Tin-Pots and Pirate Ships: Canadian Naval Forces and German Sea Raiders, 1880-1918

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

During the recent Gulf War, three obsolescent frigates and a supply ship
formed Canada’s main military presence in the area’s waters. Even
that tiny squadron strained Canadian naval resources to the limit,
having been cobbled together with cannibalized or hurriedly obtained
equipment (including, if media reports are to be believed, a World War
II Oerlikon AA gun retrieved from a museum). With that sad state of
affairs in mind, this well-researched book about the origins of the
Canadian navy describes events that have a weary familiarity today.

The book’s title echoes the World War I attitudes of many Canadians,
who often derided their own navy’s “tin-pots” while feeling
endangered by German “pirates.” The co-authors are distinguished
scholars, admirably equipped to produce this study. Hadley is a
professor in the Department of Germanic Studies at the University of
Victoria, and Sarty is a historian in the Directorate of History,
National Defence Headquarters. They present extensive knowledge culled
from Canadian, German, American, and British sources, many of which have
not been examined before. Their examination of the German viewpoint adds
a particularly fresh perspective.

At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Canada’s naval fleet numbered
precisely two vessels. The 10,000-ton Niobe (at Halifax, on the east
coast) and the 3400-ton Rainbow (at Esquimalt, on the west coast) were
aging cruisers, hand-me-downs from the Royal Navy. Even if the vessels
had been in any condition to start operations immediately, Canada then
had a regular force of only 350 officers and seamen, not even enough to
crew one ship. However, as this book describes, the fledgling Canadian
navy expanded rapidly, though partly equipped with converted American
pleasure yachts. Larger vessels effectively protected ocean convoys,
while shore patrols fought a gallant but often losing battle in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence. Enemy submarines preyed there for years with virtual
impunity, sinking many ships within sight of land.

This book sails us to wide horizons: the early development of
Canada’s navy in response to the German threat, the role of Canadian
naval forces in World War I, German depredations off the Atlantic coasts
of North America, and the U.S. navy’s reaction to them. The authors
explore the policies of both Canada and Germany between 1880 and 1918,
giving unusual insight into their maritime histories. The authors also
explore the United States’ neutrality dilemma and naval preparations
during the two and a half years before America joined the war.

In 1919, its duty done, the Royal Canadian Navy’s fleet of 120 patrol
vessels was disposed of and its sailors were sent home. Their value was
largely forgotten, until a new generation of “pirates” slid into the
grey Atlantic.