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 Home Front

The war at sea affected Canadians in a variety of ways. While extensive recruiting efforts at home sought men to become sailors in the Canadian and British navies, Canadian shipyards built warships and merchant ships to expand Allied navies and to replace vessels lost to submarine attack.

Artifact Record

Victory Bonds Will Help Stop This

This victory bond poster, published in English and French, depicts the 27 June 1918 sinking of the Canadian hospital ship HMHS Llandovery Castle by a German submarine.

The poster used a notorious incident at sea to reinforce support at home for the war effort and to promote the sale of victory bonds. While Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare had already sunk hundreds of civilian ships, the submarine U-86's sinking of the Llandovery Castle prompted outrage. After torpedoing the well-marked hospital ship, U-86 surfaced and attacked the lifeboats, leaving only 24 survivors from a crew of 258. Among the dead were 14 Canadian nursing sisters.

Fund-raising poster
CWM 19850475-034