Canada's Naval History

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The Early Cold War
The Korean War

Communist North Korea's invasion of South Korea in June 1950 sparked a devastating three-year war. Eight Canadian destroyers ultimately served in Korean waters as part of Canada's contribution to United Nations forces fighting the invasion.

Track of HMCS Crusader, 1952-1953

This hand-drawn map shows HMCS Crusader's movements during the destroyer's year-long deployment to Korean waters in 1952-1953.

The map shows ports of call in Japan (right), Okinawa (bottom centre), and Hong Kong (bottom left). The Korean peninsula (centre) is surrounded with labels indicating time spent attacking enemy trains ("Trainbusters' Club") and escorting aircraft carriers ("Windchasers' Club" and "Corpen Club"). During the Korean War, Canadian destroyers served in a variety of roles on both the east and west coasts of the Korean peninsula. Much of the time they did not operate together, but instead served in conjunction with other UN naval forces.

VR996.197.01
CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum