, its just a great little ship! Looking forward to the sequal to this video, and yes; the quality of the Revell kit of the HMS Snowberry will make you want to melt it down to a puddle instead

@DaveSCameron

Жыл бұрын

Top comment here, our grandfather died abourd HMS Celendine and was brought home in 1944 so these little jewels hold a place in the Cameron family. 🇬🇧🙏

Perfect timing, Just finished a re-read of DA Rayner's book Escort - as he commanded a Flower for nearly 2 years . Having built the old Matchbox 1/72 Flower many years ago , that drone sequence brought back a lot of memories!

Last time I heard about anything in the Halifax area was when the French stowed a bunch of Benzole barrels on a munitions ship, didn't turn out so particularly well.

@eziekkiel5876

Жыл бұрын

Well yeah, there wasn't much of a Halifax area left... Not great.

Class act Drach, when the nice volunteer explained the towed anti acoustic torpedo device was and stepped right in front of the camera. Handled brilliantly.

Prior to the U.S. entering the war, the Canadian Armed Forces were actively recruiting in the U.S. It was a well publicized secret (TIC). My dad was 15 and boys back then were much more adventurous than now and he told the RCN recruiter who was in civilian clothes that he was 18. My dad told me he just knew this man didn't believe him, but they took him and after his initial training he was assigned to a Korvette. He's gone now and I remember him talking about it but I cannot recall which one. He saw action in the North Atlantic. After Pearl Harbor Americans serving in the Canadian Armed Forces were given the option of leaving the Canadian military. My dad took this and returned home to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He was 17 and needed his parent's permission. He never told his parents where he was during his time in the RCN and they were very angry so they signed for him to enlist. He went to boot camp in San Diego and since Americans are not allowed to declare having served in a foreign military, he went through initial training like any other despite having more combat experience than the Chief Petty Officer who was his company commander. He was later assigned to the Destroyer Tender; USS Dixie (AD-14) where he spent the war in the SW Pacific. After the war he joined the Marine Corps Reserves and was activated for Korea. I served in the Marine Corps to be part of the evacuation of Saigon in 1975. Of six children, two served in the Marine Corps, one in the Navy and one in the Army.

@Marshal_Dunnik

Жыл бұрын

Yep, the Flying Tigers and Eagle Squadron of the RAF are the more famous examples, but plenty of Americans signed up with us to fight fascism ❤

@abrahamdozer6273

Жыл бұрын

One of my uncles was a school teacher before he joined the RCAF during the early stages of WWII when the US was neutral American boys were coming up to enlist but they didn't "have" Trigonometry as it wasn't a compulsory requirement in the US school system. You had to have graduated high school in Canada to be air crew and Trig was compulsory. He began his war training up American boys so that they could navigate (He finished the war in command of a base!) ... not navy, I know but I was ....

@JeepWrangler1957

Жыл бұрын

@@abrahamdozer6273 I do remember my dad saying two things about being on a Korvette. You were always exhausted because you never got any rest as you were constantly being pounded by the sea....and you were never dry.

@abrahamdozer6273

Жыл бұрын

@@JeepWrangler1957 On the earlier versions before they extended the forecastle, you had do go outside onto an exposed well deck to get your hot meal from the galley. In very heavy weather, you wouldn't have wanted a meal anyway. They dusted off old foods like hardtack on these little mid-ocean escorts.

I visited Sackville many years ago and all I can say is that they have really improved the state of the ship since then. Good on them.

Thanks, Drach. When I was in Halifax on October 5, 2022, I walked from the Cruise Terminal where my ship (mine only very partially), RMS Queen Mary 2, was docked to the Maritime Museum to visit HMCS Sackville. It was sunny and warmish (15C, 59F), no doubt typical of tropical Canada in Autumn, and I was astonished to find that what from a distance looked like a large blue and white yacht really was HMCS Sackville in her WWII paint job. The helpful crew assured me that the un-warlike colors were correct and helped make her hard to spot through a periscope.

T/y for this. I've lived in Halifax for 45 years, served 9 years Navy, and have never been aboard her. That will change this year. Looking forward to it.

Drach looks like an excited kid spinning around on that gun mount

She is in fantastic shape, a fitting memorial to her WW2 crews... and Canada should be proud of her!!!!!!!!!

