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VICTORIA HMCS MALAHAT
Address
Telephone
E-mail
HMCS MALAHAT
20 Huron Street
Victoria BC V8V 4R1
250-363-3535
Fax: 250-363-3853
+: Recruiting
+: Ships Office

Welcome

Full name: Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Malahat

Approximately 130 women and men train in HMCS Malahat, one of 24 Naval Reserve Divisions in major cities across Canada. Malahat trains its part-time sailors to meet Canada's maritime defence objectives in times of peace, crisis or war. Malahat is also an active part of the local community, fundraising for local charities as well as participating in numerous community events.

Motto: "NAVIS EXERCITATIONE PARATA" / "A ship prepared by training"

Badge:

HMCS MALAHAT BadgeThe green section represents a mountain, and in this instance refers to the Malahat Range on Vancouver Island. The sun, although heraldically described as rising from the base is intended to refer to the sun setting in the west and is derived from a similar device in the Arms on the Province of British Columbia. The blue suggests water or the sea.

Key dates in history:

  • 1913 - Victoria's "unofficial" volunteer Naval Reserve unit receives support from Captain Hose, RCN the senior Naval Officer in Esquimalt.
  • May 14, 1914 - The Victoria volunteers' existence was legitimized by an Order-in-Council. They became the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR).
  • June 15, 1920 - The RNCVR was disbanded.
  • January 31, 1923 - The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was established.
  • 1941 - A combined Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) and RCNVR recruiting centre was opened in Victoria.
  • January 15, 1944 - The combined WRCNS - RCNVR recruiting centre was commissioned as HMCS Malahat.
  • August 31, 1946 - HMCS Malahat paid off.
  • April 23, 1947 - HMCS Malahat recommissioned as one of Canada's Naval Reserve Divisions.
  • 1948 - HMCS Malahat takes over RCN and RCNVR recruiting.
  • October 9, 1951 - HMCS Malahat relocated from temporary quarters in HMCS Givenchey to Moresby House on Esquimalt Road.
  • February 1954 - HMCS Malahat moves into the old Victoria Custom House at 1002 Wharf Street. Now commonly called "the Malahat Building", this heritage building is the oldest extant federal building in western Canada.
  • February 1964 - HMCS Malahat moves into Building 61 in HMCS Naden (CFB Esquimalt).
  • April 23, 1983 - In celebration of Victoria's Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve then 70-year history, the City of Victoria honours HMCS Malahat by granting them Freedom of the City. A ceremony that goes back more than three centuries, this public mark of respect recognizes the honourable record of the military unit in question and demonstrates the affection and esteem with which it is held by the community.
  • March 14, 1992 - HMCS Malahat officially moves into its current location at 20 Huron Street.
  • April 26, 1997 - HMCS Malahat exercises its previously granted Freedom of the City in celebration of its then-50 years of continuous service in the City of Victoria.
  • 2013 - HMCS Malahat celebrates a hundred years since the establishment of the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve, the genesis of Canada's Naval Reserve.

Read more about HMCS Malahat's history.

Date Modified:
2012-03-01