Minesweepers of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1938-1945

Sidney Allinson is the editor at the Royal Canadian Military Institute
and author of The Bantams: The Untold Story of World War I.

The Royal Canadian Navy has recently come into its own as a focus for
illustrated histories. Vanwell is noticeably active in producing them,
and naval buffs will surely be eager to collect this latest entry in
their series.

Macpherson established himself in the genre with his previous Vanwell
book about rcn frigates. He uses a similarly well researched, lavishly
illustrated style in Minesweepers. . . . This new book again presents a
collection of photographs of individual vessels—this time, wartime
minesweepers grouped by each building program and accompanied by brief
specs about commissioning and service. His ability to assemble so many
photographs from official sources is remarkable.

Himself a wartime verteran of the rcnvr, Macpherson recently retired as
custodian of the picture collection of the Ontario Provincial Archives.
He has also illustrated and written several other historical books. The
book’s foreword is written by retired Rear Admiral A.G.H. Storrs, who
commanded ships of the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla in World War II. His
comments provide a concise historical overview of the dangerous and
vital role played by these intrepid little vessels of the rcn.