Canadian Merchant Navy

Canadian Merchant Navy
Statistics for the shipping industry of Canada
Total: 184 ships (1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over)
Totalling: 2,129,243 GRT/2,716,340 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
Cargo ships
Bulk ships 66
Cargo ship 12
Combination bulk ships 1
Container ships 2
Roll-on / roll-off ships 6
Vehicle carrier 1
Tankers
Chemical tanker ships 14
Petroleum tanker ships 12
Passenger ships
General passenger ships 6
Combined passenger/cargo 64
Source: This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

Canada, like several other Commonwealth nations, created its own Merchant Navy in a large-scale effort during World War II.

History

An informal merchant navy appears in 1914 at the start of World War I and was renamed as Canadian Government Merchant Marine in 1918, but slowly disappeared by 1930[1]

The 529-foot Canadian laker James Carruthers on Lake Huron in 1913.

Within hours of Canada's declaration of war on September 10, 1939, the Canadian government passed laws to create the Canadian Merchant Navy setting out rules and controls to provide a workforce for wartime shipping. The World War II Merchant Navy greatly expanded a similar effort in World War I known as the Canadian Mercantile Marine. The Canadian Merchant Navy played a major role in the Battle of the Atlantic bolstering the allies merchant fleet due to high losses in the British Merchant Navy. Eventually thousands of Canadians served aboard hundreds of Canadian Merchant Navy ships, notably the "Park Ships", the Canadian equivalent of the American "Liberty Ships". Rear Admiral Leonard W. Murray reported,

The Battle of the Atlantic was not won by any Navy or any Air Force, it was won by the courage, fortitude and determination of the British and Allied Merchant Navy.[2]

A school was established at St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia to train sailors for the Canadian Merchant Navy, who became known as "Merchant Mariners." Manning Pools, or barracks, were built in major Canadian ports to house Merchant Mariners. The Merchant Navy was considered a fourth branch of the Canadian military alongside the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force, and suffered the highest casualty rate of the four.

After the war, Canadian Merchant Navy veterans were denied veterans benefits and official recognition for decades. This was not corrected until the 1990s and many individual cases remain unresolved. Similar to the CMM Veterans status, World War II United States Merchant Marine Veterans were also denied veterans benefits and status until 1988.

An important gesture in 2003 <Allied Merchant Navy of WW II website> was the creation of Merchant Navy Remembrance Day by the Canadian Parliament which designated September 3 as a day to recognize the contributions and sacrifice of Canadian merchant mariners.[3]

From 1945 to 1950 the Merchant Navy slowly disappeared until no merchant ships were left.[4]

Memorials

Monuments to the Canadian Merchant Navy were erected in several Canadian cities:

Fleet

World War II

Canadian-registered

  • Beacon Hill
  • Elk Island Park
  • Erik Boye (HX-48)
  • Magog (HX-52)
  • Waterloo
  • Thorold
  • Kenordoc (SC-3)
  • St.Malo (HX-77)
  • Trevisa (SC-7)
  • Maplecourt (SC-20)
  • Canadian Cruiser
  • A.D. Huff
  • J.B. White (HX-112)
  • Canadolite
  • Portadoc
  • Europa
  • Collingdoc''
  • Vancouver Island
  • USS Proteus
  • USS Nereus
  • Shinai
  • Lady Hawkins
  • Montrolite
  • Empress of Asia
  • Victolite

  • George L. Torian
  • Lennox
  • Sarniadoc
  • Robert W. Pomeroy
  • Vineland
  • James E. Newsom
  • Lady Drake''
  • Mildred Pauline
  • Mont Louis
  • Calgarolite
  • Torondoc
  • Troisdoc
  • Frank B. Baird
  • Liverpool Packet
  • Mona Marie
  • Lucille M.
  • Prescodoc
  • Princess Marguerite
  • Donald Stewart
  • Lord Strathcona
  • John A. Holloway
  • Oakton (Q533)
  • Norfolk
  • Carolus
  • Bic Island (HX-212)

  • Rose Castle
  • Chr. J. Kampmann (TAG-18)
  • Angelus
  • Jasper Park
  • Watuka
  • Albert C. Field
  • Cornwallis
  • SS Point Pleasant Park
  • Taber Park (FS-1753)
  • Avondale Park
  • Watkins F. Nisbet
  • Mondoc
  • R.J. Cullen
  • Hamildoc
  • Bic Island
  • Europa
  • Lady Nelson
  • Cornwallis
  • Nipawin Park (SH-194)
  • Silver Star Park
  • Green Hill Park
  • Kootenay Park
  • Salt Lake Park
  • Westbank Park
  • Donald Roach
  • Kyle Lapierre
  • Lake Chelan
  • Elk Island
  • Ironwood
  • Hillcrest Park
  • Lady Rodney
  • Sunset Park
  • Glacier Park

Statistics

  • 10,000 ton Dry Cargo: 117
  • 4,700 ton Dry Cargo: 32
  • 10,000 ton Tankers: 13
  • 3,600 ton Tankers: 6
  • 2,000 ton Tanker: 1
  • 10,000 ton Dry Cargo Fort Ships built for Britain: 97
  • 10,000 ton Stores Issuing Ships for Britain: 12
  • Total ships built in Canada 1942 to 1945: 278

See also

References

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