His Majesty's Canadian Ship

Aboard HMCS Toronto, with its name, HMCS Toronto written on its bell.

The designation His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS; French: Navire canadien de Sa Majesté [NCSM]),^[1][2] is applied as a prefix to surface ships in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Joint Operations Command. The similar designation of His Majesty's Canadian Submarine is applied to submarine vessels.^[3]

Origins of the term

The title is derived from His Majesty's Ship (HMS), used in the United Kingdom, as the monarch of Canada is also equally and separately the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Various Commonwealth realms use derivative variations to designate their warships, such as His Majesty's Australian Ship (HMAS) and His Majesty's New Zealand Ship (HMNZS).

In the reign of a queen, the designation changes to Her Majesty's Canadian Ship; the French version of the title remains unchanged in this instance.

Usage

HMCS York is one of several naval shore facilities that bears the designation HMCS.

After the formation of Naval Service of Canada in 1910, warships were given the prefix HMCS with the "C" representing Canadian as a way to differentiate Canadian from British warships. It was initially the only concession the British Admiralty made following the formation of the Canadian naval service.^[4] HMCS Rainbow was the first ship with the HMCS designation after being transferred from the British Royal Navy to Canada, commissioned on 4 August 1910.^[5] HMCS Haida became the first Canadian ship commissioned under a Queen during March 1952.^[6]

Many RCN shore facilities also bear the designation, such as HMCS Trinity, HMCS Chippawa, HMCS Discovery, HMCS Stone Frigate, and the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets summer training centre HMCS Quadra.

Shore maintenance and mooring facilities bear the name His Majesty's Canadian Dockyard (HMC Dockyard) (in French Arsenal canadien de Sa Majesté or Arsenal CSM).^[7][8]

See also

• Hull classification symbol (Canada)
• List of current ships of the Royal Canadian Navy
• Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces
• Stone frigate

Citations

1. "Royal Canadian Navy - Links". Royal Canadian Navy. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
2. "National Defence Act" (in French). Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada. 1985. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
3. "HMCS Victoria Conducts Diving Operations off the Coast of Vancouver Island". Archived from the original on 2013-05-24.
4. Milner, p. 22
5. Johnston et al., p. 234
6. "HMCS Haida". hmcshaida.ca. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
7. "Royal Canadian Navy - Infrastructure and Environment". Minister of National Defence. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
8. "Royal Canadian Navy - CFB Halifax". Minister of National Defence. 16 January 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2012.

Sources

• Johnston, William; Rawling, William G.P.; Gimblett, Richard H.; MacFarlane, John (2010). The Seabound Coast: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1867–1939. Vol. 1. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-55488-908-2.
• Milner, Marc (2010). Canada's Navy: The First Century (Second ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-9604-3.