HMCS Prevost

HMCS Prevost is a Naval Reserve unit commissioned Her Majesty's Canadian Ship, of the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve based in London, Ontario.

1938
London Division Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was organized following a visit in July by Commander E.R. Mainguy, RCN. Authority for this decision was received together with the appointment of E.E. Hart in command, as a Lieutenant, 8 August 1938. The division was to consist of a half ship's company - 6 officers and 45 men. Quarters for the division were situated on the second floor of the Darch Building on Talbot Street, and the Market Square was used for parade ground activities.

1939-1945
After the outbreak of war, and the apparent inadequacy of the quarters, a move was made on 15 November 1939, to the Carling Block at Richmond and Carling Streets, a property which had been vacated by the Postal Department upon completion of the Federal Building.

The decision, in 1941, to create independent commands in all shore establishments, brought about the search for appropriate names. As all Naval Divisions were affected, and to perpetuate names of ships that had served Naval Forces, but whose names were not currently allocated, it was decided to rename the division, for the most part, after ships that had served in the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. Such was the beginning of HMCS Prevost, named after HMS Lady Prevost, a schooner brig serving with the Lake Erie Squadron, so named in honour of the wife of Sir George Prevost, the then Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief, of the British Forces in North America. The commissioning pennant was therefore hoisted on 1 November 1941.

In the interest of operational efficiency, the Navy had to employ a common language, English, since the majority of its members were English-speaking. Canadians speaking only French were recruited, but their inadequate knowledge of English, produced high percentages of failures among the French-speaking recruits. In the summer of 1941 an English language course was established at HMCS Montcalm at Quebec. Little progress was made, however, and in 1943 the school was transferred to HMCS Prevost. The naval schoolmasters were professional language teachers, and the ratings were quartered with English-speaking families in the city. At the end of a three-month course the men were returned to their respective divisions for further training and subsequent draft to HMCS Cornwallis. The school was moved to HMCS Cornwallis, in January 1945.

Another facet of training during this time was the able and untiring effort of civilians interested in the Navy generally but particularly in HMCS Prevost. Although many, and from all walks of life, the instructional assistance in navigation by Alexander H. Jeffery, Q.C. and Professor R.L. Allen of the University of Western Ontario, together with the co-operation of J. Gordon Thompson in the use of his yacht were exceptional. The civilian interest in the welfare of HMCS Prevost has been of the utmost aid and much appreciated by every Commanding Officer and their staffs.

During the period of hostility of World War II, HMCS Prevost enrolled 4,480 officers, men and wrens into the Royal Canadian Navy.

The Commodore Walter Hose Efficiency Trophy was won by HMCS Prevost, under the command of Lieutenant-Commander J.R. Hunter RCNVR in 1941 and 1942 and again in 1943 and became permanent property of the Division.

1946-1950
At the close of hostilities, HMCS Prevost was converted from a wartime establishment to a permanent Naval Division. Specialized training equipment, including gunnery, ASDIC, radar, communication, seamanship and engineering was installed and recruiting commenced. Permanent force Staff Officers and Supply Officers together with their staffs were appointed to assist with the administration and specialized training.

For practical training in seamanship, two 46 foot Harbor Craft, one 25 foot diesel Motor Boat, one 32 foot Cutter, two 26 foot Whalers and one 14 foot Admiralty Dinghy were placed in commission at Port Stanley. In August 1949 one 112 foot Fairmile, HMCS Racoon, converted to diesel power, replaced the two Harbor Craft.

In October 1950 the boathouse property, situated immediately south of the lift bridge on the West side of the harbor at Port Stanley, was acquired. The following year a building was moved from the RCAF Station at Fingal Ontario and erected at the new site. A flag mast, two sets of davits, a crane and other items for seamanship training were provided and the property fenced in.

1953-1955
Naval Headquarters decided, in 1952, to re-activate the competition for efficiency. A silver replica of the Destroyer-Escort class was donated by Vice Admiral H.T.W. Grant, RCN and a system of assessment was prepared and promulgated to all Naval Divisions. A second trophy was also activated for the presentation to the Division next in line and was known as the "Runner Up” trophy.

HMCS Prevost, under the command of Commander E.G. Bride, RCNR won the Efficiency Trophy for the training year 1953-1954 and tied with HMCS Chippawa for the 1954-1955 training year.

