University of British Columbia Press
Maritime Command Pacific
The Royal Canadian Navy’s West Coast Fleet in the Early Cold War
9780774830355
9780774830348
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Maritime Command Pacific
The Royal Canadian Navy’s West Coast Fleet in the Early Cold War
The Royal Canadian Navy crews that sailed the Atlantic during the early Cold War held a contemptuous view of their West Coast brethren, likening the Pacific fleet to a “yacht club” where sailors enjoyed a life of leisurely service on a tranquil sea. As David Zimmerman reveals, nothing could be further from the truth. From the fleet’s postwar downsizing, through to its rapid expansion in the wake of the Korean War as Cold War fears gripped the nation, Maritime Command Pacific fought to hold steady amid drifting Japanese mines, Soviet submarines, and joint US-Canadian training exercises.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 The Legacy of War and Demobilization
2 From Peace to Cold War, 1945-50
3 Defending the West Coast in the Nuclear Age
Cold War Expansion
5 Reorganization of Pacific Command and West Coast Defence Planning, 1958-61
6 The Golden Age
7 The Cold War on the Pacific Coast, 1958-65
Conclusion; Notes on Sources; Notes; Index