HMCS Sackville was officially recognised by the Government of Canada as Canada’s Naval Memorial in 1985. The following is a message, dated April 26, 1985, sent to the then Canadian Naval Corvette Trust from the Minister of Veterans Affairs at the time, Major (Ret’d) George Hees:
As Minister of Veterans Affairs, and on behalf the Government of Canada, I have the honour to extend greetings to those in attendance at this dedication ceremony of HMCS Sackville. I have been aware over some time of the great deal of time and effort spent on this most excellent project which will be recognised throughout Canada as a symbol of our country’s naval heritage. Sackville is a representation of the dedication and sacrifice of those who served in a very important era in Canadian maritime history. In view of the fact that all major organisations representing former and present Canadian Naval personnel have requested it, HMCS Sackville is hereby accorded official recognition by the Government of Canada as the Canadian Naval Memorial.
Declaration Of HMCS Sackville As A National
In June 1988, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada declared HMCS Sackville a National Historic Site. The declaration said: The Board noted that the ship was a rare surviving example of a WWII Commonwealth naval vessel and recommended that, both as a representative example of a Flower Class corvette and because of the part she played in the Battle of the Atlantic, HMCS Sackville is of national historic significance and should be commemorated by means of a plaque making some brief reference to the vessel’s design.
This commemorative plaque, now displayed on board the ship, reads: HMCS Sackville is the last of the Flower Class corvettes. Patterned after a whale catcher, corvettes were designed for mass production in small shipyards. Originally intended for coastal work, they played a major role in the Battle of the Atlantic. Sackville, built at St John, New Brunswick, and commissioned in December 1941, served for most of the war as a mid-ocean convoy escort in the North Atlantic. After the war she was used for oceanographic research for many years. Retired in 1982, she was restored to her 1944 configuration and now serves as Canada’s Naval Memorial.