The Second World War
War in the Pacific and South East Asia  - The Royal Canadian Navy and the Pacific Coast

The Royal Canadian Navy was active in operations along the Pacific coast from 1939 to 1945, patrolling British Columbia waters and helping to support the Allied war effort. West coast shipyards built ships for the navy and the merchant navy.

Soviet Dirk

Soviet naval officer Commander Nikolai Ignatiev presented this officer's dirk to Canadian Lieutenant Commander Edward Harold Sweeney.

From June 1941, the Soviet Union was an important ally in the war against Germany, and Soviet merchant ships became regular visitors to Canadian and American west coast ports, transporting supplies and armaments for Soviet forces. Ignatiev, posted to Vancouver to pilot Soviet vessels safely into the harbour, struck up a friendship with Sweeney, the officer in charge of the operations of Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS) from that port.

Dirk and Scabbard, Soviet Officer
CWM 19770432-003