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THUNDER BAY HMCS GRIFFON
Address
Telephone
E-mail
HMCS GRIFFON
125 N. Algoma Street
Thunder Bay ON P7A 4Z5
807-343-5200 ext. 5200
Fax: 807-345-9881
+: Recruiting
+: Ships Office

The Ship

A street-level view of the "stone frigate", Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Griffon, 125 Algoma Street North, Thunder Bay, ON.

Full name: Her Majesty's Canadian Ship GRIFFON

Motto: "Prima In Lacubus" / "First on the Lakes"

History:

Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Griffon was established at the beginning of the Second World War. Naval Reservists needed a location from which to operate so they decided to lease a garage in Port Arthur, now Thunder Bay, Ontario. The military instituted a policy where by all "stone frigates" were to be commissioned. That first leased garage became HMCS Griffon in 1941. A new barracks was constructed in 1943. Throughout the Second World War, Griffon recruited and trained volunteers enlisted in the Canadian Navy. The facility had its own drill deck, parade square, rifle range and accommodation for up to 130 new recruits. Griffon even had its own tennis courts. Shipyards in the city would build thirty corvettes and minesweepers for the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Navy over the course of the war and Griffon became home to the commissioning crews for these ships. More than 2400 officers and non-commissioned members enlisted into the Canadian Navy through Griffon.

Date Modified:
2012-03-01