Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:38:51-1:40:51

What Canada's proposed 1910 fleet might have become

Canada's proposed five cruisers and six destroyers could have begun with British Town-class types, then required replacement rather than major interwar rebuilding.

DestroyersNaval ProcurementRoyal Canadian NavyTown Class Light Cruisers (1910)World War I
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Question

What if Canada had built the five cruisers and six destroyers proposed around the 1910 Naval Service Act?

Short answer

They would likely be British-derived ships, perhaps Town-class cruisers, that Canada would replace rather than extensively rebuild between the wars.

Notes

British designs available in 1910 offer plausible Canadian choices: Active-class scouts, Arethusa-class cruisers, and especially the Town-class family. By the interwar period, Town-class ships would be too dated for worthwhile reconstruction, unlike some later C-class cruisers. The long-term value of the program would therefore lie in establishing a Canadian fleet and leaving more replacement ships available for the Second World War.