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First World War (1914-1918)
The Home Front

The war at sea affected Canadians in a variety of ways. While extensive recruiting efforts at home sought men to become sailors in the Canadian and British navies, Canadian shipyards built warships and merchant ships to expand Allied navies and to replace vessels lost to submarine attack.

SS War Camp at Sea
SS War Camp at Sea

The SS War Camp was one of nine merchant ships built by J. Coughlan & Sons in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Seen here after its completion in September 1918, the War Camp was an example of the largest size of steel ships built in Canada for the Imperial Munitions Board (IMB). These and other IMB vessels carried the standard prefix "War." After the Armistice, the War Camp sailed for another 40 years under various names before finally being scrapped in Osaka, Japan, in 1958.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20070035-011





Recruiting Poster, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Llewellyn and Joseph Lush, 1914, Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve
Victory Bonds Will Help Stop This
Boy's Civilian Sailor Suit, RMS Missinabie
Ship Building, J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
Merchant Ships under Construction, J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
Launching of the SS War Camp, J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
SS War Camp at Sea
Shift Change at J. Coughlan & Sons Shipyard, Vancouver
Polsons Iron Work Yard, Ship War Hydra on Stocks
Starting the Freighter
Cargo Ship Half Hull Model, Canadian Vickers
Submarines at Canadian Vickers Shipyard, Montreal
Anchored Naval Mine Model