1

Life at sea was no comparison to life on land. Battling the harsh Atlantic was only a fraction of the harrowing experiences these young men endured. The threat of U-boats all around, iceburgs suddenly appearing out of the fog and ice spray building up on lines and superstructure making the ship dangerously top heavy were all too common occurrences on the North Atlantic. On occasion, the fog was so thick that vessels rammed one another in convoys. Friendlly fire posed risks when vessels were attacking enemy ships in close quarters.

2

A Corvette Convoy
Circa 1941
Atlantic Ocean

Credits:
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

3

HMCS Matapedia rammed by SS Sutton
September 1943
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

4

HMCS Matapedia after being rammed
September 1943
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

5

Matapedia Crew
1943
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

6

HMS Witch in Ice
Circa 1943
Atlantic Ocean
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

7

Herb Roberts on Matapedia Gun Platform with Gunshield
Circa 1942
St. John's Harbour, Newfoundland

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection

8

Radio Operator H. Cook
Circa 1942
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

9

Two Men on Ship
Circa 1942
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

10

Depth Charge Rails on the Matapedia
Circa 1942
Atlantic Ocean

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

11

Chopping Ice on the Matapedia
Circa 1942
Atlantic Ocean
AUDIO ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

12

I forget what time it was or what year even we were coming in to St. John's but we were about 2 and a half, 3 days out and we ran into this storm and we started to ice up. In 3 or 4 hours the whole ship was covered in ice. I find it hard to believe that the thing could get that cold so fast. We had a lifeline running from the fo'c's'le to the stern it (the ice) was about as thick as my finger and we had lines going back and forth to hold on. It was just a rope spliced over the cable something to hang on to while you were making your way back and forth. Well this, it didn't look that thick, I got a picture, but we chipped all the crew out chipping two hours at a time one hour off back out for two hours chipping ice off the upper decks and structures but when we came in we still had one heck of a lot of ice and I got a picture of the Witch, HMS Witch coming in the harbour iced up, coming in behind us, she was our senior officer at the time. I think we were on the triangle run then because this was after we got back from Londonderry.

13

Matapedia Iced Up on the Triangle Run
Circa 1942
Atlantic Ocean

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest

14

Iced up on the Matapedia
Circa 1943
Atlantic Ocean

Credits:
Herbert Roberts Collection
2007-2008 Album, Crow's Nest