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Since 2014, Niobe Day has been celebrated every year on 21 October by the Royal Canadian Navy. It commemorates the entrance of HMCS Niobe, one of Canada’s first two warships, into Halifax Harbour on 21 October 1910. Niobe, which had been purchased from Britain, was the first Canadian warship to enter Canadian territorial waters. Before 2014, the Canadian navy marked Trafalgar Day every 21 October in commemoration of the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805).
HMCS Niobe
HMCS Niobe enters Halifax Harbour on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1910.
(Courtesy Naval Museum of Halifax)
History
Until 1910, Canada did not have its own navy. Instead, it relied on protection from Britain’s Royal Navy, then the world’s dominant naval power. In May 1910, however, the Naval Service of Canada was created and in August 1911, it was renamed the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Its first two warships, HMCS Niobe and Rainbow, were purchased from Britain for service on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, respectively. Although Rainbow was purchased first, Niobe arrived first in Canadian territorial waters.
On 21 October 1910, HMCS Niobe entered Halifax Harbour to great fanfare, accompanied by two Canadian government fisheries protection vessels. The date was deliberately chosen to coincide with Trafalgar Day, which is still celebrated by the Royal Navy. Trafalgar Day commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) during the Napoleonic Wars, when a British fleet under Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated a fleet of French and Spanish ships under Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve. The victory established British naval supremacy and ended Napoleon’s plans to invade England.
The arrival of HMCS Niobe on Trafalgar Day symbolized the connection to the Royal Navy and its tradition. Indeed, the connection was close, as the Royal Navy loaned Canada approximately 50 officers and 500 sailors to operate Niobe and Rainbow and train Canadian recruits.
HMCS Niobe Crew
The first group of recruits from Nova Scotia for HMCS Niobe pose in their new uniforms, c.1910.
(Courtesy Naval Museum of Halifax)
The arrival of HMCS Niobe was a significant moment for the fledgling Canadian navy. As the Minister of the Naval Service, the Honourable Louis-Philippe Brodeur, remarked at the time:
This event tells the story of a dawning epoch of self-confidence. It proclaims to the whole [world] that Canada is willing and proud to provide as rapidly as circumstances permit for her local naval defence, and to safeguard her share in the commerce and trade of the empire in whose world-girding belt Canada is the bright and precious buckle.
For years, the Canadian navy celebrated Trafalgar Day every 21 October, as did many Canadians of British and maritime background. Since 2014, however, the navy has celebrated “Niobe Day” on that date.
