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Further Reading

Canadian Forces Maritime Command (MARCOM) /
Canadian Navy

The navy is composed of approximately 8,500 regular and 5,100 reserve sailors, along with 5,300 civilian personnel. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three Canadian services were unified to form the Canadian Forces. The modern Canadian navy is officially known as Canadian Forces Maritime Command (MARCOM), however, unofficially MARCOM is represented as the "Canadian Navy" and maintains many traditions of its predecessor.

Canada's 33 warships, submarines, and coastal defence vessels are divided more or less evenly between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The home ports of the fleet are Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) in Esquimalt, British Columbia. These formations manage all aspects of fleet maintenance, training and manning, while maintaining the fleet at optimal readiness for deployment as the Canadian Forces and Government see fit.

The ships of the fleet can be deployed in a number of roles; as a uniquely Canadian response to a domestic or international need, or as part of a larger multinational deployment. Deployments can involve the insertion of one ship into a multinational force, or a large essentially self-sufficient task group of complimentary ships, submarines and aircraft.

The navy has both domestic and international roles. At home, maritime defence and security is the navy's first priority in ensuring that Canada's maritime approaches are effectively monitored and protected. Canada also needs naval forces with the ability to act internationally - whenever and wherever issues arise that threaten our national interests.

The navy participates in joint Canada-U.S. and NATO exercises, and ships are deployed all over the world in support of the Canadian military and in conjunction with multinational deployments. The navy has a variety of sea trades and positions which include jobs such as combat information operators with extensive computer skills; divers trained in the delicate art of explosives disposal; technicians who keep our warships and their fitted equipment running smoothly; boarding party members who investigate suspicious vessels (but who may also be called upon to administer humanitarian aid); and many others.

The many distinctive customs and traditions of the navy can sometimes make it seem like a very unique world - and it is. In Canada, 100 years of naval history enrich the lives of today's sailors, reflecting a proud past, but also enabling an exciting present. Whether it's dressing ship, piping the side or commemorating those who have served before, sailors bring together the customs of yesterday and the cutting edge technology of today to honor past traditions while reaching with confidence towards the future.

Until 1910, Canada showed little interest in naval affairs. On 4 May 1910, with a major conflict brewing in Europe, the Canadian government passed the Naval Service Act which gave birth to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). This new Navy, which originally consisted of two second hand British cruisers and a handful of volunteers, reached a strength of 9000 officers and men during the First World War.

During the 1920's and most of the 1930's, the RCN was reduced drastically. When Canada declared war on Germany in September 1939, the RCN consisted of 6 destroyers, 5 minesweepers, 2 training vessels and fewer than 2000 officers and men. Therefore, the RCN immediately embarked on a rapid expansion program, commissioning 6 American destroyers on lend lease to Britain, and reactivating the Canadian shipbuilding industry. Canada's naval contribution to the Second World War was a large one for a nation of 12 million people. From 13 ships in 1939, the RCN had grown to 400 ships with a strength of 95750 officers, men and women by 1945. The RCN represented the third largest allied Navy in the Second World War.

Three Canadian destroyers served under UN command during the Korean conflict on a variety of missions from 1950-1953. Subsequently, the RCN adopted the primary role of anti-submarine warfare (ASW). In 1949, the Canadian government announced a program for the construction of 7 new ASW destroyer escorts called the ST. LAURENT Class. The 7 RESTIGOUCHE Class destroyer escorts came next, followed by 4 MACKENZIE Class escorts in 1962 and 2 ANNAPOLIS Class destroyer escorts in 1964. During the mid sixties 3 submarines, joined the Canadian Fleet. Four TRIBAL Class destroyers arrived in the early 1970's. In 1983, the Government of Canada authorized expenditure of funds to design and construct six new frigates. This was subsequently increased to twelve frigates. This Canadian Patrol Frigate Program was conceived as a long-range plan to replace the twenty steam powered destroyer escorts which were built between 1955 and 1964, and modernize the Canadian Navy to operate into the 21st century.

At sea Canada's fleet was virtually rebuilt over the decade of the 1990s. The steam-powered destroyer escorts built during the fifties had all been retired and replaced by the 12 Halifax class frigates, considered among the finest of their kind. The four larger Iroquois class destroyers had been thoroughly modernized and provide a task group commander at sea with a potent air defence and command-and-control capability. Twelve Kingston class maritime coastal defence vessels, manned almost exclusively by the naval reserves, proved to be both highly effective and cost-efficient in their coastal defence and mine warfare roles. With the introduction of the four Victoria class submarines together with the acquisition of a replacement for the Sea King helicopters and the planned update of the Aurora long-range patrol aircraft, the balance of Canada's maritime forces - air, surface, and subsurface - was well on its way to being restored.

