City of Windsor Welcomes HMCS Margaret Brooke at Dieppe Gardens
One of the newest Canadian Navy ships, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Margaret Brooke, will dock at the City of Windsor’s Dieppe Gardens from October 10 to 13, 2025. The visit is part of the vessel’s current Great Lakes deployment to participate in marine career fairs along Lake Ontario, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron, which has included stops in Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Owen Sound, and Neyaashiinigmiing. Upcoming stops, in addition to Windsor, include Toronto, Kingston, and Montreal.
As part of this tour, the Navy is addressing a significant recruitment challenge, and the aim is to reach out to people in places where they would not typically get to see and explore a Canadian warship. The patrol vessel was delivered to the Navy in 2021 and has taken part in multinational military exercises in the Arctic, provided hurricane relief when Hurricane Fiona struck Newfoundland, and circumnavigated South America before stopping in Antarctica and the Caribbean, where it assisted the U.S. Coast Guard to combat drug trafficking.
During the ship’s visit to Windsor, the local HMCS Hunter’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Commander Chris Elliott and crew will host an official Welcoming Ceremony on Friday, October 10, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Dieppe Gardens. Councillor Renaldo Agostino will be among those in attendance to present a City Flag to the visiting vessel’s Commanding Officer Teri Share.
A Citizenship Ceremony will take place on Friday, October 10, 2025, in partnership with Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Public tours of the vessel, hosted by the crew, will be available on Saturday and Sunday, October 11–12, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Part of the ship’s public outreach includes the Marine Careers Expo which are happening at all of the lower Great Lakes stops, including in Windsor on October 10 and 11, 2025. These expos aim to encourage participation in the marine trades, including opportunities in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard.
The ship is scheduled to depart Windsor’s waterfront on Monday, October 13, 2025.
About the HMCS Margaret Brooke
The Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) is named after Margaret Brooke, a Royal Canadian Navy Nursing Sister decorated for gallantry during the Second World War. The actions followed the torpedoing and subsequent sinking of the Newfoundland ferry SS Caribou on October 14, 1942, in the Cabot Strait off Newfoundland. AOPVs are named after Canadian naval heroes who displayed outstanding leadership and heroism while serving in the navy during wartime. Margaret Brooke’s courage and self-sacrifice have inspired, and will continue to inspire, generations of Canadian naval personnel for years to come. On October 14, 1942, during a crossing of the Cabot Strait off the coast of Newfoundland, the ferry SS Caribou was torpedoed by the German submarine U-69. The ferry sank in five minutes. Fighting for her own survival, Lieutenant-Commander Brooke (who was a Sub-Lieutenant at the time) did everything humanly possible to save the life of her colleague and friend, Nursing Sister Sub-Lieutenant Agnes Wilkie, while both women clung to ropes on a capsized lifeboat. Despite LCdr Brooke’s heroic efforts to hang on to her with one arm, her friend succumbed to the frigid water. For this selfless act, LCdr Brooke was named a Member (Military Division) of the Order of the British Empire.
In September 2014, it was announced that the forthcoming AOPVs would be named to honour prominent Canadians who served with the highest distinction and conspicuous gallantry in the navy. The lead ship was named HMCS Harry DeWolf (which visited the City of Windsor in 2024), and the class is known as the Harry DeWolf Class. The Royal Canadian Navy will employ the AOPVs to conduct sovereignty and surveillance operations in Canadian waters on all three coasts, including in the Arctic. The AOPVs will also be used to support other units of the Canadian Armed Forces in the conduct of maritime-related operations, and to support other government departments in carrying out their mandates, as required.
The ship is propelled by two diesel/electric engines, and has a maximum displacement of 6,511 tonnes, is 103.6 metres in length with a 19-metre beam, holds a maximum crew number of 85, includes medical facilities, WiFi and a gym, and reaches a top speed of 17 knots (31 kilometres per hour), and has a range of 6,800 nautical miles.
Quotes:
“On behalf of City Council and the City of Windsor, we are honoured to welcome Commander Teri Share and the crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke during their visit to our community. We thank the officers for providing training and development for citizen-sailors, and for looking after Canadian waters in the Arctic and beyond, and we look forward to Windsorites having an opportunity to tour this grand ship during its visit to our region.”
- Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens
“It is great honour for the crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke to be showcased during Marine Careers Expo in Windsor. Each and every one of us have joined the Royal Canadian Navy to pursue a challenging and rewarding career at sea in service to Canada. We look forward to sharing our experiences and ship with our fellow Canadians.”
- Commander Teri Share, Commanding Officer, HMCS Margaret Brooke
“HMCS Hunter is honoured to host HMCS Margaret Brooke. The Great Lakes Deployment is the Royal Canadian Navy’s opportunity to showcase our people and platforms, and combat the maritime blindness that exists in the center of Canada. Canada is a maritime nation that relies on the strength of our Navy to secure our interests at home and abroad. Windsor has a long-standing relationship with the Royal Canadian Navy, regularly providing trained sailors through HMCS Hunter for operations and deployments. As a result of the HMCS Harry DeWolf visit last year 55 new sailors joined our ranks at HMCS Hunter. I invite the community to join us in hosting the ship and its crew to ensure a memorable visit and learn more about career opportunities in the Royal Canadian Navy.”
- Lieutenant-Commander Chris Elliott, HMCS Hunter