Role of the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War National Historic Event

Two bronze plaques installed at a water front, commemorating the Role of the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada commemorative plaque for the Role of the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War National Historic Event, located in Bedford, Nova Scotia, 2024
© Parks Canada

The role of the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War was designated as a national historic event in 2001.

Historical importance: contributed to the final outcome of World War II by transporting materiel and military personnel throughout the world.

Commemorative plaque: DeWolf Park, Bedford, Nova ScotiaFootnote 1

The Merchant Navy and the Second World War

The Canadian Merchant Navy contributed decisively to victory, transporting troops and supplies to many war zones around the world in support of the Allied nations. Merchant mariners endured the constant threat of enemy attack, compounded by the dangers of the open sea. With courage, perseverance and determination, these men and women risked their lives on the oceans of the world. Many made the ultimate sacrifice in the effort to uphold liberty.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
English plaque inscription

 

Group of man working on machinery on a vessel
DEMS (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships) personnel taking part in gun drill aboard an unidentified merchant ship, Halifax, Nova Scotia, November 29, 1942.
© Lt George A. Lawrence / DND / Library and Archives Canada / PA-106528
Group of man on a vessel
Seven Canadian sailors survived the sinking of the armed merchant cruiser H.M.S. JERVIS BAY by the German battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER while escorting Convoy HX-84 on November 5, 1940.
© Canada Department of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-144084
 

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