This is a list of ships in the Canadian Navy. "HMCS" is the abbreviation of "Her Majesty's Canadian ship" or "His Majesty's Canadian Ship", depending on the sex of the head of state. Some ship names have been reused several times. The Navy's current policy is to
name ships after important cities and towns in each province. Ships maintain a relationship with their "Namesake City" by encouraging visits and support to ships crews during deployments.