The Tribal-Class Destroyer, HMCS Iroquois -Courtesy of the DND
- The Canadian Navy came into existence on May 4, 1910, when the Naval Service Act became law. Permission to add the prefix “Royal” was granted by King George V in 1911. In 1968, the Canadian Navy was merged with Canada’s army and air force to form the Canadian Armed Forces, later the Canadian Forces; The maritime component was named Maritime Command replacing the title Royal Canadian Navy.
- The Canadian warships flew the White Ensign from 1910 until the adoption of the current Canadian flag. The maple leaf flag was adopted on 15 February 1965 in time for the nation’s Centennial. The White Ensign consists of a red St.George’s Cross on a white field with the Union Flag in the upper canton. The ensign is still flown by the Royal Navy, in ships and at land bases operated by the navy.
- The first warships built for the Canadian Navy were the destroyers HMCS Saguenay (D later I79) and Skeena (D later I59). Both were built in England by John I. Thornycroft & Co. Ltd of Southampton and were commissioned in 1931
- A cruiser is a large type of warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The first cruisers were intended for individual raiding and protection missions on the seas. Over the years, the nature and role of the cruiser has changed considerably, and today the cruiser has largely been replaced by destroyers in its roles. Canada’s Navy had operated five cruisers since 1910: HMCS Rainbow (first of the name), Niobe (first of the name), Aurora, Uganda/Quebec and Ontario. The last cruiser in service in the Canadian Navy, HMCS Ontario, was paid off in October 1958.
- In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). Before the First World War, destroyers were light vessels without the endurance for unattended ocean operations; typically a number of destroyers and a single destroyer tender operated together. During and after the Second World War, larger and more powerful destroyers capable of independent operation were built, particularly as cruisers ceased to be used in the 1950s and 60s. Currently, destroyers are the heaviest surface combatant ships in general use. Modern destroyers are equivalent in tonnage but drastically superior in firepower to cruisers of the Second World War era. The Canadian Navy has continuously operated destroyers from 18 different classes since 1920 and is using the improved Iroquois class.
- A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role. Almost all modern navies use ships smaller than frigates for coastal duty, but not all of them use the term corvette (from the French corvair) or equivalent. The rank Corvette Captain in French derives from the name of this type of ship. During the Second World War, Canada operated two different classes of corvette, the most known class was the Flowers and the least known were the Castles.
- A battleship is a large, heavily armoured warship with a main battery consisting of the largest calibre of guns. Battleships are larger, better armed, and better armoured than cruisers and destroyers. Although the Canadian Navy never manned battleships, there have been two British battleships named in honour of Canada: HMS Dominion (1903) and HMS Canada (1914); both served in the First World War. There is no battleship currently in service in the world.
- A frigate is a warship between a corvette and a destroyer in size. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past centuries. In modern navies, frigates are used to protect other warships and merchant-marine ships, especially as anti-submarine warfare combatants. The Canadian Navy is operating the Halifax class frigates; our navy had three classes of frigates prior to the Halifax: River, Loch and Prestonian.
- Although Canadian sailors manned five aircraft carriers; the only Canadian-owned aircraft carrier was HMCS Bonaventure. She was commissioned on 17 January 1957 and was named after a bird sanctuary in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. She was launched as HMS Powerful of the Majestic class but work stopped at the end of the Second World War. The first purpose-designed aircraft carrier to be laid down was the British HMS Hermes in 1918, the next year Japan began work on HIMJS Hosho.
- The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest battle of the Second World War; it started at the beginning of the war in September and concluded when the U-boats surrendered in May 1945. The battle is commemorated every year on the first Sunday of May in locations where the Canadian Navy is present.
- From 1910 to 1948, ships of the Royal Canadian Navy had no official badges or insignia. Choosing a ship’s badge was left to the vessel’s commanding officer, without Naval Service Headquarters (NSHQ) becoming involved. The war period brought a multitude of badges, many without heraldic basis. In 1948, NSHQ introduced the first of the official badges and mottoes, all of which have been thoroughly documented.
- The first Canadian designed and built warships were the St-Laurent class destroyers. There were seven built and all were modified in the mid-1960s to carry and operate a Sea King helicopter and variable depth sonar. The last remaining vessel of that class to be paid off in 1994, HMCS Fraser (second of the name), is alongside at Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
- Convoy HX 300 was the largest convoy to have crossed the Atlantic during the war. It was made up of 167 merchant ships carrying 1,056,413 tons of cargo and 32 warships. It departed New York City on 17 July 1944, joiner convoys from Halifax (Nova Scotia), Sydney (Nova Scotia) and St. John’s (Newfoundland) joined it, and arrived Liverpool, Great Britain, on August 3rd without any lost. The ships traveled in 19 columns covering more than 30 square miles of ocean. The Royal Canadian Navy provided the frigate Dunver (K03), and the corvettes HMCS Algoma (K126), Arvida (K113), Chicoutimi (K156), Dauphin (K157), Hespeler (K489), Kamsack (K171), Lethbridge (K160), Longbranch (K487), New Westminster (K228), Pictou (K146), Portage (J331), Rosthern (K169), The Pas (K168), and Wetaskiwin (K175); the United-States Navy provided the remaining two vessels: USSC-1338 and USSC-1350. In mid-summer of 1944, the Royal Canadian Navy was responsible for the close escort of all convoys sailing the North Atlantic.