I visited HMCS Sackville in Halifax two weeks ago. It is one of the best managed and presented museum ships I have ever visited, and the volunteers are fantastic. Being a small and relatively simple ship, it is easy to take it all in. There is a lot to see including interesting spaces below, communications and sonar gear, and more. Much of the ship is accessible. Highly recommended as a valuable piece of history.

So happy you came to Canada. Love the Flower class.

Went to see her in halifax after visiting a friend. Beautiful ship and a highly underrated class. Hope you visited the Ojibwa as well One interesting story I hope you might cover is that of HMCS stormont. She was a river class frigate built and served, but after the war was eventually turned into the pleasure yacht Christina O, where she is still in service today. Absolutely wild that a ship in service during the second world War can be rented for a pleasure cruise right now

@abrahamdozer6273

Жыл бұрын

Stormont is also Canadian built by Canadian Vickers in Montreal.

Absolutely glorious. I am envious to an enormous degree. Seeing that 2-pdr slewing so quickly, but also having the two stations make me realise what a job William Savage VC would have had when wounded aboard MGB 314 at St Nazaire - that gun would have really wanted to help him in the aiming, but at the same time, he would have had the devil's own job handling the weapon on his own if he had to adjust range (elevation). And he was hideously wounded and bleeding out whilst engaging shore batteries with his. What a piece of equipment. The beautiful motion of the spotter's shield and ammo box tray with the gun and sights as it elevated was something to see.

Thank you for the tour. I remember, too many years ago, a movie about the Corvettes (I found it - Corvette 225) and loved the ship. But had trouble trying to figure out the layout, with the open bridge and such. Your drone footage answered all those forgotten questions from so many years ago.

Thanks Drach Hope you remembered to put those pins back in on the pom-pom training wheels :)

I visited this, provoking memories of reading The Cruel Sea. It was a calm day, deep in Halifax harbour, and she still rolled like a pony on grass. Open bridge, Asdic guy in a cupboard, - hate to imagine what it was like in a north Atlantic winter.

Just saw her in person 2 weeks ago, Met another Drachinfel fan when I was there. Great to see her in the flesh

Thank you for this WONDERFUL tour of this hero!!!

I was living in Halifax in 2003 when the city was trashed by Hurricane Juan, which was a Category 2 when it made landfall. When the storm surge entered Halifax Harbour, the Sackville slipped her moorings and rammed a US flagged schooner named the "Larinda" berthed immediately in front of the Sackville's bow. The Larinda was holed by the collision and sank while tied to the dock. The following week, I was riding public transport on my way to work and overheard two sailors from the Canadian Navy talking. One said to the other, "Did you hear that the skipper of the Larinda wants to sue over the sinking of his ship?". The other sailor replied, "That's the first ship the Canadian Navy has sunk in over 50 years! And she was American!".

@grumbeast

Жыл бұрын

I was living just over the harbour in Dartmouth at the time too and remember than event. My mate was a harbour pilot and they just staying in the truck and watched the ships tied up grind against each other. The most impressive thing I saw in my time in Dartmouth was the 100th Anniversary Fleet review .. just amazing

Excellent video about one of my favorite ship classes-all pretense stripped away with just the essentials left to be a serious threat to a U boat trying to attack a convoy. As always kudos to the crew who maintain the ship in such wonderful condition. I’m so glad at least one Flower has survived.

Honestly just seeing how the gun shield moves with the elevation change on the pom pom is very interesting.

The film Compass Rose immediately came into my mind, a classic! BTW the lighting and sound appear to be fine.👍

@neiloflongbeck5705

Жыл бұрын

Was it renamed? I thought of The Cruel Sea.

@bikes02

Жыл бұрын

@@neiloflongbeck5705 It was The Cruel Sea indeed, Compass Rose was the name of the ship

@farmerned6

Жыл бұрын

@@bikes02 Compass Rose and Saltash Castle the Compass Rose (Sob!) was a Flower Class Saltash Castle , in the Book it was HMS Saltash a River Class, but as she was Played in the Film by HMS Portchester Castle ( a Castle Class) so the name was altered

@davidjones332

Жыл бұрын

@@farmerned6 And Compass Rose was portrayed by HMS Coreopsis, which was from 1943 to 1952 the Greek ship Kriezis.

