The HMCS Hunter is conducting their annual Battle of the Atlantic ceremony to commemorate Canadian sailors.
The ceremony, which will be held at Dieppe Park, aims to commemorate the sacrifices made by the Canadian sailors who fought in the North Atlantic during the Second World War.
The Battle of the Atlantic was the struggle between the Allied and German forces for control of the Atlantic Ocean.
The battle brought the war to Canada's doorstep, with U-boats attacking ships within sight of Canada's East Coast and the St. Lawrence River. Canada's Merchant Navy, along with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force, played a key role in the Allied efforts.
Captain and Deputy Commander of Canadian Fleet Pacific, Mark O'Donohue, says the Battle of the Atlantic was the longest running battle during the Second World War, from 1939 until 1945.
"The Royal Canadian Navy participated throughout and sailors from here, that were trained here in Windsor, participated in it. It resulted in the safe passage of over 25,000 merchant vessels under its escort. During that period as well, thousands of men died, there were some women who also perished. This is our way of commemorating their sacrifice."
He says they do the ceremonies annually to educate youth and those who may not know a lot about the battle.
"I think it's really important to have people from the community come back and talk about it, and remember those. And so, I've brought a few people with me from the West Coast Fleet who are from the area, of different ages and different occupations within the Navy. And the plan is they're going to go back into their communities, their schools, and talk about the Battle of the Atlantic."
Captain O'Donohue says this is the 78th Battle of the Atlantic, which also falls on the 100th anniversary of the Naval Reserve.
"So it's celebrating their history as well, so there's 24 Naval Reserve Divisions throughout Canada, and they were key in training and bolstering our numbers during the war. There were people from HMCS Hunter during the war who were trained here and then went off to fight during the Battle of the Atlantic."
The ceremony will be at Dieppe Gardens, located at 78 Riverside Drive West, at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Anyone in the community is welcome to attend. Members of the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Naval Association, and more will be present.
O'Donohue adds that the Royal Canadian Navy has launched a new program called 'The Naval Experience Program' to allow Canadian's to join the Navy for one year, with no strings attached, opposed to the typical contract of three to five years.
He says this new program give those a chance to see what life in the Navy looks like without committing to it for years on end.