Common menu bar links
The Centennial Bell Project
4 May 2010
Ottawa, Ontario
The Making of the Centennial BellThe Canadian Navy Centennial Bell is a 12-inch bell normally installed in a frigate or destroyer. Weighing about 50-pounds, it will be suitably engraved in celebration of the Canadian Naval Centennial. Adding special meaning and history to the bell is that it is cast from material collected and donated to represent the century of naval service that the bell celebrates. Included amongst the artefacts are navigation tools, cap badges, shell casings, uniform buttons, boatswains call, ship’s fittings and equipment and even flammable items such as pieces of uniform, letters and photographs that vaporized and added essence when the metal items were melted down. The artefacts represent ships, submarines, naval air and the men and women of the entire period from 1910 to 2010.
The bell was cast by sailors at the Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton Foundry located in HMC Dockyard at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in Victoria, during a ceremony on Sept. 30, 2009. The casting was polished and engraved by the artisans at the Fleet Maintenance Facility and is expected to serve as a piece d’art when the Navy celebrates it second century in 2110.
The Bell Rope
The Bell is accompanied with a colourful rope chosen from amongst several created by sailors across Canada in a national competition.
The Bell Book
A book will accompany the Centennial Bell to highlight the history of the bell and display the variety of artefacts it is made from. The book will record the participants at the casting and dedication ceremonies, the winner of the bell rope contest, and will be supported by photographs and art.
Navy Waters Collection
Throughout 2009 Canadian naval ships and submarines were tasked to collect water from Canada’s three oceans – Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic, as well the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes, and an international theatre of operations. The water samples reflect the country’s domestic maritime interests and the navy’s international operations. On Battle of Atlantic weekend in Halifax (April 30 – May 2, 2010) there was be a ceremony aboard the Second World War Corvette, HMCS SACKVILLE, Canada’s Naval Memorial, when the six water samples, symbolic of the navy’s history and missions, were combined together as a national collection. The combined waters will be an important aspect of the dedication ceremony in Ottawa on May 4, 2010.
Centennial Bell Ceremony
On the 100th anniversary of the Naval Service Act, May 4, 2010, the bell will be the center piece of a ceremony in Ottawa to rededicate the navy to the next 100 years of service to Canada. The bell will be christened with the combined waters and presented to the people of Canada as a gift in perpetuity, and sounded as a promise of loyal service for the next 100 years. The bell with its rope and book will be a permanent reminder to all Canadians that Canada is a maritime nation dependant upon the oceans for our national prosperity.
For more information on the Canadian Naval Centennial visit:
www.canadiannavy100.forces.gc.ca
