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 Navy Warships in Esquimalt Harbour

This colour postcard shows two British cruisers in the harbour at Esquimalt, British Columbia, likely between 1900 and 1905.

The two cruisers, likely HMS Grafton (left) and HMS Bonaventure (right), are typical of the ships based at Esquimalt at this time. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Esquimalt was an important Pacific port for Britain's Royal Navy. By the time this photograph was taken, however, it had declined in significance as Britain concentrated its forces in home waters in response to the emerging German naval threat. Beginning in 1910, it would become an important Pacific base for Canada's new navy.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19780743-010front