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Interwar Years
The 1920s: A Navy Struggling to Survive

Following the end of the First World War, the Royal Canadian Navy faced significant threats to its continued existence. In the face of significant cutbacks, the navy focused on maintaining a small force to train sailors and to protect the country's coasts against enemy ships.

Royal Naval College of Canada, Esquimalt, 1920-1921

This photograph shows the Royal Naval College of Canada's staff and cadets, along with distinguished visitors including Admiral Charles Kingsmill, at Esquimalt, British Columbia.

Kingsmill, in his last year of service as the head of the Royal Canadian Navy, is the third officer to the left of the woman in white. Following the Halifax Explosion that damaged its original home, the college ultimately moved to Esquimalt. It was closed as a result of the same 1922 budget cuts that caused the navy's flagship, HMCS Aurora, and the submarines CH-14 and CH-15 to be taken out of service.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19790134-017