HMCS Armentières, Esquimalt

Rowley Murphy's 1943 drawing depicts HMCS Armentières, serving as an examination vessel operating largely out of Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

Armentières, a veteran of the First World War, had a long and varied interwar career, and was the only Battle class trawler still in naval service in 1939. Examination vessels performed the essential but thankless task of boarding incoming vessels, reviewing their cargo manifests, and investigating any suspicious aspects of the crew, vessel, or cargo. They were an essential part of wartime port defences.

HMCS Armentières, Esquimalt
Drawn by Rowley Murphy in 1943
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19710261-2393