The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, November 6, 2014 | 6 Naval of cer vows we will not forget HMCS Oakville by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver Spotlight "Connected to your Community" A n Oakville naval reserve of cer's decade of research has turned the spotlight on a local history that played a prominent role during the Second World War. Lt. (Navy) Sean E. Livingston C.D. (Canadian Forces Decoration), of the Naval Reserve and Commanding Of cer of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps (RCSCC) 178 Oakville, wrote a book on his ndings titled Oakville's Flower: The History of HMCS Oakville. The recently-released publication outlines the history and legacy of HMCS Oakville -- a Canadian Second World War corvette that fought in the Battle of the Atlantic and was one of only a few to sink a U-boat. Livingston promoted the launch of the book this fall with a presentation at the Oakville Museum. "I wrote the book, not just for a love of naval history, not just as a naval of cer, historian and patriot, but it was a sense of obligation so that the memory of the ship and the sailors aboard it wouldn't go by the wayside," he said. "It's not just a story of the HMCS Oakville -- it's the connection of that ship with us. That's why it's called Oakville's Flower ." The historical account of HMCS Oakville follows its rise and fall as a Canadian naval legend and its revival in Oakville -- championed by the local Sea Cadet Corps. Livingston noted the ship is a Flower-class corvette with a length of 205 feet, a beam of about 33 feet and a draft of 11.5 feet. The corvette typically had a crew of up to 85 personnel and is commonly known among sailors as a "wet and lively ship." "A lively ship is (one) that moves and rocks all over the place. It's very uncomfortable for sailors to be in. It seems that it's always wet -- water seems to seep in just about everywhere," said Livingston. "It's very fast, it turns faster than just about anything else, they're incredibly movable and it's a perfect submarine hunter." The idea for the book "just fell into my lap a little bit," Livingston said, crediting local historian Ed Stewart for the project. "He rmly put the hook in my mouth and reeled me in on this concept. I rst came across HMCS Oakville when I was in university. I was trying to write a paper on the role of the Canadian Navy during the Second World War, which was a really big topic to try," said Livingston. Even the mayor at the time said, `This would be a day that Oakville would never forget.' Sure enough, they kind of did. Sean Livingston The cover of Sean E. Livingston's book Oakville's Flower: The History of HMCS Oakville. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/ HaltonPhotog) While researching the Canadian Navy for his paper, Livingston came across Oakville as the name of a ship and made a footnote, putting it aside until later. In his fourth year at university, the naval reserve of cer took a program called Spectacle, Crowds, and Parades in Canada, which required him to write an essay about a "little known public spectacle," the Oakville resident recalled. "Somehow I got to talking to Stewart about this and Ed said, `Why don't you write about the christening of the HMCS Oakville?' He said it was christened in Oakville. I didn't realize that. I don't think most people did. I was shocked and surprised," said Livingston. When he visited the Oakville Historical Society, Livingston uncovered some information and a number of photographs of the christening of the ship locally in November 1941. "I didn't know who was in the pictures. I didn't know what they were saying and I didn't know when exactly they were taken. A picture may provide a thousand words, but without captions or explanations, it only opened up a thousand questions," said Livingston. He later discovered that HMCS Oakville christening was not only covered in numerous Canadian newspapers, but was also featured in print abroad, Livingston said. "I started writing the paper, not just for an assignment, but also to try to answer some of the information about our history," said Livingston. The christening of HMCS Oakville was probably "one of the largest ceremonies of a warship during the Second World War within Canada," Livingston said, and was the largest public spectacle in the Town of Oakville. "We had incredible dignitaries and people there. When you look at these images, it led to my dismay as to how in the world have we forgotten about this? Even the mayor at the time said, `This would be a day that Oakville would never forget.' Sure enough, they kind of did," said Livingston, whose research was part of an exhibit on the ship at the museum several years ago. Oakville's Flower: The History of HMCS Oakville is available at local and online book retailers. NEIL OLIVER Vice­President and Group Publisher DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Halton Region Editor in Chief Volume 52 | Number 123 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Advertising Department (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4444 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 DANIEL BAIRD Director of Advertising ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor