HMCS Tecumseh

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HMCS Tecumseh

HMCS Tecumseh, or "TEC", is a unit of the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve based in Calgary, Alberta.

1 Summary
2 Operations
3 History
4 See also
5 External links
6 Contact information

[edit] Summary

HMCS Tecumseh Crest

Headquarters: Naval Reserve Headquarters Quebec City, Quebec
Official Abbreviation: TEC
Motto: In Pace Bellum Para (In Peace, Prepare for War)

[edit] Operations

HMCS Tecumseh is properly referred to as a ship, as it has been officially christened as Her Majesty's Canadian Ship. However, since the ship is part of the reserves it does not operate on a full time basis, except for the Museum. Rather, most of the operations occur in the evening on weekdays. The primary operations of the ship include a recruitment office, numerous cadet corps, the Canadian Naval Museum, and the Tecumseh Naval Reserve Band.

[edit] History

Calgary's Naval Reserve division was established on March 31, 1923. However it was not christened HMCS Tecumseh until November 1, 1941. It is named after the Shawnee chief who served with the British and Canadian military force in the War of 1812. Two years after its christening, the division moved to its present location on 17th Avenue SW.

During World War II, over 4,500 personnel enlisted at Tecumseh. Of those, 52 were killed in action. Among them was Lt(N) Robert Hampton Gray, the only person in the Canadian Navy to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

Unlike some Naval Reserve divisions in Canada, Tecumseh survived post-war defence cuts. It has since survived other challenges including armed forces unification, and a major fire in 1981. Rebuilt since the fire, Tecumseh is a fully modern training facility. In addition to the Naval Reserves, Tecumseh houses 746 Communication Squadron (a Communication Reserve Unit), Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps UNDAUNTED and Navy League Cadet Corps CAPTAIN JACKSON. Tecumseh is also home to the Naval Museum of Alberta.

Subsequent to rebuilding, Tecumseh became the headquarters of the only female flag officer in the history of the Canadian Navy, Commodore Laraine Orthleib. Then in 1992, Tecumseh felt the pull of war again, this time in the Persian Gulf. At this juncture, several members of the unit volunteered for duty of whom two were selected to serve onboard HMCS Huron.

Tecumseh personnel were deployed to combat Manitoba's 1997 Flood of the Century, provided security at the 1998 APEC meeting in Vancouver, and assisted in the recovery mission following the Swiss Air crash off Halifax as members of the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel crews assigned to the operation. More recently, Tecumseh personnel have provided support for the G8 Summit in 2002 and participated in OP APOLLO in the Gulf of Oman in 2003.