Canada's Naval History

Second World War
Battle of the Atlantic - Lost at Sea: HMCS St. Croix

In September 1943, in a battle surrounding two convoys in the North Atlantic, German submarines sank the Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Croix and eight other Allied warships and merchant vessels. The loss of St. Croix, like the loss of many Canadian ships during the battle of the Atlantic was felt across the country.

Artifact Record

Memorial Cross, Chief Stoker Alexander McKinnon, HMCS St. Croix

This Memorial Cross was sent to Mary Jane McKinnon, the widow of Alexander McKinnon, a chief stoker aboard HMCS St. Croix.

Forty-year-old Alexander McKinnon from Rosemount (now Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie), in Montreal, Quebec, had considerable naval experience. In the 1920s, he served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Canadian Government Merchant Marine. Re-joining the navy in 1940, he was posted to HMCS St. Croix in June 1943. Stokers like McKinnon worked in hazardous posts well below the waterline, where they were at direct risk from exploding torpedo warheads, and from where escape could be difficult.

Memorial Cross, Chief Stoker Alexander McKinnon, HMCS St. Croix
Tilston Memorial Collection of Canadian Military Medals
CWM 19830518-003