- The title admiral is derived from the Arabic “emir-el-bahr” – lord of the sea. The Spanish adopted this term during the Moorish conquests in the 8th century as “almirante”, then in French as “amiral”, and in English admiral. The prefix “vice” with admiral means “in place of”, and therefore subordinate to, an admiral. At one time it was considered most important to protect the head and rear of a fleet of ships in fixed formation, usually with two squadrons known as the “vanguard” and the “rearguard”. The admiral commanding the rearguard was the “admiral of the rear” or rear-admiral. The “admiral of the van” was next in seniority to the “admiral-in-chief” (later “admiral of the fleet”) and bore the rank of vice-admiral. The rank of Commodore is a much more recent term and is an officer who commands a detached squadron of ships. Several merchant shipping lines confer this rank on their senior captains, and in wartime retired senior naval officers are appointed as commodores of convoys. A vice-admiral heads the Canadian Navy and the entire Canadian Forces are led by a general or admiral.
- During the Second World War, the River class frigate HMCS Charlottetown (K244) retained the same hull number as the lost Flower class corvette of the same name. The corvette Charlottetown (K244) was lost on 11 September 1942 with nine of her ship’s company.
- The anti-aircraft cruiser HMCS Prince Robert represented Canada at the Japanese surrender WW2; her commanding officer was Captain Wallace Bourchier Creery, RCN. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) acquired her and her sisters Prince David and Prince Henry, at the beginning of the war from the Canadian National Steamship line and converted, originally as auxiliary merchant cruisers, three vessels. They were the largest RCN ships for three years. Prince Robert was converted to an anti-aircraft cruiser in 1943 while both her sisters were converted into infantry landing ships. All sisters were returned to trade after the war.
- A submarine is a watercraft that can operate independently below water. The word submarine was originally an adjective meaning “under the sea”. Submarine was shortened from the term “submarine boat”. Submarines are referred to as “boat” for historical reasons because vessels deployed from a ship are referred to as boats. The first submarines were launched in such a manner. Modern military submarines are traditionally armed with torpedoes but sea mines and missiles are now part of their arsenal. The Canadian Navy is operating the submarines of the Victoria class; our navy had six classes of submarines prior to the Victoria class. The names of these submarines are as follow in order of commission: CC class: CC-1; CC-2; H class: CH-14; CH-15; Type IXC/40: U-889; U-190; Balao class: Grilse (second of the name); Tench class: Rainbow (second of the name); Oberon class: Ojibwa; Onondaga; Okanagan; Victoria class: Victoria; Corner Brook; Windsor and Chicoutimi (second of the name). Our navy first operated submarine as early as 1914. Qualified submariners can be recognized by their distinctive insignia on their uniform.
- In 1909, the Grey Cup was donated by the then Governor General of Canada, His Excellency Earl Grey, to recognize the top amateur rugby football team in Canada. By this time Canadian football had become markedly different from the rugby football from which it developed. On 25 November 1944, a team composed of members of HMCS Donnacona, the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve division of Montréal, Québec, and HMCS Hochelaga, the Royal Canadian Navy’s training establishment for Logistics in Montréal, won the Grey Cup against the Hamilton Flying Wildcats at the Civic Stadium in Hamilton by a score of 7 to 6. Over time, the Grey Cup became the property of the Canadian Football League as it evolved into a professional football league. Amateur teams ceased competing for the Cup by 1954. The names of the winning team are engraved on the cup for posterity.
- An example of a custom that continues to evolve or change is the banyan, a special kind of party in our navy. Banyan was originally meant as a meatless day and therefore unpopular in the 17th century British navy. The origin of the term is derived from the Banians, a caste of Hindus in India, who abstained from eating meat as a reverence for life. Banyan days gradually changed from meagre to much more pleasant ones. There are three constants for a banyan: it is always a fun occasion, it is held outdoors and the emphasis is on good food, good drink and good fellowship; something along the line of the old-fashioned picnic. Banyan is a good way to relax after strenuous or long activities.
- The last commissioned vessel launched in a traditional way for the Canadian Navy is the Kingston Class HMCS Summerside (711). She was launched on 26 August 1998 in Halifax, Nova Scotia from the Halifax Shipyards Ltd. The ships of the previous class of warships built for our navy, the Halifax Class frigates, were floated in dock due to their construction in mega blocks.
