The Early Cold War
Naval Aviation

Between 1946 and 1970, Canada's navy operated three aircraft carriers to help fulfil its anti-submarine mission and to help protect ships against enemy aircraft. These carriers required specialized equipment, procedures, and training for their crews.

HMCS Warrior

Seen here in 1948, HMCS Warrior was the first aircraft carrier to be commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

Between 1946 and 1948, the RCN used Warrior, originally built for Britain's Royal Navy, to gain experience with naval aviation. Operations soon revealed that Warrior was unsuited to the North Atlantic's cold climate without extensive modifications. While Warrior was the first aircraft carrier in the RCN, during the Second World War, the escort carriers HMS Nabob and HMS Puncher had largely Canadian crews, but remained ships in the Royal Navy.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19900321-015