Canada's Naval History

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First World War (1914-1918)
War in the Pacific

At the outbreak of war in August 1914, only three obsolete ships and two recently-acquired submarines protected Canada's west coast. Canadians feared that German cruisers might attack merchant ships or bombard cities and towns. After these attacks failed to materialize, many vessels and personnel were transferred to the Atlantic to deal with the growing German submarine threat.

Stoker Abner Beckwith Willford and Ship's Crew, HMCS Shearwater

Nine members of HMCS Shearwater's crew pose against one of the ship's guns, with the barrel seen on the right.

This is one of several photographs from Shearwater's voyage with CC-1 and CC-2 that belonged to Abner Beckwith Willford, an American-born stoker in Shearwater's crew. Willford (back row, second from right) was responsible for tending the ship's coal-fired boilers. While the location of the photograph is unknown, the weather is warm enough that two sailors (middle row) are not wearing their uniform jumpers over their white gunshirts.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19840218-002_19