HMCS ''Acadia'' Cadet Training Centre was a

Royal Canadian Sea Cadets The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (RCSC; french: links=no, Cadets de la Marine royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, t ...

training centre in

Cornwallis Park Cornwallis Park is a rural community in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, the population was 488, an increase of 1.9% from 2016. History The community is located on the western edge of Clementsport and immediately ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. The centre took its name from the ship HMCS ''Acadia'', a hydrographic research ship which was commissioned into the navy in both

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and based at the end of its naval career at the Cornwallis base as a training ship. In November 1945, HMCS ''Acadia'' was decommissioned from

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 ...

service and the vessel returned to civilian operations with the

Canadian Hydrographic Service ''Retired Canadian Hydrographic Service logo or crest'' The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is part of the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and is Canada's authoritative hydrographic office. The CHS represents Canada in t ...

as CSS ''Acadia''. The name and unit colours of HMCS ''Acadia'' were revived in 1956 by the RCN when a new

summer training centre was established at the naval base on

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

. It was called HMCS ''Acadia''. In 1965, HMCS ''Acadia'' was decommissioned when HMCS ''Protector'' was closed that year; the

Canadian Coast Guard College The Canadian Coast Guard College (CCGC) is a maritime training college and Canadian Coast Guard facility located in Westmount, Nova Scotia, Westmount, Nova Scotia—a suburb of the former city of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Sydney in the Cape Breton Reg ...

took over the former naval and sea cadet facilities. Royal Canadian Sea Cadets would continue to receive training from 1965–1970 at the naval training base HMCS ''Cornwallis'' near Digby, and in the 1970s at the shore-based facility HMCS ''Micmac'' at

CFB Halifax Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax is Canada's east coast naval base and home port to the Royal Canadian Navy Atlantic fleet, known as Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), that forms part of the formation Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT). It ...

. On July 29, 1978 the unit name HMCS ''Acadia'' was recommissioned for the fourth time (second time as a cadet training centre) at

CFB Cornwallis Canadian Forces Base Cornwallis (also CFB Cornwallis) is a former Canadian Forces Base located in Deep Brook, Nova Scotia. It is situated in the western part of Annapolis County on the southern shore of the Annapolis Basin. Today most of the ba ...

, the base which housed the Canadian Forces Recruit School. HMCS ''Acadia'' occupied a building that had been formerly used for naval communication training. HMCS ''Micmac'' was consolidated into HMCS ''Acadia'' at this time. Despite the closure of CFB Cornwallis as an active military base in 1994, HMCS ''Acadia'' continued to operate as a tenant at

. Each year Annapolis Basin Conference Centre, which is the current owner of the former CF base, hosted approximately 1,500 cadets and staff. HMCS ''Acadia'' celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006 and constructed a time capsule for the 75th anniversary of the unit in 2031.

Closure

On December 6, 2021, Cadets Canada announced plans for its 2022 cadet summer training year and HMCS Acadia was not included in the list of training centres that would facilitate cadets. Due to the reduction of the number of CTCs to 12, HMCS Acadia was not included, and will not host cadets again as a training centre.

References

External links

Canadian Cadet Organizations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acadia, Ctc Hmcs Canadian Cadet organizations Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Education in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia