HMCS Sackville returns to Halifax waterfront with special designation

The HMCS Sackville has returned to its spot on Halifax’s waterfront for the summer.

There’s another tourist attraction back at the Halifax waterfront.

HMCS Sackville has returned to its summer spot, but with a special designation this year. It was ceremonially re-commissioned on Friday.

“We’re here to commemorate the history and the heritage of a very important ship,” said Rear-Admiral Josée Kurtz, Maritime Forces Atlantic Commander.

“Today it’s about reaffirming our commitment to our naval heritage by ceremonially re-commissioning HMCS Sackville as the symbol that it represents for our history.”

HMCS Sackville is Canada’s last surviving Flower-class corvette. These ships played a major role in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War, leading convoys overseas and hunting enemy submarines.

The ship serves as a living tribute to the sailors who served in the Battle of the Atlantic.

“If we know where we’re coming from, if we know our naval heritage, it helps us shape where we’re going in the future, and I think that today, in a world that is increasingly uncertain and volatile in some ways, it’s very important to recognize, understand, and celebrate our naval history,” said Kurtz.

Typically, to commission a ship means to bring it into service, but in this case, it was done in a ceremonial way because it is privately owned by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust.

The ceremony took place on May 15, which marked the 85th anniversary of the launch of HMCS Sackville from Saint John, N.B.

The ship will be open to the public beginning June 25.

“We encourage everyone to come down and get a very hands-on, practical experience in seeing what it was like for those young men and people of Canada working during that war,” said Retired Lieutenant-Commander Greg Cottingham, the chair of the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust.

The vessel will be free to tour and will be open seven days a week until just after Remembrance Day. It is located on the waterfront near the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

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