Canada's Naval History

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First World War (1914-1918)
War in the Pacific

At the outbreak of war in August 1914, only three obsolete ships and two recently-acquired submarines protected Canada's west coast. Canadians feared that German cruisers might attack merchant ships or bombard cities and towns. After these attacks failed to materialize, many vessels and personnel were transferred to the Atlantic to deal with the growing German submarine threat.

HMCS Shearwater in the Panama Canal

HMCS Shearwater, seen here during a transit of the Panama Canal, was one of three warships on Canada's west coast at the start of the First World War.

Originally a Royal Navy vessel, Shearwater and another British ship, HMS Algerine, were transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in September 1914. Soon afterwards, many of Shearwater's crew were sent to HMCS Niobe in Halifax, which was short of trained sailors. Shearwater subsequently served as a tender - or support ship - for submarines CC-1 and CC-2, escorting them on an almost four-month long trip to Halifax in mid-1917.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19840218-002_8