HMCS Toronto

There have been 2 vessels named HMCS Toronto in the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMCS Toronto (1st of name) (K538 / 319) / River-class frigate

Commissioned on May 6, 1944, at Lévis, Quebec, HMCS Toronto arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 28, leaving on June 18 for a month’s work up in Bermuda. In August, HMCS Toronto was allocated to Escort Group 16, in Halifax, but for the next few weeks operated principally from Sydney, Nova Scotia. Following repairs in November, she joined Halifax Force and was employed locally until May 1945, when she began 5 months’ training duty at HMCS Cornwallis. Paid off on November 27, she was placed in reserve at Shelburne, Nova Scotia, but was re-commissioned on March 26, 1953, after conversion to a Prestonian Class ocean escort. She was paid off for the last time on April 14, 1956, having been loaned to the Norwegian Navy, which renamed her Garm. She was permanently transferred in 1959 and re-classed in 1964 as a torpedo boat depot ship. Simultaneously renamed Valkyrien, she served a further 13 years before being disposed of. 

HMCS Toronto (2nd of name) (333) / Halifax-class frigate

Third of her class, HMCS Toronto was commissioned in her namesake city on July 29, 1993. A year later, she was on duty in the Adriatic, helping enforce United Nations sanctions against the former Yugoslavia. In 1995, she visited European ports for the 50th anniversary of Victory-in-Europe Day. In 1996, she toured 8 Great Lakes ports. In 1998, she joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Standing Naval Force Atlantic and was detached to the Persian Gulf to carry out sanctions against Iraq. She again sailed for the eastern Mediterranean in late 2001, and was re-deployed to Arabian Sea as part of Operation APOLLO, Canada’s contribution to the war on terrorism. In 2003, following the passage of Hurricane Juan, she assisted local Nova Scotia communities in the clean up. In 2004, she participated in Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, conducting naval operations in the Mediterranean in the campaign against terrorism. She was the first Canadian warship to participate in Operation ALTAIR and while in the theatre of operations played an active role in Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), conducting 1,300 hails and 123 boardings while patrolling the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. In 2005, she sailed to the Gulf of Mexico with relief supplies for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, she participated in Operation SEXTANT, Canada’s contribution to the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 fleet, which conducted operations in the Mediterranean and circumnavigated Africa. HMCS Toronto continues to conduct operations in support of Canada’s domestic and international policies.

Motto: “Excellence with Vigour” 

Battle honours

• Gulf of St. Lawrence 1944
• Arabian Sea