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.

HMCS Armentières, Esquimalt

Rowley Murphy's 1943 drawing depicts HMCS Armentières, serving as an examination vessel operating largely out of Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

Armentières, a veteran of the First World War, had a long and varied interwar career, and was the only Battle class trawler still in naval service in 1939. Examination vessels performed the essential but thankless task of boarding incoming vessels, reviewing their cargo manifests, and investigating any suspicious aspects of the crew, vessel, or cargo. They were an essential part of wartime port defences.

HMCS Armentières, Esquimalt
Drawn by Rowley Murphy in 1943
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19710261-2393