Second World War
The Navy Ashore  - The Navy and the Home Front

The Royal Canadian Navy became a strong presence on Canada's home front during the Second World War. Naval imagery appeared in fundraising and propaganda materials, while Canadians built equipment for the navy, or were encouraged to support it through volunteer work.

Manufacturing Naval Guns and Mountings

This April 1945 photograph of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Ogden Shops in Calgary, Alberta, shows 4-inch naval guns and their mountings.

The Ogden Shops produced two types of 4-inch naval gun mounts, which were installed on warships, while the gun barrels themselves were produced elsewhere in Canada. The shops produced naval guns for American, British, and Canadian ships, manufacturing more than 3,000 naval guns and 1,650 naval gun mounts. The 4-inch gun was the largest artillery piece produced in Canada during the Second World War.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19800648-009