By the 1930's, the RCN was slowly seeing new life breathed into it via the acquisition of two new destroyers built in England – the first ships purpose-built for the RCN. On the other hand, enthusiasm in the RNCVR stayed strong and continued to grow through the interwar years. The end of World War I saw a reduction of manpower plus a transition to conducting civilian duties, with its handful of destroyers and single cruiser. The lack of growth of the Navy was largely attributed to the decision by the Canadian government to allow citizens to choose whether they wished to serve with the Royal Canadian Navy or the British equivalent many chose to serve in the latter. This rather small force spent the majority of the conflict patrolling both coastlines of North America, with most of these assets being deemed unfit for service before the war’s end. Despite government contention on the logistics and practicality of fielding a navy, the citizens of Canada were supportive of the institution and bolstered the manpower of the volunteer reserve forces (RNCVR).īy the start of the First World War, the RCN had grown to four cruisers and two submarines. The nucleus of the nascent navy came in the shape of two cruisers: HMCS Rainbow and HMCS Niobe, both seeing service primarily as training vessels. Thus, in 1910 the Naval Service of Canada was born it was later designated the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) by King George V on 29 August 1911. The latter path was chosen, and soon the government put forth a Naval Service Bill organizing a permanent and volunteer force, as well founding as a naval college to train future personnel. In the case of the Dominion of Canada, there were two easy solutions: either provide the Royal Navy the resources to protects borders of the Dominion, or take the necessary steps to allow Canada to provide for her own defense. HMCS Haida, Tier VII destroyerAt the beginning of the twentieth century, the British Empire faced a unique dilemma: the challenge of protecting its many dominions across the world.
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