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.
Two of HMCS Thiepval's officers (left) and an unidentified civilian (right) pose with a lieutenant of the Imperial Japanese Navy at Hakodate.
After the initial visit to the Soviet Union, Thiepval headed to Hakodate, a northern Japanese port, to obtain coal for its boilers. Thiepval was the first Canadian warship to visit Japan, and was warmly received, its crew members being invited to a banquet and to visit local hot springs.
George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19710050-001_44