William Fisher, Lone survivor of HMCS St. Croix

On the black night of 20 Sept. 1943, the Royal Canadian Navy's first HMCS St. Croix was torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic. Another escort - British corvette HNS Polyanthus - was also torpedoed as she steamed in to pick up the St. Croix survivors. The following day the Royal Navy frigate HMS Itchen picked up five officers and 76 men of the St. Croix, all that were left of a ship's company of 147. Soon after the Itchen herself was sunk, two men from the Itchen and one man from the St. Croix were rescued, the total survivors of three ships' crew. The lone survivor from the St. Croix, William Fisher boarded the new destroyer escort HMCS St. Croix second, and made the comment of "unbelievable" after touring the ultra-modern warship. But not nearly so unbelievable as his own story.

HMCS St. Croix (formerly USS McCook, 1940-43) defended shipping in the west Atlantic. She sunk German U-90 700 miles east of St. John's, 1943. Escorted convoys to and from Tunisia under heavy attack by aircraft and submarines. Sunk U-87, August 1943. Transferred to Western Approaches Command. September 23,while hunting a U-boat, St. Croix was twice torpedoed and sank with heavy loss of life. Some survivors were rescued by HMS Itchen, herself torpedoed and sunk two days later. There was only one survivor of St. Croix's Complement of 147 officers and men. Many times St. Croix's officers visited the Crow's Nest.