The Royal Canadian Navy Monument is a small memorial park located at Richmond Landing, next to the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

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 ...

, Canada. It commemorates the men and women who have served or are currently serving in 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 ...

. The monument was designed by artist Al McWilliams and architects Joost Bakker and Bruce Haden, and was officially opened by then

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

, on 3 May 2012.

Proposal and commissioning

In 2008, Captain John Pickford, then director of the Canadian Naval Centennial Project, submitted a proposal to the

National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; , CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), including administering most lands and build ...

(NCC) suggesting a new memorial site should be constructed within the Ottawa downtown area, as part of the country's commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the

(RCN). The new memorial was intended to provide a focal location to raise public awareness of the RCN, enhance the beauty of Canada's capital city, and be a space which could be used for formal commemorations. The Royal Canadian Navy Monument was commissioned by the NCC and RCN, who jointly launched a design competition in 2009. The competition attracted five final entries, and was won by a team based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, comprising artist and sculptor Al McWilliams, and architects Joost Bakker and Bruce Haden. Although the time available following the competition was not enough to design and build the monument before the 100th anniversary itself, plans were sufficiently advanced to allow the NCC and RCN to host a

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

ceremony to coincide with the official date on 4 May 2010. This was conducted by Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden of the RCN, and Russell Mills and Marie Lemay, respectively chairman and CEO of the NCC.

Design and location

The monument forms a small park, situated at the tip of Richmond Landing in

, Canada's capital. Richmond Landing is a short

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

that projects into the

from its southern,

, bank, just to the east of Victoria Island and the

Chaudière Falls The Chaudière Falls (), also known as the Kana:tso or Akikodjiwan Falls, are a set of cascades and waterfall in the centre of the Ottawa-Gatineau National Capital Region (Canada), metropolitan area in Canada where the Ottawa River narrows betw ...

, the highest point on the Ottawa River that is

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

from the sea. Richmond Landing was the arrival site for some of the first settlers in the Ottawa region. The monument is surrounded on three sides by the river and is overlooked by

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

, including the

Centre Block The Centre Block () is the main building of the Parliament of Canada, Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons and Senate of Canada, Senate chambers, as we ...

of the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

. The NCC has described the site as providing "a powerful visceral feeling of flow and movement like a ship at sea ... contained within the wild river and expansive sky." The monument consists of a shallow turf Roman theatre, approximately in diameter, that faces downriver to the east. The open end of the theatre is focused on a large, inclined sail-like feature, five to eight metres in height, that is clad in slightly mottled white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and is topped by a

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

sphere, somewhat offset. On the western face of the north–south orientated sail the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

"''Ready Aye Ready''" and its

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

translation, "''Prêt Oui Prêt''", are carved in the uppermost corner. The

theatre honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

s of the Royal Canadian Navy are carved into the eastern face. The sail is set into a pavement of pale grey

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

, with a

fouled anchor Foul is a nautical term meaning to entangle or entwine, and more generally that something is wrong or difficult. The term dates back to usage with wind-driven sailing ships. Foul anchor It is usually applied to the state of an anchor, which has b ...

symbol inlaid in contrasting black granite. A white

mast Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mas ...

carrying a

yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English units, English unit of length in both the British imperial units, imperial and US United States customary units, customary systems of measurement equalling 3 foot (unit), feet or 36 inches. Sinc ...

gaff Gaff may refer to: Ankle-worn devices * Spurs in variations of cockfighting * Climbing spikes used to ascend wood poles, such as utility poles Arts and entertainment * A character in the ''Blade Runner'' film franchise * Penny gaff, a 19th- ...

and

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support and control a sailing ship or sail boat's masts and sails. ''Standing rigging'' is the fixed rigging that supports masts including shrouds and stays. ''Running rigg ...

, topped by a small

sphere, is situated to the south of the amphitheatre's open area. The monument is approached via an entrance from the landward end of the peninsula, cut through the western side of the theatre bank, that is lined with the same grey granite as surrounds the focal sail. The design evokes a number of aspects of Canada and its navy, and was intended as "a form and space charged with meaning". Being surrounded on three sides by water, the position of the monument reflects Canada's own geographical position. The colours of the monument – white, black and gold – are those of the Royal Canadian Navy. The sail-like feature carries multiple interpretations, including a sail, a ship's hull, an iceberg or naval attire. The golden spheres used on both the sail and mast represent celestial bodies and the navy's global reach.

References

External links

*
Veterans Affairs Canada information page
{{clear Canadian military memorials and cemeteries Monuments and memorials in Ottawa Naval history of Canada Naval monuments and memorials National Capital Commission