She served mainly in local waters, escorting convoys until becoming a training ship at Halifax, Nova Scotia at the end of 1942.

Constructed as Josephine in 1926 in the United States and renamed Mascotte, the yacht was acquired by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1940.

In Canadian service as Reindeer, the ship was armed with one 4-inch (102 mm) naval gun mounted forward and had a complement of 5 officers and 35 crew.

[3] After failing to acquire any British vessels at the outset of the war for auxiliary purposes, the Royal Canadian Navy discreetly searched the American market for suitable ships.

In 1942 the ship spent time with the Sydney Force and the local escorts working out of Saint John, New Brunswick.

[2] In 1943, Reindeer, still serving in that capacity, transferred with the establishment to Digby, Nova Scotia and remained there until the end of the war except for one stint at Saint John.