Communities across Ontario commemorated the anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic Sunday, including in Windsor.

It was the longest continuous battle of the Second World War, spanning from 1939 to 1945, and more than 2,000 Canadians lost their lives.

Locally, a ceremony was held at the Naval Monument in Dieppe Gardens.

Commander Hayden Edmundson says this year the Battle of the Atlantic ceremonies have an emphasis on honouring the past but charging forward to the future.

"Right now HMCS Federicton is supporting (Operation) Reassurance, which is of course countering some of the aggressions in the eastern areas of Europe. And of course we have some ships, some defence vessels, some reserve naval ships down in the Caribbean, doing what's called Operation Carib."

Windsor has two Battle of the Atlantic veterans still alive. Neither could make it to the ceremony Sunday, but Edmundson says their efforts are not forgotten.

"We have several people from the Windsor community itself that were in the Battle of the Atlantic, but what a lot of people don't realize is that the materials that we were sending overseas in fact came from this very area."

The legacy of the Battle of the Atlantic is upheld by those currently serving, pledging themselves “Ready, Aye, Ready” to face today’s security challenges with pride and professionalism, a National Defence release says.

The Battle of the Atlantic was a pivotal struggle during the Second World War, courageously fought by the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Merchant Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. This success came at a high cost. The RCN lost 33 vessels and the merchant navy lost over 70 ships, along with the casualties.

The battle is remembered on the first Sunday of every May.