List of ships of the Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Navy was responsible for all of British North America, until Canadian Confederation in 1867. After Confederation the Royal Navy increasingly shared naval responsibilities with Canada but retained sole responsibility for other British colonies in North America, until they joined Canada. In 1910, the Department of the Naval Service was created to consolidate all naval services in Canada, receiving royal assent in 1911 to become the Royal Canadian Navy. Within a few years many of the non-military naval services and vessels integrated under the RCN were returned to their original departments. The list of ships of the Royal Canadian Navy contains the surface warships, submarines and auxiliary vessels in service from 1910 up to the early 1990s. This includes all commissioned, non-commissioned, loaned or hired ships in service within the RCN. Ships in this list also include Royal Navy vessels with RCN crews, such as TR-series minesweepers of the First World War, and aircraft carriers of the Second World War.

The Canadian navy was created in 1910 as the Department of the Naval Service. The Naval Service integrated other marine arms of the government of Canada with which it had a common professional background and the objective of security in the Canadian maritime environment and national sovereignty. In addition to a combat capability, the naval service included the Fisheries Protection, Hydrographic Survey, tidal observation and wireless telegraph branches. Each branch, including the quasi-military Fisheries Protection, contributed their fleet of ships to the new Naval Service. The service thereby commanded a number of Canadian Government Ships (CGS) ships in addition to the two purchased Royal Navy warships. Initially, eight fisheries cruisers (under the command of Rear Admiral Charles Kingsmill), were brought into the Department of the Naval Service, including CGS Vigilant, the first modern warship built in the country. With the outbreak of the First World War government and commercial vessels were pressed into naval service. Great Britain and Canada planned to significantly expand the RCN but decided that Canadian men could enlist the Royal Navy or the RCN with many choosing the former. Following the demobilization after the war, the RCN undertook many of the civilian responsibilities of the Department of Transport.

...
Wikipedia