Birth of the Navy (1910-1914)
HMCS Niobe

HMCS Niobe, one of the Naval Service of Canada's first two ships, was intended in part to train Canadian sailors. A large, obsolescent cruiser, Niobe required many crew and was expensive to operate. Lengthy repairs after it ran aground in 1911, and subsequent budget cutbacks, limited the ship's activities.

HMCS Niobe at Anchor

This photograph depicts HMCS Niobe soon after its arrival in Halifax from England in October 1910.

Though expensive to operate, Niobe was useful for training the nucleus of a new navy, having been modified to accommodate cadets. It had also received a state-of-the-art heating system to protect its crew from Canadian winters. Niobe has boat booms (right and centre) swung out to accommodate the small boats coming alongside. The balcony-like gallery at Niobe's stern (left) led to a luxurious suite of rooms markedly different from the ones with mess tables and hammocks where sailors ate and slept.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20030174-045