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Second World War
The Navy Ashore  - Building the Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy expanded dramatically during the Second World War, acquiring ships and recruiting personnel to meet the constantly increasing demands placed upon it. Ships had to be built, repaired, and maintained, and people recruited, trained, and supported.

HMCS Micmac
HMCS Micmac

HMCS Micmac, the first Tribal class destroyer to be built in Canada, floats in the drydock at the Halifax Shipyards in June 1945.

Although construction of Micmac began in May 1942, the ship was not launched until September 1943 and did not enter service until September 1945, too late to see action during the Second World War. The large, powerful Tribal class destroyers were the most complex and expensive pieces of military equipment built in Canada during the Second World War, and their construction and completion were delayed largely by the priority given to other shipbuilding and repair work.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19720151-019





Halifax Dockyard
Hull of a Minesweeper under Construction
A New Gun for the Destroyer
Outfitting a Minesweeper at Night
HMCS Micmac
Diver, First Class
Diving Knife
HMCS York
Calisthenics at HMCS Cornwallis
"Do You Fit in Here?"
Seamen on Jetty Being Instructed on Bends and Hitches
Semaphore Training Tool
Signal Flag Hoist
Nurse's Uniform, Sub-Lieutenant Georgia Hayes
Service Dress Uniform, Captain Charles Best
Foot-Powered Dental Drill
Canadian Sailor in Hospital
Barrington Street Patrol, Halifax
Colt Revolver
Navy Police and Sentry in Dockyard, Halifax
Cap Ribbon Order
Service Club, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Three Sailors at Rest Base, Northern Ireland
Boxing Instruction