Canada's Naval History

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Birth Of the Navy

First World War

Between the Wars

Second World War

Early Cold War

Later Cold War
- - From RCN to Maritime Command
  - A Changing Fleet

Navy Today
- - The Gulf War
  - Continuing Commitments

First World War (1914-1918)
The Merchant Navy

From 1914 to 1918, Canadian and Allied merchant ships and mariners transported personnel, munitions, weapons, and food to Great Britain and Europe as part of the Allied war effort. German U-Boats (submarines) and mines claimed tens of thousands of Allied lives and thousands of ships.

Dazzle-painted Merchant Ship, Halifax Harbour

This merchant ship, seen in Halifax harbour, Canada's busiest and most important port, wears dazzle paint, a type of camouflage invented during the First World War.

The multi-coloured dazzle camouflage was applied to merchant ships and warships alike. Its striking colours and disruptive lines were intended to make the ships harder to target by deceiving German submariners about their type, size and direction of travel.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20080060-001_27c