This memorial is dedicated to Lieutenant Commander John Hamilton Stubbs DSO DSC RCN, Commanding Officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Athabaskan, who lost his life during a naval battle in April 1944. The following is an excerpt from CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum:
Local Heroes - Lieutenant-Commander John Stubbs by Michael Whitby (historian, Directorate of History and Heritage) - After a year of shore duty, he was appointed Commanding Officer of HMCS Athabaskan, a Tribal class vessel with a reputation as an unhappy ship. Stubbs is remembered as the quiet, laid-back man with a strong sense of humour who quickly restored morale, and ran an efficient yet relaxed ship. ATHABASKAN was assigned to Plymouth Command to conduct offensive sweeps off the French coast. Stubbs's skills proved well-suited to the fast-paced night surface actions and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his role in a battle in which ATHABASKAN and her sister-ship HMCS HAIDA played crucial roles in sinking the German destroyer T-29 on April 26th, 1944. Three nights later, ATHABASKAN and HAIDA, under Commander Harry DeWolf, were on patrol in mid-Channel when they were ordered to intercept two German destroyers (survivors of the earlier battle) heading westward along the French coast. Athabaskan's radar soon detected the enemy ships; minutes later, the Tribal's opened fire, then altered course towards the enemy to 'comb' possible torpedoes (that is, turn parallel to incoming torpedoes). In spite of this manoeuvre, a torpedo found Athabaskan. The hit caused such devastation that Stubbs ordered the crew to stand by in readiness to abandon ship. In the early hours of the morning, her decks crowded with men, Athabaskan's 4-inch magazine erupted in a massive blast. Most of those on the port side were killed, and many others were burned by searing oil that rained down on the upper deck. Survivors took to the cold waters of the English Channel as their ship began to sink beneath them. Stubbs is said to have sung to his men while they waited in the freezing water, stanzas from a tune about naval volunteers called "The Wavy Navy". They were in the water for 30 minutes before HAIDA, having finished off one of the German destroyers, returned to rescue survivors. Although it was near dawn and the enemy coast was only five miles away, HAIDA lay stopped for 18 minutes. According to some witnesses, Stubbs shouted a warning to DeWolf to the effect "get away HAIDA, get clear". DeWolf did not hear Stubbs, but knew he lingered long enough; after dropping all boats and floats, HAIDA headed back to Plymouth with 42 survivors. Six more of Athabaskan's company made it safely to England in HAIDA's cutter, while another 85 were picked up by German warships. John Stubbs, badly burned and last seen clinging to a life-raft, was among the 128 who perished. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) after his death. The quiet heroism and dedication to duty demonstrated by John Stubbs have become a rightful part of the rich traditions of the Royal Canadian Navy.
