HMS Niobe was a ship of the Diadem class of protected cruisers in the Royal Navy. She served in the Boer War and was then given to Canada as the second ship of the newly created Naval Service of Canada as HMCS Niobe. The Naval Service of Canada became the Royal Canadian Navy in August 1911. The ship was nearly lost when she went aground off Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia overnight 30–31 July 1911. Repairs were completed at the end of 1912 and the ship returned to service in late 1914. During the First World War, Niobe patrolled the approaches to the St. Lawrence River and then joined the Royal Navy's 4th Cruiser Squadron to patrol off New York City. The cruiser returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia on 17 July 1915 and never put to sea again. Niobe was paid off in September and served as a depot ship in Halifax. Damaged in the 1917 Halifax Explosion, she was sold for scrap and broken up in the 1920s.
HMS Niobe
Niobe in drydock at Halifax
The mascot of HMCS Niobe
The Royal Canadian Navy is the naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 Halifax-class frigates, 12 Kingston-class coastal defence vessels, 4 Victoria-class submarines, 2 Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels, 8 Orca-class patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. The RCN consists of 8,400 Regular Force and 4,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and chief of the Naval Staff.
HMCS Québec, formerly HMS Uganda, was one of many ships commissioned by the RCN in the Second World War. Expanding substantially during the war, the RCN had become the world's fifth-largest navy by 1945.
Four F2H-3 Banshee fly overhead HMCS Bonaventure. Bonaventure was the last aircraft carrier in service with the RCN.
HMCS Athabaskan departing Halifax for the Persian Gulf as part of the Coalition forces. Canada deployed three ships in support of Operation Desert Shield, and later Operation Desert Storm
CFB Halifax is the headquarters for RCN units from Maritime Forces Atlantic.