"RCN veteran recalls WW2 battle with U-boat which won him medal"- article

[CougarKing]

His ship, HMCS La Hulloise, was a River class frigate.

Canadian Press

Canadian navy hero reflects on medal-winning U-boat battle 70 years ago

OTTAWA - It was a lifetime ago, but former Royal Canadian Navy able seaman Thomas Simpson still wonders about the crew of the German submarine he helped sink.

Saturday marks the 70th anniversary of a short, violent battle off the coast of Wales involving three Canadian warships and U-1302 — an action that earned Simpson the Distinguished Service Medal.

At 93, Simpson is one of the few left alive of the 114 Canadians awarded that medal.

It was his determination and refusal to be brushed off by an inexperienced officer that led the frigate HMCS Hulloise and two other warships to attack the submarine, which was near the surface and tucked close to a buoy to avoid detection.

Simpson spotted the U-boat's snorkel on his radar, but the officer on watch dismissed his report. Simpson persisted and the frigate's captain decided to check out the contact.

The submarine was sunk with all 48 men aboard. Simpson says he has often thought about how swift and possibly how painful the end was for the German sailors who went to their watery grave beneath the pounding of the flotilla's depth charges.

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[Oldgateboatdriver]

Just a small correction, for historical correctness sake: The ship was HMCS LA HULLOISE. The LA is part and parcel of the name, just like her sister River class ship HMCS LA MALBAIE, and they are so recorded in the archives of the RCN. They happen to be towns in Quebec where the pronoun "La" forms part of the actual name of the town.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Wikipedia articles on the ships involved in the action:
U-1302;
HMCS La Hulloise;
HMCS Strathadam;
HMCS Thetford Mines.