This section brings together the approximately 700 objects and photographs used in Canada's Naval History. Use this section to directly access objects and photographs grouped by type, as shown below, or use the search function above to search through them by title.

HMCS Rainbow Arriving at Esquimalt, British Columbia, 1910

The arrival of the first Canadian naval vessel on the west coast occasioned ceremony and celebration.

HMCS Rainbow steamed past Esquimalt's characteristic lighthouse (centre right) on 7 November 1910 before firing a 21-gun salute. Esquimalt, formerly an important Pacific port for the Royal Navy, had shrunk in significance for the British as they concentrated ships and other naval resources in the United Kingdom. Rainbow's arrival marked the start of the Canadian navy's century-long presence in force along Canada's Pacific coast.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19790602-053