Canada's Naval History

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Birth of the Navy (1910-1914)
HMCS Niobe

HMCS Niobe, one of the Naval Service of Canada's first two ships, was intended in part to train Canadian sailors. A large, obsolescent cruiser, Niobe required many crew and was expensive to operate. Lengthy repairs after it ran aground in 1911, and subsequent budget cutbacks, limited the ship's activities.

View of "Victory" Boat alongside HMCS Niobe

This working model of HMS Victory, displayed beside HMCS Niobe, testifies to the profound British influence on Canada's new navy.

Niobe arrived in Halifax on 21 October 1910, the 105th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar, where HMS Victory served as Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's flagship. Here, a proud senior warrant officer stands beside the boat. This "Victory" is a visible reminder of the degree to which the early Canadian navy shaped its identity around British naval tradition.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20030174-068