Admirals dream of big ships : the RCN procurement debate, 1944-45

Abstract

The Second World War (1939-1945) defined the Royal Canadian Navy as a fighting force. The fight against the U-Boats in the Atlantic influenced the ships that the naval service operated and the role that Canada and its navy would take in future conflicts and alliances. Despite the influence of wartime activities, this role was not set in stone. During the latter half of the Second World War (1943-45), the naval staff officers who were commanding the navy undertook efforts to equip Canada with ships that would allow them to operate outside of the support role that they were filling in the contemporary conflict. These efforts would conflict with the internal and international goals of the Federal government under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. I argue that the staff officers of the RCN, influenced by their training and the earlier history of the naval service, acted to prepare Canada for future conflicts with these modern ships which placed them at odds with the federal government whose primary concerns were the contemporary military/political circumstances and the foreseeable end of the war. This project examines the history of the relationship between the government and RCN and how the goals/desires of both sides shaped the debate from 1944-45.