LEADMARK is the long-range strategic planning document for the Canadian Navy. It considers Canada's geo-strategic location, interests and history as well as the dramatic shifts within the international system in the recent past and uncertain decades to come. Leadmark then articulates a strategy for the future development of a coherent Canadian naval force structure and its most effective employment in the future security environment.

The design of the Next Canadian Navy already is well advanced. Given that its development unfolds within the Horizon 2 (five to fifteen year) planning window, the shape of the Next Navy understandably is informed by the experience of the first decade of the post-Cold War era. It also is based on the principles of capability-based planning, with a particular eye on an enhanced joint focus and allied interoperability.

By 2008 the government had undertaken to renew all of Canada's maritime forces over the next 20-plus years: investing industry with the capacity for long-term in-service support of the 4 Victoria class submarines in the years to come; modernizing the 12 Halifax-class ships, truly the bridge to our future fleet, ensuring that these ``workhorses'' remain as combat capable in the second half of their service lives as they have been in the first half; introducing the Cyclone maritime helicopter - when these aircraft are introduced to the modernized Halifax-class frigates, that team of ship and helicopter will be among the most tactically capable combination in any navy; modernizing the existing Aurora fleet and providing for its eventual replacement; acquiring new capabilities and added capacities that we have not had before for operations both at home and abroad through the acquisition of six to eight Arctic offshore patrol ships and three joint support ships; and finally, acquisition of 15 new Canadian surface combatants, initially to replace the Iroquois class destroyers that quarterback the Canadian task group and eventually to replace the Halifax class when these ships reach the end of their service life in the 2020s and well beyond.

The navy is responding to a developing requirement for an independent capability to transport Canadian troops and equipment with a project to build a multi-purpose ship. The Afloat Logistics and Sealift Capability (ALSC) project is tasked primarily to ensure that continued at-sea logistics support will be available to naval ships and embarked helicopter detachments. To gain the maximum utility from the ship, it also is intended to include the ability to deliver the lead elements of a Canadian expeditionary force almost anywhere in the world accessible by sea. Other roles, including aviation support, humanitarian crisis response and a joint and (or) combined force headquarters capability, may be accommodated as well.

Recognising the need for a replacement for the air defence and command and control capability resident in the Iroquois class destroyers, the navy is developing the Command and Control Area Air Defence Replacement (CADRE) project. With the trend towards littoral warfare and a mandate for a globally deployable Canadian Forces, the implications for such a replacement extend beyond the traditional area air defence functions of the Cold War. Potentially they could include the ability to handle threats from theatre missiles (ballistic and cruise), kinetic and beam (energy) weapons, and shore-based weapons, and CADRE should be able to provide support to joint and combined forces ashore. Since the Halifax class frigates were delivered in the first half of the 1990s they need to undergo a modernisation program if they are to retain their operational viability over the projected 30-year lifetime of their hulls. In addition to evaluating the requirements for new command, control, communications, radars, sensors and weapons suites, the Frigate Equipment Life Extension (FELEX) project will also have to examine what work will be necessary with regard to refurbishing and (or) renewing the hull and machinery. It is not certain whether, at the end of FELEX, the Canadian frigate fleet will retain the uniform configuration and suite of capabilities as seen today. Requirements and budgets may see sub-classes of upgraded vessels emerge.

Similarly, the Victoria class submarines will also require a mid-life upgrade in the near-term as they were originally constructed for the Royal Navy in the 1980s. The Submarine Equipment Life Extension (SELEX) project will need to look at platform upgrades and refurbishment as well as new command, control and communications systems, and perhaps even a new sensor and weapons outfit. However, one of the most exciting possibilities for conventional submarines is that presented by Air Independent Propulsion. The day of the purely diesel-electric submarine is almost over, with most recent new-construction non-nuclear submarines featuring some form of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP). Significantly, one of the over-riding acquisition criteria stipulated for the Victoria class was a capability for possible retrofit of an AIP generation system.

Owing to the multi-purpose nature of the construction of the Kingston class ships, it is not necessary for major modifications to be carried out when a new weapons system is provided (containers outfitted with new equipment can be attached to three pads on the after part of the ships). The Remote Minehunting System project shows promise and may provide a remote controlled stand-off minehunting capability and may also lead to the possibility of a remote influence minesweeping system as well. Development of this capability in modular form will ensure that it can be migrated to a variety of platforms as required, thus greatly enhancing their capability for self-defence against mines whilst reducing risk to platforms and personnel.

Maritime aircraft capital programs are managed by Air Command in response to naval operational requirements. Acquisition of a new multi-purpose maritime helicopter to replace the Sea King will permit the navy finally to realise the full potential of the Halifax class frigates. The approved update programme of the CP-140 (Aurora) maritime aircraft will replace the communications and data processing systems, upgrade the radars and other non-acoustic sensors, and provide a multi-static active and passive airborne acoustic suite.