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.

"Seeing the World in Comfort," HMCS Niobe

HMCS Niobe crew members pose for a group portrait with a humorously titled placard.

This photograph displays an interesting mix of dress uniforms and working clothing, including summer whites (left), regular woollen dress (middle row, fourth from left), and rougher "slops" (right) more appropriate to coaling the ship and other arduous and dirty tasks. Royal Marines, who served in many British warships, can also be seen (back row, fourth from right). Their presence is visible evidence that Niobe's crew was largely British until years after the ship's arrival in Halifax, since Canada never established a force of marines.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20030174-033