Exhibit celebrates HMCS Oakville, Canada’s only warship to sink a German submarine

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Published November 7, 2022 at 12:08 pm

A special exhibition celebrating the HMCS Oakville was launched Saturday (Nov. 5) at the Queen Elizabeth Community and Cultural Centre. The exhibition runs until Sept. of 2023. OAKVILLE MUSEUM PHOTOS

A special exhibition celebrating the “Oakville’s Flower” opened this past weekend at the Queen Elizabeth Community and Cultural Centre.

Canada’s Minister of National Defence and Oakville MP Anita Anand, Oakville Mayor Burton and other dignitaries were on hand Saturday (Nov. 5) for the opening of the HMCS Oakville exhibition featuring items from the ship dubbed “Oakville’s Flower.”

The exhibition runs until September 2023 and features artifacts, medals, archival photographs and historical accounts of the Canadian corvette that sank an enemy submarine in the Battle of the Atlantic.

“The courage of its crew remains a testament to the dedication and spirit of those who have served and continue to serve in the Royal Canadian Navy,” said Anand. “As Remembrance Day approaches, I hope everyone takes the opportunity to remember stories like that of HMCS Oakville.

“Their sacrifice reminds us of our solemn obligation to keep their legacy alive. Lest we forget.”

HMCS Oakville exhibition was made possible through a partnership between naval historian Sean E. Livingston, who penned the authoritative book on the warship called Oakville’s Flower, and the Oakville Museum.

The exhibition tells the story of the Royal Canadian Navy Flower-Class Corvette named after Oakville. The christening ceremony was one of the largest public spectacles and one of the largest of a Canadian warship during the Second World War.

HMCS Oakville would go on to sink a German submarine (U94) while on an escort mission near Cuba on Aug. 27, 1942.

“Churchill described the Battle of the Atlantic as the only theatre of war that kept him up at night,” said Anand.

Among the artifacts visitors to the exhibition can see include the ship’s bell, its chronometer and a naval uniform.

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