What a wonderfully preserved ship.

Hey, Drach, thanks for this. In the mid 80s I worked on a then tour vessel (MV Shoreham) that docked right where HMCS Sackville is now, at the Maritime Mureum of the Atlantic. In fact we were bumped to the other side of the dock when she was towed in, looking a little decrepit and ready for restoration. Two related stories. If you look at your aerial shot at about 2:00 you can see how the slip shallows quickly and how clearly you can see the rocks on shore. In one entire summer working there I think there was one - one day when you could see those rocks. Halifax had a habit of dumping raw sewage into the harbour and one of the outfalls was right there. Stinky brown water that you couldn't see a couple of feet through. One day some idiot decided to dump pink paint into the sewers and it was everywhere across the water. We were all terrified to fall into the water for fear of immediate sepsis or the enormous warf rats. A few weeks after Sackville arrived and we were on the opposite side of the dock we had a few days off to do maintenance, mainly above the waterline scraping and painting. Our skipper was able to borrow a camel (a log with old tires around) from the Sackville so we could try to work without too much danger of falling into the fecal water. They didn't need it at the moment and were glad to help. The work crew just beginning to assess the restoration were at once overwhelmed and exhilarated at the job ahead of them. I was able to sneak a quick tour of some parts of the ship and their graciousness and pride in what they knew they would accomplish is something I will never forget. I left Halifax for the road back home to the west coast of Canada a couple of years later, but if I ever get back there to visit Halifax again, Sackville is one of my priotities (real donairs is another). She sure looks a lot better than she did that summer all those decades ago. Many kudos to those who have laboured so hard, that she may always honour the sacrifice of the naval and merchant mariners in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Drach would make an excellent tour guide

My Dad (Alex Esgate) was on HMS Pink during WW2 and he was the signalman who operated the signal lamp.. (Phil)

Ah, as a proud Canadian in one Calendar year Drach has done specials on Haida and Sackville. All is well.

This ship is in immaculate shape. They do a real nice job there.

Wow, that ship is looking way better than the last time I visited!

Thank you! I remember reading about Flower Class Corvets, years ago, and I had imagined something much more clunky and crude, but this little ship is elegant and beautiful. The ones I had read about were in the North Atlantic and spent a large amount of time bouncing around like a cork, but still able to do their job quite well. I think the term, "Ball bearing Sailors", would fit the Crew quite well, men who could walk on the wall and never spill their afternoon Tea. Must have been exciting duty!

Now she's a movie star as well !! And it was a particularly good movie as well.

Thank you! As a young man I was introduced to the British Corvettes by reading teh Cruel Sea in teh early 1970s. I have always been fascinated by these little ships and the brave men that sailed them.

i was surprised at the condition of the ship and how clean she looks, compared to some other museum ships.

Basically still in fighting condition, absolutely wonderful.

Very pleased to see a longer video on this ship. Been very interested in the Flowerclass and Sackville in particular, since I read Alan Eastons brilliant book "50 North", wich I highly recommend to anybody looking for a first hand account of a corvette commander in WWII.

@petervandyk7173

Жыл бұрын

BTW for those not in the know, Sackville was the second corvette Alan Easton took command over.

The best hands-on with the Flower class ! ever ! TY- drach and Parks Canada , this will go into the Archives. Fox news of the day would say " Canadian tubs save England ' ! Service.

Visited Haida and Sackville, loads of respect and admiration for the sailors of the day.

Thanks for that, I've read a number of books on the Battle of the Atlantic and always marveled at what these Flower Class Corvettes accomplished.

Well done Canada for preserving this example of a very important warship 👍 Makes me want to go and watch The Cruel Sea again 😀

What a beautiful ship. Well done by the Sackville crew. Great video, Drach.

the business end is the muzzle, drach! 😊

I just did a tour of this same vessel (Aug 7, 2023), and made a video too. You offered a lot of technical information which I lacked... Hahahaa. Good video mate. Cheers, from New Brunswick, Canada.

I used to work with a Gent many years ago who served on Flower class Corvette HMS Saxifrage doing Artic Escorts in the war. I was young at the time and not interested in Naval matters at the time. Missed opportunity to ask him more information as he said they saw plenty of action. As a side note their design is based on a standard Whaler design of the time.

