HMCS ORIOLE offering free deck tours in downtown Kingston

HMCS ORIOLE will dock at the Crawford Wharf here in Kingston, as part of the Great Lakes Deployment 2022 (GLD), which will see the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) visiting communities along the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes.

GLD provides Canadians with a unique opportunity to tour one of Canada’s naval ships and to learn about life in Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from our sailors, according to a release from the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS ORIOLE is sailing through the Maritimes, down the St. Lawrence River, and into the Great Lakes for this deployment. ORIOLE is the Navy’s oldest commissioned ship, celebrating 101 years of operation. According to the release, the ship continues to serve as a training platform for building navigation, sail handling, boat operations and teamwork skills for RCN personnel.

The community visits provide an opportunity for the public to speak with RCN sailors and recruiters to find out more about life and careers in the Navy, according to the release. Deck tours are free of charge, and the ship will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug, 3, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 4 and 5, 2022. The Navy said that times are subject to change based on weather and ship operational requirements.

The RCN provided some history of the ship:

Oriole was built for the Gooderham family and launched in 1921. During the Second World War the ship was loaned to the Navy for training purposes, and later commissioned into the service in 1954 based out of Esquimalt, B.C. In 2017, Oriole sailed around through the Panama Canal and back to Halifax where it is now stationed. Oriole has served continuously since 1921 in both private and military roles, and is celebrating 101 years in service this year.

Read more about the HMCS ORIOLE here.