1957
After eighteen years in the Carling Block, and many attempts to secure new and better quarters, a new construction program was launched in February 1956, and on 30 July 1957 the new building at the forks of the Thames River was accepted from the contractors, the ensign hoisted and the move from the Carling Block undertaken. On Saturday, the 23rd of November 1957 the building was officially opened by the Minister of National Defence, Honourable G.R. Pearkes, V.C., assisted by Commodore A.H.G. Storrs, RCN, Rear Admiral K.F. Adams, RCN, Mayor Ray Dennis and the Rev. R.H. McColl, RCNR.

1959-1963
HMCS Prevost under the command of Captain G.A. MacLachlan RCNR won the Runner Up Trophy for the 1958-1959 training season and again for the 1961-1962 period.

1964
Late in 1963, the Minister of National Defence announced a drastic curtailment of expenditures for defence purposes. Among "economies" to be affected was the closing of six Naval Reserve Divisions. Among those six, was HMCS Prevost.

The paying off of the land-locked "stone frigate", beloved to the thousands who saluted her quarter-deck, brought home in a most convincing way, the reality of Service integration as the building was turned over to the Western Ontario Area Command Headquarters for the use of Army Militia Units.

1978-1989
Prevost detachment office stood up in A Block CFB London in 1978. Staffing, and recruiting began again to enroll personnel for Prevost detachment. Bob Leckie came out of retirement to recruit and manage the detachment office in "A" block at CFB London. Initial staff included clerks Janice Bertrum and Patricia Hurley. First three recruits to answer the call were Mr. Stephen Beastall, Mr. Jeffrey Gourlay and Mr. Brian Joyce. Both Beastall and Gourlay realised their goal of becoming Coxswain of the ship, the most senior non commissioned sailor of the unit and a member of the command team.

During the early 1980s the Naval Reserve Detachment continued to grow in London. Within three years Prevost grew to 45 personnel. It was called the Prevost detachment of HMCS Star located in Hamilton. HMCS Star performed most administrative functions for the detachment. Chief Petty Officer Bill Ross was the full-time chief administrator for the growing unit. Initially only Marine Engineers were recruited as the Naval reserve had a shortage at the time, these Prevost engineers once trained, were used to augment many other units on their training weekends on board various ships on either coast.

1989, 1990-Present
Prevost detachment moves from CFB London A Block to present location, Prevost armories on Becher st. and the decision to recommission Prevost as a Naval Reserve Division of Maritime Command was made. HMCS Prevost was recommissioned as a Naval Reserve Division of Maritime Command on 29 September 1990 by Vice Admiral C.M. Thomas, CMM, CD, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.

Freedom of the City was granted to HMCS Prevost under the command of Lieutenant-Commander M. Hoare by Mayor Diane Haskett on the 31st of October 1998.

In October 1998, the war memorial to HMCS Prevost sailors lost at sea was repatriated to HMCS Prevost from St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, London, ON, where it had been safeguarded since 1964.

Prevost reserve sailors serve on all classes of ship on both coasts and the great lakes and have served on many occasions overseas on UN and NATO tours of duty, along with harbor defense units.

The Engineering trade lost its traditional place as the largest division at HMCS Prevost in 2002, when the Operations department displaced it.

Prevost adopts new motto, "By Valour not Deception".

Current operations
HMCS Prevost is properly referred to as a ship, since it has been officially christened as Her Majesty's Canadian Ship. However, since the ship is part of the reserves the majority of its sailors do not operate on a full-time basis, though there is a small staff of regulars that does.

HMCS Prevost has other roles in the boating community of Southwestern Ontario. It currently serves as the teaching home of London Power and Sail Squadron, a unit of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, a volunteer organization teaching safe boating to the general public. LPS teaches courses on Basic Boating, Seamanship, Advanced Piloting and Celestial Navigation, along with a number of elective courses such as Navigating With GPS, Electronic Charting, Fundamentals of Weather, Radar for Pleasurecraft, and other courses on sailing theory, maintenance of pleasurecraft, etc. CPS has the mandate from Industry Canada to offer courses and examine candidates for the Restricted Operator's Certificate (Maritime) which is required to operate marine VHF on pleasure craft in Canada.

The base also hosts, in its wardroom, regular meetings of Fanshawe Yacht Club when the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority facility at Fanshawe Lake is closed for the winter.

Contact information
HMCS Prevost, 19 Becher Street, London ON N6C 1A4. Telephone (519) 660-5296