The passengers aboard Komagata Maru were British subjects from India, but Canadian law was designed to prevent their immigration and the ship remained in Vancouver for two months. Central authorities wanted the ship removed while local authorities resisted earlier efforts, turning the standoff into a dispute over enforcement as well as immigration. Rainbow was then ordered into the confrontation, and the passengers agreed to leave once the ship received supplies. The cruiser escorted them out. The crew's disciplined conduct is acknowledged, while twenty passengers were later killed at Budge Budge in India.
Notable Point · 1:09:26-1:11:49
HMCS Rainbow enters the Komagata Maru immigration crisis
Rainbow enforced the Canadian government's departure order during the Komagata Maru standoff, exposing how naval power could be used in a discriminatory immigration dispute.