Canada’s oldest warship returns to the Halifax Waterfront for the summer

An onboard look at HMCS Sackville - as the massive floating museum is moved to its summer post.

A special Navy warship has docked once again at the Halifax Waterfront, and while hundreds of people pass it every day, many don’t know the history behind the vessel.

HMCS Sackville is a Flower-class Corvette warship that served in the Second World War, and it’s the last remaining of it’s kind.

Commissioned in 1941, the HMCS Sackville helped escort allied ships overseas during the Battle of the Atlantic. The ship, which is Canada’s oldest warship, was retired in 1982, before being transferred to the Canadian Naval Corvette Trust.

“It was a workhorse during the war, so this vessel actually escorted a number of convoys from Halifax, from Newfoundland overseas and escorted convoys back west,” said the HMCS Sackville Commanding Officer Gary Reddy.

The ship now operates as a museum and as Canada’s Naval Memorial in the summer, when visitors can find it on the Halifax Waterfront.

“That’s our summer birth, so for the Sackville, we winter in HMC Dockyard, get maintenance completed and then the first of May we move downtown so we’re excited to get downtown.”

Crews say they’re excited to get back into the public eye so they can share the history and significance of the vessel with others.

“There were 269 of the vessels built, Canada built 123 of these vessels during the war and this is the last remaining Flower-Class in the world,” said Reddy.

“It represents the men and women who served during all conflicts and the men and women that serve today,”

The HMCS Sackville will be parked at the Halifax Waterfront until early November, when it will return to the HMC Dockyard.

“It tells a wonderful story, and we’d certainly love to have as many people as possible come see this ship and relive its story, relive the story of the Sackville. It’s so important.”

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.