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The Early Cold War
Rebuilding and Transformation

The Canadian navy's main Cold War mission was anti-submarine warfare, as it had been in the two world wars. It sought to build a force of ships, personnel, and facilities to fulfill this mission, as well as to pursue other national objectives like sovereignty protection.

Ship's Crest, HMCS Porte de la Reine
Ship's Crest, HMCS Porte de la Reine

This crest for HMCS Porte de la Reine portrays the gate of the same name in the French fortress at Louisbourg, in modern day Nova Scotia.

Porte de la Reine was one of five Porte class gate vessels built in the early 1950s and named after gates in the French fortifications at Louisbourg and Quebec City. Originally built to tend to the anti-submarine nets that would protect Canadian harbours in wartime, these gate vessels instead spent most of their careers as training ships for naval reservists.

1999.0.403
Naval Museum of Quebec





Graveyard, Sorel, P.Q.
HMCS Micmac
HMCS Sussexvale
Twin 40mm Bofors Gun
HMCS Magnificent and Destroyer
Royal Canadian Navy Recruiting Advertisement
Canadian Ships in Halifax Harbour
Model, HMCS Mackenzie
Desktop Radar Model
Model, HMCS Provider
HMCS Assiniboine and Sea King Helicopter
Twin 3-Inch Naval Gun and Mount
Uniform, Rear Admiral Sturton Mathwin Davis
HMCS Porte St. Louis and HMCS Porte St. Jean
Ship's Crest, HMCS Porte de la Reine
HMCS Ontario in the Panama Canal
Life Ring, HMCS Quebec
Royal Canadian Navy Recruiting Poster
Master-at-Arms Ron Crawford, HMCS Cornwallis, 1953
Wrens Recruiting Advertisement
Naval Reserve Recruiting Poster
HMCS Malahat Crew, 1957
Naval Fire Fighting Training
Cadets in Summer Training