HMCS Ottawa - Ottawa, Ontario
Posted by: 
Weathervane
N 45° 25.277 W 075° 41.433
18T E 445974 N 5029983
HMCS (Her Majesty's Canadian Ship) Ottawa's bell is located on the first floor of the Ottawa City Hall.
Waymark Code: WMX2HT
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 11/17/2017
Views: 5
Royal Canadian Navy Bells
The bell on a Royal Canadian Navy ship is considered to be a significant part of its equipment and history as, it plays both a practical and symbolic role in the life and welfare of a naval vessel. Traditionally, the sounding of a bell was used for weather warnings and other warnings to mark time, communicating orders, during funeral services, the Ceremony of Colours, etc. There is also a long-standing tradition of baptizing ship's crew members' children with the ship's bell at the front.
Baptisms are conducted in the ship's wardroom, and the bell is mounted, upside-down in a special holder that is first draped with the Canadian Naval Jack flag. This is one of the few times that a flag is permitted to be "draped" over something. Later the child's name is engraved onto the bell.
Throughout its history, the Royal Canadian Navy, since 1910, has named warships after over 300 communities in Canada. And when these ships are decommissioned the "home" community sometimes receives the ship's bell for safekeeping and display. The City of Ottawa was gifted the bell of HMCS Ottawa (DDE229) in 1993 and of HMCS (FFH341) in 1996. These two bells were exchanged in 1996 during the "Exchange of the Bells" ceremony at Ottawa City Hall, with the bell of 1993 going to the newly commissioned ship.
HMCS Ottawa (DDH 229): (
visit link) (FFH 341): (
visit link)
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