A Great Fleet of Ships: The Canadian Forts and Parks

Gordon Turner is the author of Empress of Britain: Canadian Pacific’s
Greatest Ship and the editor of SeaFare, a quarterly newsletter on sea
travel.

The “forts and parks” referred to in this book’s subtitle are
Canadian cargo ships that played a major role in ensuring the Allied
victory in World War II. Although these ships (named after parks and
forts across the country) were built hastily for wartime use, many were
still in service 20 years after hostilities ended, a tribute to the
skill of their builders.

The author explains why the ships were built, comments on their
characteristics, and describes their service in times of war and peace.
He relies heavily on first-hand accounts given by former officers and
crew members: their stories of U-boat attacks, explosions, storms, and
fires add considerably to the interest of the book. (Detracting from
that interest is a long digression on marine insurance.) In addition to
numerous well-chosen illustrations, the book contains a detailed list of
fort and park ships that traces their history from the time they were
built until they either sank or were scrapped.

The author shows a firm grasp of the subject matter, and he has done an
immense amount of research. His book represents a major contribution to
the literature on Canada’s role in World War II.