Interwar Years
Imperial Adventure: HMCS Thiepval

In 1924, one of the few ships in the post-First World War Royal Canadian Navy, the Battle-class trawler HMCS Thiepval, became the first Canadian warship to visit the Soviet Union and Japan when it provided support for a British attempt to fly around the world.

12-Pounder Cannon, HMCS Thiepval

Members of Thiepval's crew maintain the ship's main armament, a 12-pounder cannon mounted on a platform in the bow.

Thiepval's limited weaponry was sufficient for the ship's peacetime patrol work. After being transferred to the west coast from Halifax in 1919, Thiepval's duties included counting seals, patrolling against rum-runners, and ensuring that American fishing boats did not enter Canadian territorial waters. Years after Thiepval's 1930 sinking, divers raised this gun and placed it on display at nearby Ucluelet, British Columbia.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19710050-001_86