''100th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy'' is an outdoor memorial in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

. It was constructed to commemorate the founding of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

and opened on the date of the navy's centenary. Its central feature is a bronze statue, sculpted by local artist

Nathan Scott Nathan Royal Scott is a fictional character from the CW television series ''One Tree Hill'' created by Mark Schwahn and portrayed by James Lafferty. Following Lucas Scott's departure, Nathan became the main character and central figure of the ...

, entitled ''The Homecoming'' that depicts a Canadian sailor reuniting with his daughter upon his return from deployment. The monument also features memorials to individual Canadian vessels and sailors.

History

The monument was erected on 4 May 2010 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the

via the ''

Naval Service Act The ''Naval Service Act'' was a statute of the Parliament of Canada, enacted in 1910. The Act was put forward by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier to establish a Canadian navy. Prior to the passage of the Act, Canada ...

'' of 1910. It is intended as a marker of the nation's gratitude to the tens of thousands of sailors who have served with the force on more than 850 Canadian vessels since then. Local philanthropist and Honorary Navy Captain Cedric Steele was the driving force behind the project. His inspiration came from a statue in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

that commemorates the Navy's 75th anniversary. The site for the monument was donated by Greater Victoria Harbour Authority chairman Bill Wellburn. The patron of the monument was

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...

Steven Point who was supported by retired Vice-Admiral Nigel Brodeur and then-Commander of

Maritime Forces Pacific In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC, french: links=no, Forces maritimes du Pacifique, FMAR(P)) is responsible for the fleet training and operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Pacific Ocean. It was once referre ...

Rear Admiral Tyrone Pile. It was funded through a fundraising campaign which included the sale of pewter small-scale copies of the statue and commemorative paving stones which surround the completed monument. The monument's unveiling was attended by the coastal defence vessel ''Brandon'' and navy veterans.

Description

The monument is located on Wharf Street in

. It comprises the bronze ''Homecoming'' statue set that depicts a sailor reuniting with his daughter (and dog) after returning from deployment; a stone marker describing the history of the Canadian Navy and the date of the monument's unveiling; and a second stone marker depicting the insignia of Navy veteran's associations, the names of individual supporters and the English translation of the Navy motto "Parati vero parati" ("Ready aye ready"). The central statue ''The Homecoming'' was sculpted by

, a local artist with a studio and foundry in Victoria. The rear of both stone markers (on the side closest to ''The Homecoming'') depicts the

fouled anchor Foul is a nautical term meaning to entangle or entwine, and more generally that something is wrong or difficult. The term dates back to usage with wind-driven sailing ships. Foul anchor It is usually applied to the state of an anchor, which has b ...

insignia of the

in bronze. The dark marble plinth of ''Homecoming'' has the name of the statue in gold lettering on one side and plaques mounted in memory of individual Canadian vessels on the other three, the plinth is surmounted by light-grey granite capping stones. The paved area surrounding the monument contains the commemorative stones engraved in memory of service men that were sold as part of its fundraising campaign. The stones continue to be sold and installed at the site to raise funds for the Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre.

References

External links

* {{Public art in Victoria, British Columbia 2010 establishments in British Columbia 2010 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Canada Military monuments and memorials Monuments and memorials in British Columbia Outdoor sculptures in Victoria, British Columbia Royal Canadian Navy Sculptures of children in Canada Sculptures of dogs in Canada Sculptures of men in Canada Statues in Canada

History

Description

See also

References

External links