A Blue Water Navy

W.A.B. Douglas, Roger Sarty and Michael Whitby, A Blue Water Navy: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1943-1945, Volume II Part 2 (Vanwell Publishing, 2007). £32.95 (hb). ISBN 978-1-55125-069-4

This is the second volume of the official operational history of the RCN in the Second World War, covering the years 1943-1945 but with a minor detour backwards to cover the Dieppe raid in which Canadian Forces were so heavily involved. It takes the story of how Canada’s somewhat mistrusted Atlantic escort force was transformed into a balanced navy capable of operating across the globe from minesweeping in Europe to operating in the final phases of the Pacific War. The first volume appeared in 2002 and this second volume completes a herculean effort of research.

Canadian naval history is going through a golden phase when energetic researchers and powerfully descriptive authors have been turning out a succession of fine books on the RCN and its wartime role. It might then be thought that there is little new to say, but this 650 page tome ably uses a range of archives from all the combatant nations, synthesises and clearly analyses a whole complex canvas of themes and activities, judiciously sprinkles the text with first hand testimony and clearly demonstrates how a navy which numbered thirteen small warships and barely 2500 men in 1939 had grown to be the world’s third largest navy by war’s end. Indeed, since the latter part of the war, after the battle of the Atlantic had been, won has perhaps been less examined than the earlier years, this volume is a particularly welcome addition to the literature.

The story begins with a frank and critical appraisal of the state of the escort force in early 1943 describing the mixture of un-modernised ships, underperforming shipyards and repair facilities, exploring training limited by operational pressures and considering RN scepticism at Canadian competence. There was never any question of Canadian commitment or bravery and RCN officers shared the frustration at the slow pace of addressing the resource issues which would allow them to deliver results. The steady progress towards this goal and the final success of the RCN in the Atlantic is fully explored.

The authors then turn to Combined Operations in European waters and the almost accidental involvement of the RCN in that role. Some seventy RCN crewmen served in the landing craft at Dieppe; this nucleus had grown to several flotillas by the time of the TORCH landings. Along with good operational accounts of this and the later European invasions, there is again a full review of the internal debates on the nature and extent to which this was an appropriate role for the RCN. Although the issue was happily resolved for Canadian units, bitter problems remained for some individuals serving in the RN, isolated, without support and convinced of broken promises made to them.

The RCN was a volunteer force and this coloured attitudes. Issues of discipline, democracy and “fairness” form a persistent thread throughout the book. For example, the study of the role of the Canadian Tribals in European waters has a full section on the well-known mutiny in Iroquois in 1943, which concludes that the softness of its handling led to such incidents plaguing the RCN for years to come. Inevitably this frank treatment of such issues tends to overshadow the proud operational record of the fleet destroyers, notably in the Arctic and the Channel. The descriptions of the hard fought actions around the “Tunnel” sweeps in the Channel are notable for their clarity and readability. There are also some nice touches of dry humour. Describing the dangers of crossfire in such actions, it is noted that after the action of 26^th April 1944 DeWolf “later found shell fragments with British markings embedded in his golf clubs”.

A large section covers D-Day and the post-invasion guarding of the flanks, with the RCN perhaps at the height of its powers. Numerically RCN warships outnumbered the USN by 63 to 54 in Operation Neptune. As the RCN’s historical officer put it, it was “the culmination of the wartime growth of Canada’s navy…”. The role of the RCN is ably slotted into the larger picture. The book moves on to the notable Canadian contribution to the Inshore antisubmarine campaign in Home Waters in 1944-45 and the creation of Canadian frigate support groups, then moves on to the quieter but just as deadly operations in Canadian waters in 1944-45, then returns to Fleet operations in northern European and Arctic waters. The writing is again clear and concise.

A final chapter covers the very limited Canadian role in the war in the Pacific, with another full account of the notorious case of Uganda’s crew voting to leave the war. This tends to overshadow such events as the winning of the RCN’s sole naval VC by D.J. Sheppard, a Corsair pilot, or the poignant return of Prince Robert to Hong Kong to pick up the Canadian POW survivors of the regiments she had landed to garrison the colony in 1941.

The book all to briefly concludes with a reflection on the transition from a single function anti-submarine corvette navy to a small but fully fledged, battle tried and balanced force which could both defend Canada’s large coastline and contribute to collective defence organisations. Although an operational history there is a clear exposition of the bigger picture and of the policies which sought not just to win the war but define the RCN’s future peacetime role. A recurring theme is the failure of Canadian politicians to understand the navy and its role and the consequent need for the leaders of the RCN to devote energy and attention to educating politicians.

The book is a major work and deserves high praise. It stands comparison with any of the official histories. The passage of time may have offered access to a wider set of archives and allowed it to be enriched with apt personal reminiscences and reports, not available to earlier naval historians, but the quality of the writing is first class. The title page lists six authors; it is a minor triumph that the work then reads as a single coherent whole, rather than a series of thematically linked essays. Production values are also high. It has good maps, a range of black and white photographs and coloured images of war art along with numerous appendices, which include good essays on the WRCNS and on Training, Discipline and Morale. It is difficult to see this as other than a major work which will be required reading for anyone interested in the naval history of the Second World War. Happily it also makes very enjoyable reading.