All Oberon class submarines were given names that started with the letter ‘O’. The Canadian government chose to honour our First Nations people by naming the boats after the Ojibwa, the Onondaga and the Okanagan nations.
The first Oberon submarine built for Canada was given the name HMCS OJIBWA. Her crest tells the story of the Ojibwa people as they migrated from the east coast, represented by the sea shell, to Ontario which is represented by the shafts of wheat. The submarine OJIBWA’s story followed the same path as she spent her active years based in Halifax and then was brought to Port Burwell where she has taken on her new role as a museum and education centre.
~ Elgin Military Museum