To replace the increasing number of vessels sunk by German U-Boats, Canada took part in a massive shipbuilding program relying on facilities across the country.

This photograph shows a cargo vessel during a relatively early stage of its construction at the J. Coughlan & Sons shipyard in the False Creek area of Vancouver. Coughlan's was one of several Canadian companies that built cargo vessels for the Imperial Munitions Board (IMB). An agency of the British Ministry of Munitions, the IMB by 1917 was encouraging and financing Canadian industry to build ships.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20070035-004