Canada's Naval History

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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

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.

Artifact Record

Naval Reserve Recruiting Poster

This undated recruiting poster for Canada's naval reserve was probably produced soon after the Second World War.

The poster features a sailor with a cap tally marked "HMCS", for "His Majesty's Canadian Ship", with a backdrop of a ship's guns (left) and a destroyer on the horizon (centre right). Following the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR), which had supplied most of the navy's wartime personnel, and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve were merged to form the Royal Canadian Navy (Reserve).

Recruiting Poster
CWM 20080017-001

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