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.

Hospital Ship - Lady Nelson

Wilfred Whitern's painting of the Canadian hospital ship Lady Nelson shows the brightly lit vessel in its distinctive paint scheme identifying it as a non-combatant.

Like all hospital ships, the Lady Nelson was painted white, with a broad green stripe and red crosses on its hull. At night, lights illuminated these markings, along with Red Cross flags and a red cross on the funnel. The Canadian military chartered the Lady Nelson, a Canadian National Steamships liner sunk, salvaged, and rebuilt as a hospital ship. While the medical staff, including Whitern, were military, the ship's crew were members of the merchant navy.

Hospital Ship - Lady Nelson
Painted by Wilfred Leonard Whitern in 1944
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19740551-001