HMCS ''Cataraqui'' is a
Canadian Forces Naval Reserve
The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, ) is the Primary Reserve component of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The primary mission of the NAVRES is to force generate sailors and teams for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, including: domestic safety operati ...
Division (NRD) located in
Kingston
Kingston may refer to:
Places
* List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated:
** Kingston, Jamaica
** Kingston upon Hull, England
** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia
** Kingston, Ontario, Canada
** Kingston upon Thames, ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. Dubbed a
stone frigate
A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land.
'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...
, HMCS ''Cataraqui'' is a land-based naval establishment for part-time sailors as well as a local recruitment centre for the
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). It is one of
24 naval reserve divisions located in major cities across
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
History
Established on the site of the old Feed Mill at the foot of
Princess Street in 1939, HMCS ''Cataraqui'' was first commissioned as a tender to
HMCS ''Stadacona'' on 1 November 1941 and then recommissioned as an independent shore establishment on 1 September 1942. From 1943 to 1959, ''Cataraqui'' occupied a former school at 47 Wellington Street that also served as the
Kingston Badminton Club.
After the Second World War, apart from recruiting and training naval reservists in Kingston with its "fleet" of two harbour craft and a
Ville class tug, the unit also undertook training of sailors in
Brockville
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically Independent city, independent of the county. It is included with Leeds and ...
,
Gananoque
Gananoque ( ) is a town in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" becau ...
,
Napanee
Greater Napanee is a town in southeastern Ontario, Canada, approximately west of Kingston and the county seat of Lennox and Addington County. It is located on the eastern end of the Bay of Quinte. Greater Napanee municipality was created on Jan ...
,
Belleville and
Picton. The unit also housed a
University Naval Training Division (UNTD), a program that aimed to secure recruits who will otherwise enter the army's COTC
Canadian Officers Training Corps or the air force's
University Air Training Plan (UATP).
In September 1953, naval air squadron VC 921 was formed under the command of
Lieutenant-Commander (Pilot) Allen Burgham in Kingston. As a tender to ''Cataraqui'', the naval air squadron maintained a facility at
Norman Rogers airfield operating
Harvards and one
C-45D Expeditor until it was disbanded in 1959.
As a result of clocking 1,092 accident-free flying hours in its inaugural year, the squadron was the first to win the Naval Reserve Safe Flying Award presented by Commodore K.F. Adams CD, RCN, Commanding Officer Naval Reserve Divisions.
In 1959, the unit moved into a new facility located across from the
Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) campus until 1972 when the building was transferred to the RMC. Needing a new home, ''Cataraqui'' moved to the Kingston Armoury located at 100 Montréal Street.
In 1992, the unit once again moved into its new building at 24 Navy Way, where today naval reservists train towards contributing to
Canadian Armed Forces
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
(CAF) operations, including: domestic safety operations as well as security and defence missions, while at the same time supporting the Navy's efforts in connecting with Canadians
.
Tenders
* HMC "PTC 721" - Fairmile B motor launch (1948-1950)
* HMCS Loganville - Ville Class Tug (1948-1956)
* PB 192 Detector - ex-RCMP patrol boat
* YMU-116 / Crossbow 197 (1969-1995)
References
{{Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Naval Reserve
Military units and formations of Canada in World War II
Organizations based in Kingston, Ontario