HMCS Tecumseh
Encyclopedia
Summary
- Headquarters: Naval Reserve HeadquartersCanadian Forces Maritime CommandThe Royal Canadian Navy , is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Forces. Operating 33 warships and several auxiliary vessels, the Royal Canadian Navy consists of 8,500 Regular Force and 5,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by...
Quebec City, Quebec - Official Abbreviation: TEC
- Motto: In Pace Bellum Para (In Peace, Prepare for War)
Operations
HMCS Tecumseh is properly referred to as a ship, as it has been officially christenedShip naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
as Her Majesty's Canadian ship
Her Majesty's Canadian Ship
The designation Her Majesty's Canadian Ship , is applied as a prefix to any Canadian Forces warship. In the reign of a king, the designation changes to His Majesty's Canadian Ship; the French version of the title remains unchanged in this instance...
. However, since the ship is part of the reserves it does not operate on a full-time basis, except for the museum. Rather, most of the operations occur in the evening on weekdays. The primary operations of the ship include a recruitment office, two cadet corps, the Canadian Naval Museum, and the Tecumseh Naval Reserve Band.
History
Calgary's Naval Reserve division was established on 31 March 1923. However it was not christened HMCS Tecumseh until 1 November 1941. It is named after the Shawnee chiefTecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
who served with the British and Canadian military force in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Two years after its christening, the division moved to its present location on 17 Avenue SW.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, over 4,500 personnel enlisted at Tecumseh. Of those, 52 were killed in action. Among them was Lt(N) Robert Hampton Gray
Robert Hampton Gray
Robert Hampton "Hammy" Gray VC, DSC was a Canadian naval officer, pilot, and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War II, one of only two members of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to have been thus decorated in that war.Gray was born in Trail, British Columbia, Canada, but resided in...
, the only person in the Royal Canadian Navy to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Unlike some Naval Reserve divisions in Canada, Tecumseh survived post-war defence cuts. It has since survived other challenges including armed forces unification, and a major fire in 1981. Rebuilt since the fire, Tecumseh is a fully modern training facility. In addition to the Naval Reserves, Tecumseh houses 746 Communication Squadron
746 Communication Squadron
746 Communication Squadron is a reserve military unit in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The unit's motto is "Determined" and its badge is a Pony Express Rider.-Role:...
(a Communication Reserve unit), Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps Signals, Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Undaunted and Navy League Cadet Corps Captain Jackson. Tecumseh is also home to the Naval Museum of Alberta.
Subsequent to rebuilding, Tecumseh became the headquarters of the first female flag officer in the history of the Canadian Navy, Commodore Laraine Orthlieb. Then in 1992, Tecumseh felt the pull of war again, this time in the Persian Gulf. At this juncture, several members of the unit volunteered for duty, of whom two were selected to serve onboard HMCS Huron
HMCS Huron (DDH 281)
HMCS Huron was an that actively served the Canadian Forces from December 16, 1972 to October 23, 2000.-History:Huron was the second ship of her class which is sometimes referred to as the Tribal-class or simply as the 280-class...
.
Tecumseh personnel were deployed to combat Manitoba's 1997 flood, provided security at the 1997 APEC meeting in Vancouver, and assisted in the recovery mission following the Swissair crash off Halifax
Swissair Flight 111
Swissair Flight 111 was a Swissair McDonnell Douglas MD-11 on a scheduled airline flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, United States to Cointrin International Airport in Geneva, Switzerland...
as members of the maritime coastal defence vessel crews assigned to the operation. More recently, Tecumseh personnel have provided support for the G8 Summit in 2002 and participated in Operation Apollo
Operation APOLLO
Operation APOLLO was the codename for an operation conducted by Canadian Forces in support of the United States in its military operations in Afghanistan. The operation took place from October 2001 to October 2003...
in the Gulf of Oman in 2003.
Tecumseh helped mark the centennial of the Canadian Navy in 2010, a significant year in Calgary's military history, with three army reserve units also celebrating 100-year anniversaries.