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.

Holman Projector Canister and Grenade

This canister and hand grenade were ammunition for a Holman Projector, a stop-gap anti-aircraft weapon fitted to many merchant ships.

The tube-like Holman Projector fired hand grenades in containers like these into the air using steam from the ship's boilers. The two-part metal canister held a standard hand grenade (right) and kept the lever that armed it from moving until air resistance pulled the canister away after it was fired from the projector. Exploding a few seconds later, the grenade produced a cloud of fragments and a puff of smoke. While the Holman Projector posed little actual threat to aircraft, the grenades' visible explosions may have helped deter enemy pilots.

Canister, Mk II N
CWM 20070067-547
Grenade, 36M
CWM 19740189-005