HMCS Star
| HMCS Star | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1923 to present |
| Country |
 Canada |
| Branch |
 Royal Canadian Navy
|
| Type | Stone frigate |
| Role | Reserve unit |
| Size | Approx. 250 |
| Garrison/HQ | 650 Catharine St N, Hamilton, Ontario L8L 4V7 |
| Motto(s) | Diligentia (Diligence) |
| Colours | Royal Blue and Gold |
| Anniversaries | Battle of the Atlantic |
| Equipment | 24 ft (7.3 m) RHIB (ZH-733 CDO) |
| Decorations | Defence of Canada Banner 1812 |
| Battle honours |
|
| Commanders | |
| Commanding Officer | Lieutenant Commander Stephen Churm |
HMCS Star is a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Division (NRD) located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Dubbed a stone frigate, HMCS Star is a land-based naval establishment.
HMCS Star is the Royal Canadian Navy's oldest Naval Reserve Division being commissioned first on 31 January 1923 as the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) Hamilton Half Company and then on 1 November 1941 as HMCS Star.
Named after a Royal Navy 14-gun brig launched at Kingston, Ontario on 20 July 1813, HMS Lord Melville/Star, the name Star honors the Royal Navy's presence on Lake Ontario and the defense of Canada during the War of 1812.
Naval activity in Hamilton Harbour can be traced as far back as the middle of the 18th century when ships of the British Provincial Marine plied Lake Ontario conducting coastal protection operations.
During the Rebellions of 1837, a naval militia from Hamilton ignited a diplomatic crisis, known as the Caroline Affair, when the Hamiltonians captured a rebel supply vessel, SS Caroline, killing an American crew member and then burning the ship before sending it over Niagara Falls.
With the passing of the 1846 Militia Act by the Colonial Government, the Hamilton Volunteer Marine Company was stood up. Seven years later, on 31 January 1862, the Hamilton Volunteer Naval Company was stood up under the command of Captain Thomas Harbottle and Lieutenant George P. Malcomson.
As the American Civil War ended, Fenian cross-border raids saw the Hamilton Volunteer Naval Company called out on short periods of active status guarding the city and manning steamboats on Lake Ontario. For their service during the Fenian Raids, Hamilton's naval volunteers were awarded the Canada General Service Medal with Fenian Raid 1866 bar.
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Wikipedia