Nova Scotia National Historic Site #8: HMCS Sackville

Corvettes were small, fast ships used by the Canadian Navy in World War II to protect convoys, because they were the only ships fast enough to be able to defend against and potentially destroy the infamous German U-boats.

The HMCS Sackville, pictured above, was commissioned on December 29, 1941, and was built at St. John, New Brunswick. It was credited with a "possible kill" and a "possible damage" against German U-boats in WWII. More importantly though, it is the last remaining Corvette ship of thatera.

The HMCS Sackville is now a National Historic Site, and is maintained as a living monument at Sackville Landing on the Halifax Waterfront, by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust. It is free to walk on and explore the ship during the summer months when it is open for viewing.

(HMCS Sackville, in its original paint scheme, as viewed from the HMCS Athabaskan battle ship, during the International Fleet Review Week. The blue and white colours made the ship appear to blend in with the waves on the ocean, and made it more difficult for enemy submarines or planes to judge the distance to the ship due to the relatively poor tracking technology of the time.)

Nova Scotia National Historic Site #1: Halifax Public Gardens

After the 1750s, large, lavish gardens were very popular in Halifax. By the 1780s gardening competitions had developed. In 1867 a 2-acre plot of land was opened by then Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, Sir William Young, to an appreciative public. The park later amalgamated with the 1837 Nova Scotia Horticultural Society Garden to produce the Halifax Public Gardens.

The Halifax Public Gardens were promoted at the time by the Nova Scotia Horticultural Society as a place that would be "accessible to all classes," and where they could find "health and cheerfulness. The Halifax Public Gardens were named a National Historic Site in 1984, and today are still one of the finest examples of Victorian Gardens remaining in Canada.

(Flower beds commemorating the 2011 Canada Winter Games, to be hosted in Halifax next year, and the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy celebrated this summer during International Fleet Review Week.)

(Perhaps the most beautiful section of the Gardens is this peaceful stream. It's also probably one of the most photographed areas of the Gardens.)

(I love to take a stroll under the leaning Aralia elata - Devil's Walking Sticks - at the south-west corner of the Gardens.)

(I also like to look up at tall trees in wonder, especially if they aren't standing straight.)

(The Public Gardens bandstand was designed in 1887 by prominent Halifax Architect, Henry Busch, in honour of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.)

(It's hard to see, but the tree in the middle, closest to the camera is a Korean Fir that was planted there on July 31, 1988. It was donated by the Korea Veterans Association to honour all those who fought and died in the Korean War from 1950-1953. Incidentally, the Korean War is still going on, and is currently in its 60th year.)

(This giant Oak tree was planted on June 15, 1939 by His Majesty King George VI, during his Royal Tour to Canada and the United States with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.)

Canadian Navy Centennial and International Fleet Review Week: June 28 - July 2, 2010

The Canadian Navy came into existence on May 4, 1910, when the Naval Service Act became law. Some simple maths will show that this year, 2010, is exactly 100 years after the Navy's 1910 founding.

In honour of this historic occasion, Halifax (as one of the few cities in Canada with a Naval base) is hosting the first International Fleet Review Week in 25 years. Over 28 ships, and 5 000 sailors from Canada, America, Britain, France, Brazil, Denmark, and many more countries will be in Halifax this week for the festivities. Also, as a special bonus, Her Majesty The Queen will be coming to Canada this year for a Royal Visit, and will be giving a rare Royal Review of some of the ships.

In addition to the much needed boost to Canada's Navy, this International Fleet Review Week also offers an extremely rare occasion for members of the public to be able to board some of the ships, and take tours at their leisure. When I asked one of the sailors of the HMCS Athabaskan destroyer for his thoughts on the security risk caused by this event, he told me, "we're not too worried; we have lots of fire power out there" (pointing behind him to the many small motor boats whirring around the harbour carrying machine gun armed guards).

The biggest draw of the week is definitely the absolutely massive American aircraft carrier, the USS Wasp. Unfortunately, tours of this ship closed earlier than the others when I was at the Harbour, and I was not able to board. I heard from others though, that the steps necessary to pass the security procedures before boarding the ship were worse than those at American airports, while my experience with the security check to get on the HMCS Athabaskan included nothing more than putting a name tag on my backpack and leaving it under a guarded tent.

(The buskers were out in full force along the Board Walk for the wonderful weather on Sunday.)

(Even the kids were trying to get in on the money.)

(Here's a sister act...)

(Which appears to be a family business. A quick glance in the change bucket showed the four sisters were making more than enough money to buy an entire ice cream truck worth of frozen milk treats.)

(The dancing girls were also out, warming up for Canada Day just around the corner.)

(The HMCS Athabaskan, an air-defence destroyer, docked at Halifax Harbour.)

(Standing on the deck at the front of the HMCS Athabaskan.)

(Canada's Naval Memorial, "The Last Corvette", HMCS Sackville. This was the fastest ship in the Canadian Navy during World War II, and its main job was to escort cargo ships and larger battle ships across the Atlantic, while it sought out and attempted to destroy the infamous German U-boats. The interesting paint scheme is actually the original design of the HMCS Sackville. A sailor on board informed me that the design made the ship look like waves on the ocean, while the contrasting colours distorted the depth perception of the enemy's tracking equipment.)

(On HMCS Sackville, shooting Nazis.)