During World War I , the Royal Canadian Navy ( RCN ) sought suitable vessels for patrol service along the East Coast of Canada following warnings of increased U-boat activity . Finding few available in Canada , the RCN sent agents south to the United States to acquire ships . The RCN sent Aemilius Jarvis to acquire two yachts in New York City in July 1915 . '' Waturus '' , which was for sale by the shipbrokers Cox & Stevens for $ 80,000 in 1914 , was one of the two Jarvis acquired for the RCN . The ship was renamed '' Hochelaga '' , commissioned on 13 August 1915 , and sailed to Montreal for conversion to an armed yacht . '' Hochelaga '' arrived at Sydney , Nova Scotia in September for duty on the Atlantic coast as a patrol vessel . The vessel was part of the East Coast patrol from 1916 to 1918 . The ship was present in Halifax Harbour during the Halifax Explosion and suffered damage , with several crewmembers injured in the blast
Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
HMCS Hochelaga