This book is about the life of a navy, from its conception in the
nineteenth century to its seventy-fifth birthday in 1985.
Description
This book is about the life of a navy, from its conception in the
nineteenth century to its seventy-fifth birthday in 1985. Born in the
midst of political controversy, the Royal Canadian Navy traces its
roots to conflicting British and Canadian interests during the prime
ministerships of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier, as well
as to Anglo-German naval competition in the early years of the
twentieth century. The RCN played a more important role in World War I
than has generally been realized and, despite neglect between the wars,
rose to a position of some prominence in World War II. Except for a
demoralizing period of retrenchment from 1945 to 1949, it then
flourished until the early 1960's, before the twin agonies of
unification and defence cutbacks began to influence its development.
Total unification of the navy with the army and air force has been a
unique Canadian experience. How Canada weathered the transition from
RCN to "Marine Command" is illuminated by the discussions in
this book.
Reviews
A significant contribution to maritime historiography and a must for anyone wishing to be properly informed about an often ignored but vital contributor to Twentieth Century naval history.
- Eric Grove
RCN in Transition does a great service to the public in describing the foundation, successes, challenges and the future of a service with a proud tradition, and it is a very good book to have on the shelf.
- Maritime Command Trident
This well-edited and readable book, containing many useful visual aids, is recommended to the specialist and generalist alike. Its seventeen chapters of consistently high quality stem from a 1985 conference marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) separation from the Royal Navy (RN).
- Wayne C. Thompson