Sea

Prior to the creation of a Canadian navy, Britain’s Royal Navy was responsible for the military defence of Canada’s waters. This changed in 1910 when the federal government passed legislation creating the Naval Service of Canada, which became the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1911. Development and growth was initially slow and so the RCN had a limited role during the First World War. However, the Second World War created challenges and opportunities that stimulated the RCN to expand and become the fifth largest navy in the world by 1945, with approximately 1,140 vessels. By the end of the war, over 105,000 men and women had served with the RCN. Canadian and Allied merchant ships and their crews were also a vital part of the Allied war effort, transporting personnel, munitions, weapons, and food across the world’s oceans.