The Cold War / Cuba

Post-war retrenchment threw planning for an orderly transition to a peacetime structure into disarray. As it struggled to maintain a large, balanced and capable fleet, the RCN endured near physical collapse from over-extension. But the navy soon gave the government confirmation that it had in the post-war RCN the elements of precisely the type of naval force that it desired. The creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in April 1949 demanded a military commitment and, with no army or air force units ready for deployment to Europe, the aircraft carrier Magnificent was earmarked for the Eastern Atlantic command. Only a year later, in June 1950, when North Korea attacked the South, Canada despatched three destroyers within days. The government again chose that form of representation for the simple reason that, “…of the three services, only the RCN was in a position to provide an active service force for immediate use and, one might add, a force that was globally deployable (in the context of allied supply lines). Many observers point to the Korean War as the prototype for future crisis management operations, making the Canadian naval experience there particularly instructive:

The experience of HMCS Athabaskan… during her first of three Korean deployments was typical of this period. In a single patrol she coordinated landings with Republic of Korea (ROK) forces, sent parties of her own ashore, bombarded North Korean positions, illuminated night operations with ‘Starshell’, intercepted junks and other small craft, destroyed a radio station with demolitions, and gave medical treatment to both ROK military and civilian casualties. The ship’s employment was based on its ability to engage shore targets that led, in turn, to involvement in all manner of other tasks in the littoral zone. Other examples include the destruction of the port facilities at Chinnampo, many railroad bridges, and eight of the twenty-eight trains claimed by the famed ‘Trainbusters Club’.