Evening star., 1940-06-27
Canada Raises Navy
From IS 10 200 Ships
Within 10 Months
Conveys Keep Trade
Flowing Freely With
No Loss Of Vessels
fCanada at War--Fitth Of a Series J
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star STAFF Corr1xpoudsnt,

~ lava VAstC Still ~ N1Ui7IkIS
Canada has acquired 4 navy Of
nearly 400 fighting ships.
With this force she has kept up
constant convoy of hundreds Of
vessels flying almost every nag
across the supposedly submarine
infested North Atlantic without the
loss of single craft.
. The mobilization and accomplish
ment of the Canadian Navy may
go down in history rs one Of the
major Allied achievements In the
war.
Before last September the Do
minion had no pretensions to sea
power. In the first World War her
fighting ships were essentially nom
existent. She had placed her trust
entirely IN the British Navy for sea
defense in any emergency. In the
intervening years, however, . nu-
cleus had been built up consisting,
when she went to war with Ger
many 10 months ago, of Is ships.
Some of them were small sailing
vessels. There were six destroyers.
There was one dockyard on the
Atlantic and another on the Pacific
coast. The need was imperative, for,
with the American neutrality law
in force, all war supplies from the
North American continent had to be
shipped from Canadian ports and
conveys must be arranged without
delay.
Quickly Expanded.
Within a week the 15-ship navy
had been expanded to q 50-ship
navy. Craft Of all sorts were taken
over from other government DEPART
ments, such As the Bureau of Fish
cries. and acquired from private
owners. Three large passenger ships
of private line were purchased and
turned into armed cruisers. The
mobilization Of this 50-ship navy In
seven days was due to plans laid
down long in advance and to the
organizing ability of Rear Admiral
Percy Nelles, veteran of the Royal
Navy and commander in chief of
the Canadian sea forces.
This was only the beginning. More
private craft were acquired and all
the shipbuilding facilities of the
Dominion extended to the utmost.
Today there are 100 ships in active
service and 80 more rapidly reach
ing completion. Many of these are
described as "corvettes." or pocket
destroyers. They are small, heavily
armed ships built with the special
purpose of withstanding the heavy
seas off the Canadian coast. The
name itself is derived from a type
of ship used in the fleet of Lord
Nelson at Trafalgar. 1t was fight
ing ship somewhat lighter and
smaller than frigate. 1t was also
easier to maneuver.
This navy is fully manned by
trained sailors who have never been
to sea before-many of whom, in
fact, had not been within a thou
sand miles of the ocean before STEP
ping ON the decks of the ships to
which they were assigned. This was
made possible by q unique naval
reserve unit system established in
Canada after the first World War.
Naval Recruits Waiting.
There are 10 of these reserve sta
tions scattered across the continent.
They are barracks built like ships,
with all the equipment and para
phernalia of ships. The reservist
trains entirely on his own time,
usually at night. In the barracks
life is ordered exactly as it would
be on shipboard. The reservist
scrubs down decks and polishes brass
work just as if he were in the middle
of the Atlantic, although his train
ing ship" may be in the middle of
Saskatchewan prairie.
Enlistments directly into the navy
are not possible. AS a new ship is
put in commission the crew is drawn
entirely from these reserve stations,
which always have waiting list Of
recruits.
The ships are officered, of course,
by experienced sailors, many of them
men who hold commissions in the
Royal Navy. Since the outbreak Of
the war there has been the closest
possible cooperation between the.
Canadian and Royal Navies, with
constant interchange of ships, off,
GERS and personnel.
AS a result not even the later
stages of the first World War saw
such efficient conveying OF merchant
and troop ships across the Atlantic.
There has actually been no inter-
ruption of trade whatsoever or any
lessening of the supplies reaching
the British Isles from North Amer
lea.
The Canadian farm boy, his off,
GERS say, naturally takes to the sea
even If neither he nor his direct
ancestors have ever seen it before.
He stems ultimately from a sea-
faring people. and the lure of salt
water Is in his blood.
Viroiniu FLYER Injured