HMCS ''Tecumseh'' is a Canadian Forces Naval Reserve division (NRD) located in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, Alberta. 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 ''Tecumseh'' is a land-based naval training establishment crewed by part-time sailors and also serves as a local recruitment centre for the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

(RCN). It is one of 24 naval reserve divisions located in major cities across Canada.

Namesake

HMCS ''Tecumseh'' is named after the

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

warrior and chief, who became the primary leader of a large, multi-tribal confederacy in the early 19th century.

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

is honoured in Canada as a hero and military commander who played a major role in Canada's successful repulsion of several American invasions during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, which, among other things, eventually led to

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...

in 1867. The name also harkens to HMS ''Tecumseth'', a 175-ton schooner warship which operated on the Upper Great Lakes 1815-1831. A reproduction of her was built in 1992 at the historic dockyard in Penetanguishene, Ontario, which was the vessels base of operations during most of her service.

History

Calgary's Naval Reserve division was established on 31 March 1923 as the Calgary Half-Company. From 1935-1940 it was known as the Calgary Division until being christened HMCS ''Tecumseh'' on 1 November 1941. In 1943, the division moved to its present location on 17 Avenue SW. During the Second World War, over 4,500 personnel enlisted at ''Tecumseh''. Of those 52 were killed in action. Among them was Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, RCNVR, the only person in the RCN to receive the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. Unlike some Naval Reserve divisions in Canada, ''Tecumseh'' survived post-war defence cuts. It has since survived other challenges including the 1968

Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces The unification of the Canadian Armed Forces took place on 1 February 1968, when the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force were merged to form the Canadian Armed Forces. History A white paper was tabled in the Parliame ...

, and a major fire in 1981. Rebuilt since the fire, ''Tecumseh'' is a fully modern training facility. Subsequent to rebuilding, ''Tecumseh'' became the headquarters of the first female

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

in the Canadian Navy, Commodore Laraine Orthlieb. In 1992, several members of ''Tecumseh'' volunteered for duty in the aftermath of the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, and two were selected to serve on board . With the arrival of the s, officers from ''Tecumseh'' were selected as the commissioning captains of HMC ships , , and . ''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 Flight 111 crash off Halifax 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 in the Gulf of Oman in 2003. Members of the ship's company now regularly deploy as part of

Operation Caribbe Operation Caribbe is the Canadian Armed Forces contribution to the elimination of illegal trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean by organized crime. The operation began in 2006 and its mandate has been altered twice since ...

, in support of international drug interdiction efforts. ''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 100th anniversaries. In 2013, members of HMCS ''Tecumseh'' took part in the Nijmegen Marches. The Nijmegen Marches consist of four days of marching through the countryside and crowded streets of towns and villages in the

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

area. Each military participant marches 160 kilometres while wearing standard combat clothing and carrying a military backpack weighing at least 10 kilograms.

Operations

HMCS ''Tecumseh'' is properly referred to as a ship, as it has been officially christened as

His Majesty's Canadian ship The designation His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS; CSM, is applied as a Ship prefix, prefix to surface ships in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Joint Operations Command. The similar designation of His Majesty's Canadian Submarine is appl ...

. However, since the ship is part of the reserves it does not operate full time, 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 (Naval Museum of Alberta), and the ''Tecumseh'' Naval Reserve Band.

Lodger units

* 3 Squadron, 41 Signal Regiment (Canadian Army Reserve) * 22 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps ''Undaunted'' * 2509 (RC) Signal Cadet Corps. * Navy League Cadet Corps ''Captain Jackson''

External links

RCSCC ''Undaunted''NLCC ''Captain Jackson''

References