HMCS Calgary

There have been 2 vessels named Calgary in the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS Calgary (1st of the name) (K231)

Commissioned on December 16, 1941, the Flower Class corvette HMCS Calgary arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on December 28. She served with Western Local Escort Force until November 1942 when she was assigned to duties in connection with Operation TORCH, the invasion of North Africa. She proved to have mechanical defects that precluded her intended use and instead, she had to undergo 3 months’ repairs at Cardiff, Wales. In June 1943, she was transferred to Western Support Force and for the next few months was employed in support of Atlantic convoys. She shared with the British frigate HMS Nene and the Canadian corvette HMCS Snowberry in sinking U-536 north of the Azores on November 20, 1943. After another refit in Canada, she joined Western Approaches Command and then was assigned to Nore Command on the River Thames in England and stayed there for the duration of the war. Returning home late in May 1945, she was paid off at Sorel, Québec, on June 19, and eventually broken up in Spain.

HMCS Calgary (2nd of the name) (335)

The Halifax Class frigate HMCS Calgary arrived on June 28, 1994 at Halifax, where she was provisionally accepted on August 30. She was commissioned on May 12, 1995 in Esquimalt, British Columbia. On July 10, 1995, she sailed for the Arabian Gulf to assist in enforcing sanctions against Iraq. Homebound that December, she went to the aid of the sinking Greek bulk-carrier Mount Olympus, 1,500 km south of Halifax. Her helicopter rescued all 30 of the crew. She returned to Esquimalt on December 22, the first Canadian Patrol Frigate to circumnavigate the globe. On June 20, 2000, HMCS Calgary again departed Esquimalt for a 5-month deployment to the Arabian Gulf in enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq, returning home on November 30. In 2003, she departed Esquimalt to participate in Operation APOLLO, a Canadian Forces operation in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM - allied military operations in Afghanistan against terrorism. Since then, she continues to conduct operations in support of Canada’s domestic and international policies.

Motto: “Onward”

Battle honours

  • Atlantic 1942-45
  • Biscay 1943
  • Normandy 1944
  • English Channel 1944-45
  • North Sea 1945

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