HMCS Haida connects Martin Brice's class history to the preserved destroyer on the Canada itinerary. During the last of five patrols in July and August 1944, a shell explosion in Y mounting set the paintwork ablaze, killed two men, injured others, and left Haida needing replacement A and Y mountings at Plymouth. Haida and HMS Kelvin later supplied French resistance forces, gathered information about German dispositions, and intercepted German patrol craft along the French coast. Kelvin's captured vessel yielded weapons, radios, and documents after Haida's own prize had to be sunk. The account shows how a destroyer could move between surface fighting, escort duty, intelligence gathering, and support ashore.
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HMCS Haida in combat and French coastal operations
Martin Brice's class history leads into HMCS Haida's 1944 combat damage, Plymouth repairs, Bay of Biscay patrols, and cooperation with French resistance forces.