Canada's Naval History

Home > Explore History > Interwar Years > The 1920s: A Navy Struggling to Survive

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

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.

Battle-Class Trawler HMCS Ypres

The trawler HMCS Ypres, seen here in Bedford Basin, Nova Scotia, was used as a training ship from 1923 until 1932.

Ypres was one of a useful group of 12 trawlers built for local defence and minesweeping during the First World War. It was retained after the war, while most of the other trawlers were sold or transferred to other government departments. For much of the 1920s, trawlers like Ypres formed an appreciable part of the Royal Canadian Navy's fleet.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19750559-009_p17c