Federal funding aids Sackville repairs

Treasury Board of Canada President Scott Brison and Dartmouth-Cole Harbour MP Darren Fisher were joined by members of Maritime Forces Atlantic and the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust Jan. 26 as they announced new federal funding for repairs to HMCS Sackville. Photo by Mona Ghiz, MARLANT PA

Ryan Melanson, Trident Newspaper ~

Canada’s last Flower-class corvette HMCS Sackville is set to receive extensive repairs this summer, following the Federal Government’s announcement of a $3.5 million contribution to the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust (CNMT).

The news was delivered by Treasury Board Secretary Scott Brison, on behalf of Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, during a small ceremony at CFB Halifax’s HMC Dockyard Jan. 26.

Work on the ship will mainly be completed at Fleet Maintenance Facility (FMF) Cape Scott, and the Royal Canadian Navy will be responsible for managing the contribution agreement to cover the repair costs including labour, materials and subcontracting.

Brison spoke about the importance of maintaining the ship, which served during the Battle of the Atlantic and famously engaged three German U-boats in a 24-period during the summer of 1942. Sackville was designated Canada’s Naval Memorial in 1985, and is berthed next to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic during summer months, where it hosts tours and supports different naval and community functions.

“Being able to board a ship that actually served in these battles, and now exists as a living memorial and treasured museum, is very valuable. People walk along her decks, hold artifacts in their hands, and learn about an important chapter in Canadian history,” said Brison, who was joined at the jetty by Dartmouth Cole Harbour MP Darren Fisher, members of the CNMT, RAdm Craig Baines, Command Maritime Forces Atlantic, and Capt(N) Stéphane Lafond, Commanding Officer of FMF Cape Scott.

“But as a vessel commissioned in 1941, and one that served through fierce battles, she is weathered and she needs a lot of repair,” he said, while crediting the work of the CNMT since 1983, along with the navy, in keeping the ship maintained and open for visitors up until this point.

“HMCS Sackville gives veterans, their families, and the rest of us a place to pay tribute to those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. This an investment we are proud to make,” he said.

Sackville is currently at its winter berth near Jetty NC at the dockyard, but tours and visits to the ship will now be discontinued while assessments begin ahead of the repair work.