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First World War (1914-1918)
Atlantic Theatre

In response to the threat of German naval activity, the east coast navy expanded from its tiny pre-war establishment to include a wide assortment of ships. Their range of duties included blockading, convoy escort and minesweeping.

"A Pill for Kaiser Bill", HMCS Niobe
"A Pill for Kaiser Bill", HMCS Niobe

Three sailors aboard HMCS Niobe pose with a 6-inch shell inscribed for Germany's Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Niobe, one of Canada's two warships in 1914, formed the core of the navy's early response to German naval activity. Assigned to the British Atlantic squadron, Niobe was employed in coastal patrols and blockade work in an attempt to prevent the shipment of war goods to Germany from the then-neutral United States. An obsolete vessel even before the war, Niobe had by September 1915 become a depot ship, staying in Halifax for the remainder of the war.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19830056-005





"A Pill for Kaiser Bill", HMCS Niobe
Medal Set, Sub-Lieutenant J.M. Paul, HMCS Niobe
Thomas Hayes, Royal Naval Reserve, Newfoundland, HMCS Niobe
SS Brindilla
HMCS Stadacona and HMCS Niobe
HMCS Canada
HMCS Shearwater, Stadacona, and Lady Evelyn
Gatling Gun, HMCS Bayfield II
HMCS Laurentian and Margaret
Canadian Minesweepers
Olympic with Returned Soldiers
The Little Drifter and the Big Freighter
Looking Astern on a Sub-Chaser
Sketch of a Seaplane Taking Off
Royal Canadian Navy Trawlers, Northwest Arm, Halifax