Ships
- HMS Enterprise (D52) Captain from July 1943 · Relieved on 28 June 1944
Harold Taylor Wood Grant, Royal Canadian Navy, had HMS Enterprise (D52) from July 1943 until 28 June 1944. He was in command for the Bay of Biscay action of 28 December 1943 and for the bombardment of Utah Beach on 6 June 1944. The rank used here is captain, the rank he held in the ship. He was later vice-admiral and Chief of the Naval Staff.
Unithistories.com says he was the son of the Hon. MacCallum Grant, a former lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia. He married Christian Elizabeth Mitchell at Halifax on 6 August 1932. She lived from 16 December 1908 to May 2002. They had one son and two daughters. He was born on 16 March 1899 at Halifax and died on 9 May 1965 at Ottawa. Uboat.net gives 1 March 1899 and 8 May 1965. The unithistories dates are used.
He was educated at the Royal Naval College of Canada from 1914. Unithistories lists midshipman on 2 February 1917, acting sub-lieutenant on 1 February 1918, sub-lieutenant on 3 May 1919, lieutenant with seniority of 2 November 1920, lieutenant-commander on 2 November 1928, commander on 1 August 1935, and captain on 1 July 1940. Uboat.net dates the captain's rank 30 August 1939. He was commodore on 1 January 1946, rear-admiral on 28 February 1946, and vice-admiral on 1 September 1947, and he retired on 1 December 1951. Uboat.net says he retired in 1951 and that he was Chief of the Naval Staff at Ottawa from September 1947 until the end of 1950. Unithistories is the fuller list.
He was awarded the DSO on 5 January 1944, gazetted 26 February 1944, for the action with destroyers in the Bay of Biscay in December 1943, and he was mentioned in despatches on 28 November 1944 for Operation Neptune. He was appointed CBE on 1 January 1946. The page also lists the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, the 1939–45 Star, the Atlantic Star with the France and Germany bar, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp, the 1939–45 War Medal with a mention, the George VI Coronation Medal, the Canadian Forces Decoration with two bars, the Bronze Star, and Commander of the Military Order of Italy.
He commanded the destroyer HMCS Skeena from 23 April 1938 to 30 November 1939, then served as staff officer (operations) with the Atlantic Command, and from 2 September 1940 into September 1942 he was Director of Personnel and later Third Member of the Naval Board at Ottawa. From 23 September 1942 into March 1943 he was Captain (D) Newfoundland. He commanded Diomede from March 1943 into June 1943.
Uboat.net gives him Enterprise from July 1943 to 28 June 1944. Unithistories gives July 1943 to 2 October 1944. The October date overlaps Allan Peachey, whom uboat.net starts on 28 June 1944, so the command line keeps 28 June. During the command she finished the Clyde refit, fought with Glasgow in the Bay of Biscay on 28 December 1943, and on 6 June 1944 bombarded Saint-Martin-de-Varreville on Utah Beach. Unithistories then has him at HMCS Niobe from October 1944 into March 1945, and in command of HMCS Ontario from 17 March 1945 to 31 December 1945.
In 1946 he was Chief of Naval Administration and Supply and Third Member of the Naval Board. From 1 September 1947 until 1951 he was Chief of the Naval Staff. He retired on 1 December 1951. He died at Ottawa on 9 May 1965.