The wartime Royal Canadian Navy was third largest by both hull count and tonnage in this account. The scale came from numerous escorts, with relatively few cruisers in the total. That force structure reflected the service's central purpose in the Battle of the Atlantic. Canada built the navy around protecting ocean traffic rather than imitating a balanced great-power battle fleet.
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Canada's vast Battle of the Atlantic escort fleet
Canada's claim to the world's third-largest navy rested chiefly on its enormous escort fleet rather than on cruisers or other prestige ships.