@benwilson6145

Жыл бұрын

Designed by Smiths Dock Middleborough for Christian Salvesen (Leith) to use as a whale catcher in Antarctica.

We really enjoyed our visit to Halifax and larger Nova Scotia several years ago, including HMCS Sackville. That is one hilly city! Walking from the harbor to the fort on the hill is quite a workout.

@matthewcreelman1347

Жыл бұрын

We have a marathon here that seems to aim for absolutely every hill. I tried mapping out this year’s race, and found 630 metres of climbing over the course of the race. It’s not the most climbing for any official marathon course by any means (I think that the Blue Ridge marathon is first for that, at least in North America?) but it’s a lot. IIRC, when the winner two years ago got interviewed after the race, he was like “I would never have done this if I had known just how hilly this would be.”

i think i have the model of this vessel. really fun to paint with its bright colours.

I love the flower class☝🏻

I got locked in HMCS Sackville's head once about a decade ago. I had to "drain the bilge" so to speak and midways through was alarmed to hear the caretakers locking up the doors as they headed off for lunch. No amount of hollering out of the port hole could get their attention as they headed down the jetty and so the head turned into a brig for about an hour. The caretaker that opened back up was quite shocked to see that someone had been secured inside! Sackville's main gun is still operational and can be fired; it is routinely used to fire celebratory salutes on Saint Barbara's Day and has been used for other ceremonial purposes recently as well.

Great job with the drone footage! It’s really neat to have that perspective

I've got to say, that is an exceptionally well kept ship. I've been on working ships which haven't looked as fresh.

What always strikes me about Sackville, that makes her very historically significant, is that of all the preserved WW2 era commowelth vessels, she is the sole example to display the famed QF 2-pounder "Pom Pom" gun. Unlike most others which have had major Cold War modifications, Sackville remains preserved in her original WW2 fit, which is a major plus for me.

Fantastic. Its a crying shame that there is no example in UK

Please come again! Thank you for doing so!!!😊

I live on the Canadian prairies and finally visited Halifax/Dartmouth last year and explored HMCS Sackville. Admission is free but they appreciate donations. I played around with the 20mm Oerlikon guns (wish they had sights) and the Hedgehog aiming system. I did not realize you could open the breech on the main gun but I did work the elevation adjustments to move the gun up and down (I didn't unlock the traverse system - there appear to be latches at the base of the gun mount). The 40mm pom pom gun is normally blocked off to the general public because you have to climb that one ladder on the side of the tub and they don''t want people potentially falling off and getting injured. So glad that this piece of history was preserved. Looking forward to seeing the video of the insides of theI ship. I remember the crew quarters (the red lit room with the two realistic mannequins standing up) had a very odd vibe while I was in there. Also, if you're visiting the Halifax waterfront take the ferry across to the Alderney terminal in Dartmouth ($2.75 adult fare, $2.00 for teens and serniors, 12 and under free, with a 90 minute transfer time) and treat yourself to a lobster poutine at Evan's Fresh Seafood in the building adjoining the ferry terminal!

Drach: having fun watching you manipulate the Vickers 40mm gun. In 1940, my father as a 13 year old boy was with a buddy unsupervised aboard HMS Ramilles in Halifax, while his dad was in the wardroom with officer friends. The boys found their way into a 6-inch casemate (crew being on shore leave) and similarly discovered the training wheels. In the process they sent the muzzle crashing through the walls of a temporary wooden dockyard shed. What consequence arose from that misdemeanour, was never handed down to me.

I'm imagining a flower class taking on a german surface raider going down like USS Johnston taking on the center force, all aboard yelling "LEEEEROOOYYY JEEENNKIIINNS!" Followed by an attempted boarding action against said raider.

Being Canadian I applauded before watching the video. Now I’m editing .. this ship is on my bucket list .. I’m 70 I better hurry.

Lol... I love that old man... You just KNOW... He was just floating around... Listening to DRACH ramble... And he's thinking... Maybe now he will ask me... Noooo... How about now.. nooo. Damn him... Ok.. I know... I'll just make my own entrance... Lmao Reminds me of a character from an old novel or something