HMCS Harry DeWolf, one of Canada’s newest warships, docks in Windsor
Author of the article:Julie Kotsis, Madeline Mazak
Published Oct 29, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago
The Canadian naval ship HMCS Harry DeWolf is shown docked at the Dieppe Gardens in downtown Windsor on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. The public gets to view one of Canada’s newest warships on the weekend. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star
More than a hundred naval personnel joined city officials at the Windsor riverfront Tuesday morning to greet and honour HMCS Harry DeWolf, one of Canada’s newest naval vessels.
Part of a month-long deployment in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, the ship docked at Dieppe Gardens on Monday and will be opening its decks to the public on the weekend.
“It’s always an exciting time when a ship, like a new warship, gets a chance to go to a city we haven’t been to before,” HMCS DeWolf commander Jon Nicholson told reporters following Tuesday’s ceremony.
“This is the first time that any ship in this class has had an opportunity to go into Lake Erie, let alone Windsor.”
The arctic and offshore patrol vessel (AOPV), measuring 103 metres long with a 19-metre beam, loomed over Dieppe Gardens. It carries up to 87 crew members and is capable of reaching speeds of 17 knots — equivalent to about 31 kilometres per hour.
Mainly used to conduct sovereignty and surveillance operations in Canadian waters on all three ocean coasts, the vessel embarks on a counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean early next year.
Ahead of its journey through the Great Lakes — with stops in Kingston, Toronto, and Hamilton before reaching Windsor — the naval vessel carried out a successful Arctic search and rescue mission.
“It was very special to us to be able to render assistance like that,” said Lt.-Cmdr. Lisa Jensen — the ship’s second-in-line — who began her naval career at HMCS Hunter in Windsor about 25 years ago.
During that mission, Jensen said the HMCS Harry DeWolf crew rescued four Canadian and four Japanese citizens who were stranded in the Northwest Passage.
As one of the vessel’s three crew members hailing from the Windsor area, Jensen described the visit by her current ship as a “full circle” moment.
“It’s really special for me to be able to give some of my close friends and people at HMCS Hunter and Windsor a chance to see the ship, tour the ship, and ask us questions about what we do,” she said.
The vessel is the first in its class of ship to be named after a prominent Canadian naval figure.
Vice-Admiral Harry DeWolf, a native of Bedford, N.S., was decorated for outstanding service throughout his naval career, which included wartime command of HMCS St. Laurent from 1939-40 and later his 1943-44 command of HMCS Haida, known as the “Fightingest Ship in the RCN.”
“HMCS Harry DeWolf is named after a naval hero,” said Nicholson.
“That man eventually went on to become commander in the Royal Canadian Navy. I think there was no better man they could have named the first of this great class of heroes.”
HMCS Hunter is the Windsor division of the Canadian naval reserve, which celebrated its centennial in 2023. One of 24 naval reserve divisions in Canada, HMCS Hunter currently has about 130 members. The majority train or work as reservists for the navy in the evenings, weekends and summer in preparation to deploy or respond to emergencies at home or abroad.
On Wednesday, a citizenship ceremony will be held aboard the HMCS Harry DeWolf from 10 a.m. to noon.
The HMCS Harry DeWolf’s Windsor stop also aims to connect visitors with recruitment opportunities with the Royal Canadian Navy.
“We get to see the world,” said Jensen.
“I’ve been all over the Mediterranean. I’ve been to Europe, I’ve been to Central and South America, and of course, through the Great Lakes and into the Arctic. I think its an incredible experience.
“We get to not only train sailors and work towards our naval commitments, but on occasion, we get to actually make what I feel is a really big difference.”
Members of the HMCS Hunter Naval Reserve unit stand in formation on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, during a Freedom of the City ceremony at city hall. The event, stemming from ancient traditions, is a way for municipalities to honour a unit of the Armed Forces by symbolically allowing members to march in the city.
HMCS Hunter recognized during Freedom of the City ceremony outside Windsor city hall
S2 Eunice De Leon, left, and A/SLt Soham Patel, from HMCS Hunter, perform the Sunset Ceremony at Charles Clark Square, on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.
HMCS Hunter celebrates Naval Reserve’s 100 years in Canada
The HMCS Hunter building on Ouellette Avenue in Windsor, shown on Thursday, April 18, 2024, has been identified by Ottawa as a potential site for affordable housing.
‘Great opportunity’ — Feds eye Windsor’s HMCS Hunter building for affordable housing
Public tours of the HMCS Harry DeWolf are scheduled this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The ship’s visit coincides with the 2024 Marine Careers Expo, Friday and Saturday at the HMCS Hunter naval reserve building at 90 Mill St.
The ship is scheduled to sail for Leamington on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Shipwreck Society makes 49th Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony closed to the public
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society’s Annual Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony is always a solemn event, but again this year, it will be closed to the public. Due to the museum’s small size and inability to accommodate the many people who typically want to attend, the decision has been made to keep the event private. This memorial service has always been primarily intended for the families of those lost on the Fitzgerald when it sank 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point on November 10th, 1975.
However, recognizing the wider community’s interest, the Shipwreck Society has upgraded its technology to ensure the memorial can still be experienced by many. The event will be live-streamed, with a link to follow, allowing the public to participate virtually while maintaining an intimate atmosphere for the families attending in person. This combination of preserving the event’s personal nature while expanding access is a thoughtful way to honor the memory of those lost and to include those who wish to pay their respects from afar.
This event will be live-streaming from Whitefish Point starting before 7pm on Sunday, 11-10-2024 and ending after 8pm. Please stay tuned for more information.
There will also be an opportunity to see this event at the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, MI where they will host a simulcast of the broadcast of our stream in real time. If you’re in that area call the MMM at (269) 637-8078 for more information. There has been a flood of questions about the 50th anniversary Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony. We do have plans for a public event that we will release in 2025. Any questions about the 49th event please reach out to:
Media Contact, Corey Adkins: Content/Communications Director GLSHS
corey@shipwreckmuseum.com
Gales of November 8-9
A great slate of presentations this year. Also a form to order a raffle ticket for a ride on the Edwin H. Gott. Help support Duluth’s Maritime Museum
See flyer below.
National Museum offers “Fitzgerald Experience 2024”
Toledo, OH – In honor of the 49th Anniversary of the loss of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975, the National Museum of the Great Lakes is offering a weekend of special tours. The Fitzgerald Experience is a guided tour of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, using the lake freighter and its similarities to the Edmund Fitzgerald to discuss the events of November 10, 1975, theories about the sinking and stories about the 29 crew members who were lost. This tour is approximately 75 minutes long.
Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Each tour will be limited to 8 people. Guests also receive a museum store discount of 10% (non-members) / 20% (members) off in-store purchases. Tours are offered every half hour from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 9 and from noon – 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 10.
Your tour purchase includes admission to the National Museum of the Great Lakes.
Due to its historical accuracy, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship is not ADA accessible. Narrow, steep staircases are common throughout the Schoonmaker and may provide difficulties in accessibility for some.
The Schoonmaker is also not heated and much of the tour is on uncovered decks. We encourage you to dress appropriately for the weather. If we determine that the weather has made these tours impossible, we will provide a refund of the ticket price (minus fees). If the program is cancelled, we are not planning a make-up date.
You can process a refund (minus fees) and cancel your ticket up to 7 days before the event. Go here to buy tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-fitzgerald-experience-2024-tickets-1043046027747?aff=ebemoffollowpublishemail&ref=eemail&utm_campaign=following_published_event&utm_content=follow_notification&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite
