Marine History

The Royal Canadian Navy is the maritime or naval force of Canada. It was been founded in 1910, and Canada has been a member of NATO since 1949. This article showcases the historical accomplishments of the RCN.

A bold attempt at arms control, the successes of the London treaties have been overshadowed by their nullification in the lead-up to World War II. But they were not all in vain: they restricted the size of major navies and likely prevented additional senseless bloodshed in the process.

Although made famous abroad by the Sergei Eisenstein film, the Russian Battleship Potemkin holds a unique place in Russian and Soviet history. The rebellion of her crew is often held as a model and inspiration for the Russian Revolution of 1917 which toppled the Romanov Tsars during World War I.

During the Second World War, San Pedro was used as a naval base by the US Navy. No longer host to the proud battleships of the Pacific Fleet, reports that the USS Iowa may end up permanently in San Pedro as a museum ship have been met with enthusiasm by many residents. Iowa was built during WWII

The USS Maryland was one of three Colorado Class battleships that all fought during World War II and for much of the Interwar period represented the pinnacle of US Naval technology. Armed with 8 16″ naval guns the Maryland and her sisters fought from Pearl Harbor to the Surrender in Tokyo Bay.

Guadalcanal is the site of one of the key battles of the Second World War as well as one of the most lengthy naval engagements in all history. Fought over a jungle island in the Solomon Chain, the Battle of Guadalcanal cost the lives of thousands of American, Japanese, and native lives.

Japanese heavy cruiser development was at the cutting edge in the 1930s. The deployment of several IJN cruiser classes with five twin or triple turrets sparked concern in Western navies, which began to adapt to follow suit. Japanese cruisers fought with much success in the Pacific Theater of WWII

A full broadside salvo fired by battleship is one of the most fearsome and destructive forces in military affairs. Battleships of the 20th century mounted up to twelve guns that fired shells packing over a ton of high explosives. Though outmoded by guided missiles, such broadsides were incredible.

Scapa Flow is a stretch of shallow water off the north coast of Scotland within the Orkney Islands. It has been used for centuries as a safe anchorage for ships with the most recent exploitation being by the British Admiralty who used it as a Royal Naval Base for the fleet during two World Wars.

Carrier tactics were relatively poorly developed at the start of World War II, but a shortage of capital ships and ocean-wide operational requirements put every deck capable of launching aircraft into a position of value. Tactics evolved from single carrier raids to large fleets operating in unison

One of the Essex Class aircraft carriers constructed during the Second World War, USS Intrepid is now a museum ship in New York City. During her service she fought in the Second World War and Vietnam and was a vital part of NASA space operations where she plucked astronauts from the sea.

With the successful operation of the FH Phantom jet aircraft from a US aircraft carrier in 1946, jets entered center stage as the core of carrier strike groups. Their introduction necessitated a complete rethink and redesign of aircraft carriers and led to the first generation of super carriers.

As of 2011, China is a carrier power. A long time coming, the rebuild of the old Soviet era sister to the Kuznetsov- the Varyag- into the Shi Lang has given the People’s Liberation Army Navy its first aircraft carrier. But don’t let the hype fool you: China’s carrier is no threat to US interests.

European nations have collaborated on a number of military design projects in the past fifty years, among them the Eurofighter, the MEKO series of frigates, and various missiles. Joint aircraft carrier development like that attempted between the UK and France has however never taken off as hoped.

The retirement of the HMS Ark Royal in 1979 marked the end of Britain’s ability to field a full deck aircraft carrier operating conventional, catapult launched aircraft for over 30 years. But by 2020 the arrival of the super carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will begin a new age in British naval aviation

The Alsace Class was a planned battleship design that would mark France’s departure from the guidelines of the Washington Naval Treaty. They were to be, in part, an answer to the Bismarck and Tirpitz, Germany’s finest. But the Fall of France ended their development and they were never built.

Canadian researchers have located a sailing ship that became stuck in ice over 150 years ago. The ship had been on a rescue mission itself, searching for a British party that had vanished while searching for a Northwest Passageway, when it became lodged.