The Second World War
War in the Pacific and South East Asia  - The Royal Canadian Navy and the Pacific Coast

The Royal Canadian Navy was active in operations along the Pacific coast from 1939 to 1945, patrolling British Columbia waters and helping to support the Allied war effort. West coast shipyards built ships for the navy and the merchant navy.

Confiscated Japanese Canadian Fishing Boats

This photograph shows fishing boats, belonging to Japanese Canadians, confiscated by the Canadian government following Canada's declaration of war against Japan in December 1941.

Japan's early victories made British Columbians fear an attack, possibly assisted by local Japanese Canadians, and also inflamed pre-existing prejudices, leading to racially motivated pressure for the removal of Japanese Canadians from the west coast. Ultimately, the Royal Canadian Navy's Fishermen's Reserve confiscated over a thousand fishing boats and gathered them at Steveston, near Vancouver. As with other confiscated property, these boats were subsequently sold for far less than their true value.

VR 991.192.1
CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum