Birth of the Navy (1910-1914)
Creating the Navy

Created in 1910, the Naval Service of Canada was renamed the Royal Canadian Navy in 1911. It was the product of an intense Canadian political debate driven by Great Britain's efforts to bolster its naval defences against the rapidly growing German navy.

HMS New Zealand (right) and HMAS Australia (left)

This photograph shows the differing responses of two Dominions to the threat posed to the British Empire by Germany's ambitious naval program.

In response, the Royal Navy built more ships and asked the Dominions within the Empire to contribute to a common imperial defence by either building their own warships or by helping to fund British construction. HMAS Australia was ordered by Australia as the flagship of its own fledgling navy, while HMS New Zealand was funded by New Zealand and given to Britain.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19940003-726