Canada's naval expansion during the Second World War took a tiny prewar service to third place globally by size. It did not grow principally through cruisers or fleet carriers: HMCS Uganda and HMCS Ontario were the two cruisers, while HMS Nabob and HMS Puncher were escort carriers. The working fleet expanded with ships that Canadian yards and Allied transfer systems could actually supply. Flower-class corvettes and River-class frigates formed much of that practical fleet. Town-class destroyers, including ships of the Wickes class, came through the American transfer of fifty destroyers in exchange for bases. Nelles organized this growth, and Canadian crews made effective use of the ships available.
Chapter · 33:39-35:58
Nelles and the RCN's unprecedented wartime expansion
The RCN grew from less than a destroyer flotilla into the world's third-largest navy through a practical mix of escorts, transferred destroyers, two cruisers, and escort carriers.