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Interwar Years
The 1920s: A Navy Struggling to Survive

Following the end of the First World War, the Royal Canadian Navy faced significant threats to its continued existence. In the face of significant cutbacks, the navy focused on maintaining a small force to train sailors and to protect the country's coasts against enemy ships.

Canadian Submarines CH-14 and CH-15
Canadian Submarines CH-14 and CH-15

Britain transferred these "H" class submarines to Canada to replace the worn out First World War submarines CC-1 and CC-2.

Arriving in Halifax from Bermuda in 1919, the two submarines were refitted and entered Canadian service in 1921. Although these two boats were American-built, Canadian Vickers' Montreal shipyard had built similar submarines for Britain. Taken out of service in June 1922 because of budget cuts, CH-14 and CH-15 lay rusting in Halifax's Northwest Arm alongside the decommissioned light cruiser HMCS Aurora until 1927, when all three vessels were sold for scrap.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19910109-187





HMCS Aurora
Admiral Jellicoe's Visit to Canada, 1919
HMCS Patriot, around 1922
Canadian Submarines CH-14 and CH-15
Royal Naval College of Canada, Esquimalt, 1920-1921
HMS Raleigh Aground, 1922
Battle-Class Trawler HMCS Ypres
RCNVR Quebec Hockey Team
Field Gun Competition, Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, 1924
Anchor Light, HMCS Patriot
HMCS Vancouver
F.L. Houghton aboard HMCS Vancouver
Canadian Sailors and Sugar
Leonard W. Murray at the Royal Canadian Navy Barracks, Halifax
Lieutenant Governor Tory Taking the Salute
Royal Canadian Navy Barracks, Halifax
Torpedo Lecture Room, Halifax
The Gun Battery, Halifax
HMCS Givenchy's Crew, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1919
HMCS Patriot Towing the Hydrofoil HD-4, September 1921