HMCS Fergus: Life Aboard a WWII Corvette

Mar 27, 2010 - Feb 7, 2011

During the Second World War, the Battle of the Atlantic was fought to keep vital shipping lines open between Britain and North America, providing essential supplies of food and materials. The Royal Canadian Navy commissioned small 200-foot auxiliary ships called corvettes, as anti-submarine escorts for the convoys.

Originally built in British shipyards, the early corvettes were named after flowers. However, as the need for corvettes increased and the RCN ordered vessels from its own Canadian shipbuilders, it was decided that the new ships would be named after Canadian communities, and local support was actively sought.

Though very seaworthy, the corvettes were originally developed for inshore service, and the living and working accommodations, when at sea in the North Atlantic, were brutally cold, cramped and wet. Sponsoring cities and towns raised funds and collected items to provide at least some personal comfort to the crews. Typical offerings included mittens and woollen clothing; books and magazines; ditty bags, --even a washing machine!

In 1944, the HMCS Fergus was the last RCN corvette commissioned. In honour of the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy, this exhibit explores life aboard a corvette and the namesake’s town that proudly supported it.