The designation Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) (in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 Navire canadien de Sa Majesté [NCSM]), is applied as a prefix to any Canadian Forces

Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...

 warship

Warship

A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...

. In the reign of a king

Monarch

A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...

, the designation changes to His Majesty's Canadian Ship; the French version of the title remains unchanged in this instance. The title is derived from Her Majesty's Ship

Her Majesty's Ship

Her or His Majesty's Ship is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies, either formally or informally.-HMS:* In the British Royal Navy, it refers to the king or queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time...

(HMS), used in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The person who is monarch of Canada is also equally and separately the monarch of the UK

Monarchy of the United Kingdom

The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...

.

, transferred from the British Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 to the Naval Service of Canada

Royal Canadian Navy

The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

 in 1910 (the NSC would be renamed the Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

 the following year) was the first ship to be so designated.

Ships bearing the designation "HMCS" are the ships of Her Majesty's Canadian Armed Forces and are the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

.

Many RCN shore facilities also bear the designation, such as HMCS Trinity, HMCS Naden, , and all Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in the local...

 summer training centres, such as HMCS Quadra. HMC Dockyard

CFB Halifax

Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic....

 is an exception to this rule.

Many other Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

 realms

Commonwealth Realm

A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...

 use a variation of HMS to designate their warships, such as HMAS

Her Majesty's Australian Ship

Her or His Majesty's Australian Ship is a ship prefix used for commissioned units of the Royal Australian Navy. This prefix is derived from HMS , the prefix used by the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, and can be equally applied to warships and shore bases Her or His Majesty's Australian Ship...

 (Her Majesty's Australian Ship) and HMNZS

Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship

Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship is the designation of any New Zealand warship, as well as major New Zealand naval shore facilities.It derives from "Her Majesty's Ship" used in the United Kingdom. The British monarch is also equally and separately the New Zealand head of state...

 (Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship).

See also

• Hull classification symbol (Canada)
  Hull classification symbol (Canada)
  The Royal Canadian Navy uses hull classification symbols to identify the types of its ships, which are similar to the United States Navy's Hull classification symbol system...
  
  
• List of Canadian Navy ships
• Ship prefix
  Ship prefix
  A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
  
  
• Stone frigate
  Stone frigate
  Stone frigate is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. The term has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French...
  
  
• The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces
  The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces
  The place of the Canadian Crown in relation to the Canadian Armed Forces is both constitutional and ceremonial, the sovereign of Canada being the supreme commander of the forces, while he or she and the rest of the Canadian Royal Family hold honorary positions in various branches and regiments,...