Commemoration of the Anchorage Memorial at Marina Park
#LSN_News commemoration was part of the 80th anniversary reunion of HMCS Griffon, held October 21, 2017.
THUNDER BAY, ONTAIROR - October 24, 2017 (:SN) The Ship’s Company of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Griffon, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps, the Navy League Corps along with local Veterans and their families rededicated the Anchorage Memorial at Marina Park on the occasion of its 20th anniversary.
The “Anchorage” was erected as a memorial to the ships and sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Merchant Navy who served their country in the second wold war. It was commissioned on June 1, 1987 at Marina Park and is dedicated to the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy, Naval Veterans, Wrens and Merchant Navy who volunteered and served with honour and distinction for freedom and country in the Second World War. It was erected by the Thunder Bay Naval Veterans with help of many friends “who care and remember”.
Rear Admiral (Retired) Ray Zuliani originally dedicated the memorial on June 1, 1987 and during the ceremony on October 21, 2017 he rededicated it. The memorial has given many veterans a place to visit and reflect on their past and those friends that were made and those that were lost.
The Battle of the Atlantic was a pivotal struggle during World War II, lasting from September 1939 to May 1945, which was courageously fought by the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), the Canadian Merchant Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Success in maintaining the supply route to Europe came at a high cost. The RCN lost 24 warships and suffered over 2,000 fatalities; the merchant navy lost over 70 ships and 1700 crew; and the RCAF lost more than 900 aircrew.
The commemoration was part of the 80th anniversary reunion of HMCS Griffon, held October 21, 2017.
Lieutenant Commander (retired) Tal Morgan of the Royal Canadian Naval Association and Captain(Navy) (retired) Anne Zuliani of the Naval Officers Association of Canada lay wreaths during the rededication of the “Anchorage” memorial at Marina Park in Thunder Bay.
Article and photo by Lt(Navy) Bill King