Montrealers can check out a Canadian Navy ship at the Old Port

A new attraction at Montreal’s Old Port is offering visitors a chance to see what life is like in the Royal Canadian Navy.

From noon to 5 p.m. all weekend, visitors can ask questions and get a feel for life aboard the HMCS Margaret Brook.

The 103-metres long and 19-metres wide ship was commissioned in 2022. Already, Commander Teri Share says the ship has sailed around the world multiple times.

“We’ve literally been across as high North as we possibly can and as far South as we possibly can,” Share told CTV.

“We were up in Newfoundland helping to support small communities up there after a significant hurricane. We’ve also done counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.”

As a first for the Royal Canadian Navy, “earlier this year, we conducted scientific exploration off of the Antarctic Peninsula,” the commanding officer said.

Now, Share is glad to bring her ship to Montreal as part of the 2025 Marine Careers Expo. She hopes to see other curious minds hopping on deck.

“I’ve seen [ships] on movies and TV. If you see it in person, it’s just different,” one visitor said.

“I thought it would be an old boat but it’s very nice,” another added.

It takes a lot to keep the ship in shape. At a minimum, a crew of 60 is needed to run the facilities. Training differs between occupations but everyone is trained to handle fires and floods.

From those in the galley to medical services, and engineering to the control room, Share says the Royal Canadian Navy has something for everyone.

“I love to swim. I was a competitive swimmer in high school. And I just love being on boats. I found out that the military would pay for my university. And at that point in time, you didn’t need to tell me more,” Share said, while explaining what led her to join.

Of the six navy arctic and offshore patrol vessels operating now, Share is proud to be one of three female commanding officers.

Still, she hopes to be an inspiration to all.