The oldest and longest-serving vessel in the Royal Canadian Navy the HMCS Oriole is currently docked at Crawford Wharf in downtown Kingston.
HMCS Oriole arrived in Kingston Monday evening and tours are offered on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A past member of the Navy, Michael Gallagher showed up to give the ship the once-over.
“It’s beautiful,” said Gallagher. “I love all the teak and the wood and the large mast and the brass, it’s just gorgeous.”
HMCS Oriole Capt. Robert Pelton says the voyage and stop serves two purposes.
“We’re doing public relations as well as sail training through the Great Lakes,” said Pelton.
There is a crew of 21 on board to sail the ship that had stopped in Brockville before arriving in Kingston.
“It’s always a pleasure to be on board, the teamwork on board is phenomenal, we have a fantastic team,” said the sailing ship’s public affairs officer, Wilson Ho.
Ho says the public relations side of the voyage is promoting the Canadian Navy’s Naval Experience Program.
“We invite anybody to come down and experience the trades and careers that we have to offer for an entire year,” Ho told Global news.
HMCS Oriole sets sail on Thursday to it’s next port of call at Port Dalhousie near St. Catharines.