The Navy: A Century in Art
The Navy at Sea

The Canadian navy is a creature of the sea. Its ships, equipment, tactics, and experiences have been conditioned by the major environments in which it serves. Historically, the most important of these have been Canada's long and ragged coasts and the storm-tossed northern waters connecting Canada to the world.

Shaft Tunnel, SS Kelowna Park (Can)
Painting by Peter Whalley around 1945

Waging war overseas depended upon the performance and protection of merchant ships and their vital cargos.

?Park' vessels (named after Canadian parks) were among the hundreds of merchant ships built in Canada during the Second World War. The dark interior seen here contains the housing for the ship's long propeller shaft. The artist, famed cartoonist Peter Whalley, was a young merchant sailor during the war.

Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19970014-037