THE OLDEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN THE CANADIAN WEST

Vol. 128 No. 36 Friday, November 12, 2010 Minnedosa, Manitoba Canada R0J 1E0 90 cents + tax

Royal Canadian Navy celebrating centennial

By AMANDA BOYD

H e was only 17-years-

old in 1943, but Er-
nie Pelts already knew he
wanted to serve his coun-
try. WWII had been raging
overseas for four years and
several young men from
the community were sign-
ing up to go join the fight.
Despite knowing he want-
ed to join the war effort,
Ernie wasn’t too sure where
he wanted to be. “I would
watch the war pictures of
guys using rifles with bayo-
nets and I didn’t relish that
idea. At the beginning of
the war I decided the Air
Force was the thing to do.
I wanted to be a pilot.” So,
just two months shy of his
18th birthday, Ernie ap-
plied to the Air Force. Not
long after completing his
medical and IQ tests he no-
ticed that he was marked as
an air gunner. “There was
no way I was going to be an
air gunner,” he stated. “So
if I wasn’t going to be in the
Air Force, I had to decide
what I wanted to do next.
I wanted to join up, so I
joined the Navy.”
It wasn’t long after
enlisting in the Navy that
he received his first call to Photo by Amanda Boyd
duty. “A week before Val- Local Veteran, Ernie Pelts, reflects over memories from his Navy experience during World War II. Ernie spent several months
entine’s Day I get this nice aboard the HMCS St. Pierre K680 (inset), a frigate in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.
Valentine’s card in the mail
that says, ‘you are to report were no barracks for them was here that 18-year-old river class frigate, which ery of corvettes. They were Investigation Committee,
to headquarters in Win- to stay in at the time so they Ernie was placed in ASDIC/ means she was specifically designed for North Atlantic from which its name is de-
nipeg by February 14th,” were given room and board. Sonar. With his new re- designed as an anti-subma- weather conditions and in- rived, and was the primary
Ernie chuckled. Two other They spent several weeks sponsibilities as an ASDIC rine escort for trans-Atlan- cluded the most effective underwater detection de-
men from the Minnedosa going from station to sta- operator, Ernie was sent to tic convoys. River class frig- anti-submarine sensors vice used by Allied escorts
area, George McLean and tion for training until they Halifax where he was post- ates offered the size, speed, and weapons. throughout the war.
Steve Clark departed with arrived in Cornwallis, Nova ed to the HMCS St. Pierre, and endurance of escort ASDIC was developed
Ernie. Each was placed in Scotia, where they were as- bound for Bermuda. sloops using the inexpen- through the work of the Continued
different divisions. There signed their positions. It The St. Pierre was a sive reciprocating machin- Anti-submarine Detection on Page 6

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