HMCS NIOBE was the third to bear this name in the Royal Canadian Navy, the first being an ex-RN DIADEM Class cruiser, paid off in 1920, and the second being a shore establishment at Greenock which was the admin authority for Canadians serving in UK from 1941 to 1946.

After the Second World War the relationship between the RCN and the Royal Navy in Britain remained important, even if they were not coordinating their operations as closely as they had been in wartime. It was decided to station a Senior Canadian Naval Officer in London. This officer served as the senior naval attach © and advisor in the UK, the primary link between the RN and the RCN, and as the commander of all Canadian naval personnel in the UK. This officer was accordingly commissioned as the ‘ship’ HMCS NIOBE.

As part of the process of the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces, this role became part of the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff. HMCS NIOBE was paid off on 1 April 1966, but the date was made retroactive to 1965.