Canada depended heavily on maritime transport for commerce, external communication, and movement around the Great Lakes. A modest sloop force would therefore have protected practical national interests instead of merely purchasing membership in an imperial club. Ice-strengthened hulls could also have served Canadian waters in peacetime. Their simple design left room for later upgrades such as ASDIC, as the Royal Navy demonstrated even with First World War sloops. Adaptable small ships could connect industrial policy with useful daily work.
Notable Point · 21:27-23:56
Canadian maritime dependence and adaptable sloops
Canada's maritime economy gave small, ice-capable and upgradeable ships useful work in peacetime as well as wartime.