Canada's Naval History

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Birth of the Navy (1910-1914)
HMCS Niobe

HMCS Niobe, one of the Naval Service of Canada's first two ships, was intended in part to train Canadian sailors. A large, obsolescent cruiser, Niobe required many crew and was expensive to operate. Lengthy repairs after it ran aground in 1911, and subsequent budget cutbacks, limited the ship's activities.

Gun Practice, HMCS Niobe

One of HMCS Niobe's gun crews fires a 6-inch gun during training.

Niobe's effectiveness as a warship depended heavily on rapid and accurate gunfire, which required frequent training. In this summertime view, officers (centre and left) in white pith helmets supervise the gun crew and watch for the fall of the shot. A sailor stands behind the gun (left), ready to remove the spent cartridge while others prepare to load the gun with propellant charges and projectiles raised on the hoist seen at right.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20030174-052