Canada's Naval History

The Second World War
War in the Pacific and South East Asia - The Royal Canadian Navy and the Pacific Coast

The Royal Canadian Navy was active in operations along the Pacific coast from 1939 to 1945, patrolling British Columbia waters and helping to support the Allied war effort. West coast shipyards built ships for the navy and the merchant navy.

Artifact Record

HMCS Vancouver Alongside, Esquimalt

The Second World war brought a renaissance for the once important ex-Royal Navy Dockyard at Esquimalt, British Columbia.

For a time during the interwar period, it had only supported one Canadian destroyer and a few trawlers. During the war, Esquimalt became an important shipbuilding centre and naval base. In this October 1943 Rowley Murphy painting, a half dozen frigates, including HMCS Beacon Hill and Port Colborne, appear in various phases of completion (right background). HMCS Vancouver, the corvette tied up to the quay (centre), served on two occasions with the United States Navy in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands campaign.

HMCS Vancouver Alongside, Esquimalt
Painted by Rowley Murphy in 1943
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19710261-2400