Beyond the workable little fleet : post-war planning and policy in the RCN 1945-1948
Date
1998
Authors
Pile, Tyrone Herbert William
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Abstract
After the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) suffered serious organizational and operational problems that were attributable to a lack of communication and policy co-ordination between the political and naval leadership. The navy, in particular, experienced major setbacks as a result of misguided fleet planning and direction from the organization's senior officers. Their wartime ambitions to develop a balanced fleet, composed of major warships, exceeded the economic and political tolerance of post-war Canada. This thesis examines their planning and decision-making process and the external factors which influenced their eventual return to a smaller antisubmarine (NS) escort fleet.
Through the use of archival documents released after 1988 and a close reexamination of previously available sources, an important historical gap in the development of RCN policy and fleet structure has been bridged. Personal and documented interviews with surviving senior RCN officers added a wealth of information and answered many questions that otherwise would have remained unanswered. Within the constraints of time and the information available, some conclusions have been drawn which eliminate myth and clarify the evolution of Canada's post-war navy.
The NS-oriented fleet, which evolved to reach world-class standards during the Cold War, was not the result of a direct and natural progression from wartime escorts and the U-boat experience. Professional officers rejected this small-ship navy in favour of carriers, cruisers and destroyers - the so-called balanced fleet. This decision led to serious fiscal and manning problems, which also created deficiencies in fleet maintenance, training and overall readiness. Recognition of these failings led to the government 's first official statement of naval policy and the development of a purpose built NS fleet that would remain a priority for the next four decades.