John Moreau Grant
| John Moreau Grant | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1895 Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Died | 1986 |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/branch | Canadian Forces Royal Canadian Navy |
| Years of service | 1911–1946 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held | HMCS Royal Roads /Royal Roads Military College |
| Awards | CBE |
Captain John Moreau Grant CBE (1895–1986) was the first Commanding Officer of HMCS Royal Roads in Esquimalt, British Columbia. The Grant Building at Royal Roads University was named in his honour.
John Moreau Grant was born in 1895 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His father was the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia MacCallum Grant. One of his 5 brothers (also 1 sister) was Harold Taylor Wood Grant. He spent two years at school in Heidelberg, Germany. He returned to Halifax in 1909. In January 1911 he joined the Royal Naval College of Canada as one of a class of twenty-one cadets. He entered a strenuous regime conducted by Royal Navy instructors with a heavy emphasis on engineering subjects. He graduated as a midshipman in 1913.
He joined the cruiser HMS Berwick, and sailed for the West Indies for training. In Mexico and Venezuela, he was part of a force sent to protect British interests against revolutionaries. After courses at Halifax, Nova Scotia he joined another cruiser, HMS Suffolk, which patrolled off the eastern seaboard of the United States where she stopped shipping to search for German nationals of military age, who were removed. Since he spoke German, he was always a member of the boarding party. He was also involved in the escort of troopships to England. He was appointed to HMS Beaver, an I-class destroyer. He was constantly at sea, patrolling to the Hook of Holland. He escorted hospital ships to and from France. He employed anti-submarine and minesweeping methods. Asdic, depth charges, and the hydrophones used in the Great War could not be used when a ship was underway, however they were used in action against enemy submarines. He was ordered to the Mediterranean Sea in April 1918. He performed convoy, anti-submarine, and rescue work. He found that social and sports activities ashore were much improved. At Brindisi, Italy, efforts made to seal the Adriatic against movement of enemy submarines were only partially effective, since the sea was too deep to blockade. He served as the Executive Officer of HMS Beaver. He ferried troops to the Dardanelles when Turkey surrendered. He entered the Sea of Marmara and proceeded to Constantinople. In October 1918 he participated in the bombardment of Durazzo, Albania. From Constantinople they sailed to Odessa, Russia where the German army and the White Russians were attempting to keep some sort of civil order. Welcomed by the Rumanians, they sailed up the Danube where they attempted to keep the Rumanians and Bulgarians apart. In December 1918, he called at Sevastopol, Russia where he saw and visited the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which was largely abandoned and in a poor state of repair. He removed a number of political refugees from Odessa, Russia.
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