Birth of the Navy (1910-1914)
Creating the Navy

Created in 1910, the Naval Service of Canada was renamed the Royal Canadian Navy in 1911. It was the product of an intense Canadian political debate driven by Great Britain's efforts to bolster its naval defences against the rapidly growing German navy.

Royal Naval College of Canada, Class Photo, 1911

Established in 1910, the Royal Naval College of Canada produced a small group of officers who would occupy important positions in subsequent decades.

This 1911 class photograph includes L.W. Murray (second from left, second row) who, as Commander-in-Chief, Canadian Northwest Atlantic, became the only Canadian to command an Allied theatre of operations during the Second World War. The college had spaces for up to 45 officer cadets, aged 14 to 16, who would study for two years before spending a year with the Royal Navy in a large warship.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19910238-267