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.

Admiral Jellicoe's Visit to Canada, 1919

Admiral of the Fleet Viscount John Jellicoe (right) visits Canada during a 1919 tour of the British Empire to discuss postwar naval plans.

Jellicoe had been a senior British naval commander for much of the First World War, and his visit to Canada as part of a world tour resulted in a report presenting a range of options for a post-war Canadian navy, including a fleet centered around battlecruisers and aircraft carriers. All were rejected by the Canadian government in favour of a small fleet composed of one cruiser and two destroyers offered by Britain that would operate in conjunction with two submarines and nine patrol vessels already operated by Canada.

VR 994.68.45
CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum