A policy change required personnel already deployed in the Pacific to volunteer again, with thirty days of Canadian leave offered to those continuing. Applied to Uganda after she had reached the theater, the policy produced a ballot in which 605 of 907 crew declined further Pacific duty. The crew faced cramped conditions, changed expectations about fighting Japan, and kamikaze danger. Failures to explain the ship's purpose may also have influenced the ballot. The result effectively removed two-thirds of the ship's wartime complement and could not be absorbed by leaving only a few weapons unmanned. Canada offered the converted anti-aircraft ship HMCS Prince Robert as a replacement, but the Admiralty had lost one of the force's more modern and capable anti-aircraft cruisers. Uganda therefore returned home before the war ended.
Notable Point · 24:21-31:26
Why HMCS Uganda's crew voted against continued Pacific service
Canada's re-volunteering policy produced a two-thirds vote against continued Pacific duty and exposed personnel, morale, and communication problems.