The Early Cold War
Rebuilding and Transformation

The Canadian navy's main Cold War mission was anti-submarine warfare, as it had been in the two world wars. It sought to build a force of ships, personnel, and facilities to fulfill this mission, as well as to pursue other national objectives like sovereignty protection.

Cadets in Summer Training

This posed photograph shows University Naval Training Division (UNTD) officer cadets during summer training aboard the training yacht HMCS Oriole.

Identifiable by their peaked caps, the cadets (left, right, and background) were university students who joined a program to become officers in the Royal Canadian Navy. Training aboard the Oriole, which is still done today, was the result of a continuing belief in the importance and utility of training aboard a sailing craft for building teamwork and acquiring a better "feel" for sea and weather conditions.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19900076-986