Canada’s second and third Arctic and offshore patrol vessels are officially named after two Canadians who served in the Navy during World War II.
The ceremony took place Sunday at the Halifax Shipyard.
HMCS Margaret Brooke and HMCS Max Bernays will be used for “sovereignty and surveillance operations” and to support other units and departments on the three coasts, according to the Canadian Navy.
HMCS Margaret Brooke, launched in November 2019, is the first Canadian warship named after a woman.
Navy Lt.-Cmdr. Brooke was a sister to the Royal Canadian Navy during the war. She was named a member of the Order of the British Empire for her bravery after the SS Caribou ferry was torpedoed and sunk in the Cabot Strait in 1942.
She tried to save her friend and another sister, Agnes Wilkie, as they clung to an overturned lifeboat. Wilkie died in the icy water.
Alison Brooke said she was grateful that her aunt Margaret Brooke knew about the recognition in her lifetime. (Carolyn Ray / CBC)
Brooke received the news of the ship’s name on her 100th birthday in 2015. She was the first living Canadian to receive the honor.
The cherry of the cake
Brooke’s niece, Alison Brooke, was present at the naming. She said that although her aunt was not alive to see the ship, knowing that she would be recognized was very important to her.
“It’s kind of like the icing on the cake,” said Alison Brook.
“What’s really important to me is that she was recognized for her heroism while she was still alive. That would mean a lot less to me if she wasn’t alive when it was announced.”
Chief Sergeant Max Bernays served as helmsman of the HMCS Assiniboine during World War II.
While the ship was under fire from a German submarine, the wheelhouse was engulfed in flames. Bernays ordered two junior sailors to leave while he remained at the helm.
HMCS Assiniboine sank the submarine and Bernays survived. For his courage he was awarded the Medal of Remarkable Courage.
Shannon Bernays, the granddaughter of Max Bernays, says he would be honored. (Carolyn Ray / CBC)
His granddaughter Shannon Bernays attended the ceremony and said it was an emotional and amazing experience.
She said that when she was told that the ship would be named after him in a video call, she was shocked.
“He was a quiet man, but he was such a proud man,” Bernays said. “It would be such an honor for him to be here today. To see all this and be honored in this way is truly amazing.”
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