Founding of the Canadian Naval Service National Historic Event
Victoria (BC) and Halifax (NS), N/A
Engine-room personnel in Halifax, 1942
© Lt George A. Lawrence / Canada. Dept. of National Defence | Département de la Défense Nationale / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives / PA-106533
Address :
Victoria (BC) and Halifax (NS), N/A
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2010-03-16
Other Name(s):
-
Founding of the Canadian Naval Service
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2009-010, 2009-011, 2009-012, 2009-013
Importance:
First naval service established by the government of Canada and is the foundation of the current naval arm of Canada’s unified armed forces
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: CFB Esquimalt, Victoria, British Columbia
The Royal Canadian Navy, founded in 1910 as the Canadian Naval Service, was the first national service of its kind. It played a key role in the Dominion’s contributions to the Allied effort during the First World War, notably in military recruitment and training, organization and operation of an Allied convoy service, coastal patrol, and provisioning British naval forces on the Atlantic coast. The establishment of the navy was an important expression of autonomy at a critical time in Canada’s development from colony to nation.