Royals set to honour HMCS Haida

HMCS Haida

The Duke of Edinburgh is set to present a maritime heritage award to HMCS Haida during his visit to Halifax this month.

The World War II warship will be honoured by Queen Elizabeth and her husband as they tour Canada from June 28 to July 6.

The ceremony will take place on June 29 where Prince Philip will present the prestigious International Maritime Heritage Award from the World Ship Trust.

The award celebrates £3.9m restoration work undertaken on HMCS Haida since 2003. It is one of only 30 other historic ships to receive the honour.

The vessel, built in 1943, is the last of 27 tribal class destroyers constructed for service in the Royal Canadian Navy, the UK Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. The fleet served between 1938 and 1945.

The World Ship Trust was founded in 1979. It has members in 40 countries and has recognised such historic ships as:

•    warship Vasa (built 1627)
•    Mary Rose (built 1510)
•    USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat
•    HMS Warrior, the world’s first armored warship
•    Star of India (built 1863)
•    Cutty Sark (built 1869)

For more information about the World Ship Trust and to view the full list of past winners visit their website.

[source: Hamilton Spectator]