"CANADA'S NAVY: THE FIRST CENTURY"

Marc Milner, who has earned an international reputation as an authority on the Battle of the Atlantic, has now examined how Canada's Navy developed and matured. The economy, national politics, public support, international developments, what Milner calls the Navy's own ambitions, and finally technology, have all varied over successive decades and all have shaped the Navy. The interplay between these factors has been complex, but the author traces how each one influenced the ups and downs of the service. Marc Milner has a particular interest in tracing the Navy's growth into becoming an institution firmly rooted in the nation.

The story begins in Canada's early years as a Dominion, when it became obvious that armed vessels were needed to police American fishing off our coasts. By the first decade of this century, Britain was concentrating naval power in home waters and urging the Dominions to shoulder responsibility for local defence as well as contributing to the imperial navy.

When parliament started dealing with the requirement for a Canadian Navy, an initial resolution was passed unanimously, reflecting public acceptance of a naval policy. Unfortunately, the naval question then became a political issue, with the unhappy result that the nascent Royal Canadian Navy was barely alive when war came in 1914. Unsatisfactory anti-submarine defences had to be improvised when big German U-boats appeared in the Atlantic late in the war-and the Americans had to be asked for help.

Milner's narrative pinpoints how Laurier's early perceptions that shipbuilding programs could provide economic benefits, were not realized at the time because of political wrangling. It also identifies how hard-earned lessons that Britain would not come through when a threat developed in home waters would influence future naval policy.

The early years of the RCN are pertinent partly because political parties still treat defence issues as opportunities to score points against their opponents. Milner infers however, that in recent decades the Navy has developed sufficient political savvy and broad-based support to continue developing no matter which party holds power.

One of the strengths of this welcome new book is the coverage of events since the Second World War, which occupies fully half of the narrative. It is anchored solidly to extensive use of what the author calls, "an ever growing body of literature" about our naval history. In his forward, Marc Milner is forthright about his reliance on these sources. He explains that areas where little has been researched or published-like naval biography or social history-are not as thoroughly covered as others. The author also did a number of interviews as part of his extensive research. These have given him valuable insights into how issues were seen at the time. Finally, Milner has long been a "friend of the Navy" and his associations with serving and retired members have enabled him to absorb considerable corporate lore. Thanks to these written and oral sources, coverage of the postwar decades is therefore rich in insights.

There is much more to this book than its competent descriptions of how acquisition programs evolved. The debilitating impact of the naval ethos of the Liberal's hasty unification experiment, for example, is well outlined. Also notable are the nuanced discussions of how the Navy attempted-or didn't-to reach into French Canada over successive eras. Milner presents forthright but considered views here and describes the role of societal factors in Québec.

Marc Milner has a journalistic eye for graphic details and a readable style. Nor does he shy away from floating bold assertions which add zest to the text. Naval readers will have their own views on many of the topics covered, but this makes the book all the more fascinating. "Canada's Navy: The First Century" is in fact aimed at the general public and issues peculiarly naval are explained clearly. Milner's coverage is remarkably up to date. It includes the government's seminal decision to renew the submarine force and what is described as the "EH 101 fiasco." Ongoing personnel shortages and the stretch caused by long overseas deployments are touched on.

This welcome new book is stimulating, authoritative and current. "Canada's Navy: The First Century" is a great read and deserves being talked up as an excellent overview of how our Navy developed and what it has achieved. The photographs are well chosen and nicely reproduced. Moreover, it's being published in time for inclusion among your Christmas gift ideas.

Jan Drent is a member of the Naval Officers Association of Vancouver Island. He retired in 1990 as a Commodore, and his final appointment was as Deputy SACLANT and CINCAN Representative at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

(Originally Published in Vol. VII, No. 8, Autumn 1999 issue of Starshell)