Fighting Navy

Navy Minister Angus Lewis Macdonald, a lean Maritimer, slumped in his leather chair and studied the ceiling in Ottawa's press gallery. Then he sprang the news: back in 1941 the Dominion Government had committed itself to a Navy of at least 9,000 men after the war. Minister Macdonald himself thought a force of 15,000 would be "more likely ... [to] satisfy Canadians," hoped the nation would keep two cruisers, two carriers and eight destroyers in postwar fighting trim, with lesser craft to match.

Canadians had long known that their Navy was growing up. Minister Macdonald proudly told them just how big and useful a fighting force it had become in five years of war at sea:

P: The Royal Canadian Navy has mushroomed from 13 ships and 1,700 men in 1939 to 350 combat vessels (with 500 auxiliaries) and 90,000 men. It has sunk 15 U-boats and twelve enemy surface ships on its own, joined with Allied forces to send down 23 more surface vessels.

P: Since early this summer it has provided the close escort for all convoys between North America and the United Kingdom, including the biggest convoy ever: 150 ships which recently delivered a million-ton cargo to England. At the same time R.C.N. ships made up 30% of the general support units roaming the North Atlantic. Canada's is a small-ship Navy, greater in numbers than in gunpower: 20 destroyers, 45 frigates, 100 corvettes, 60 minesweepers, Macdonald said, though he admitted that he was purposely understating the figures. Britain still holds title to the Canadian-crewed aircraft carriers Puncher and Nabob, but last week Britain was rigging two cruisers to go to Canada's Navy as gifts. Fifty smaller ships were building at home in Dominion yards.

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