The Royal Canadian Navy with over a century of service under its belt has always answered its call to duty. In particular on the 30th of July 1950 [1],[5], the Royal Canadian Navy received its orders to deploy part of its fleet to Japan to assist their allies in an arising conflict in Korea. The previous month, on the 24th of June 1950, the heightened tensions in the Korean peninsula boiled over and the tiny boarder town of Ongijin was shelled heavily as the early dawn light broke the horizon [1],[5]. Soon afterward, North Korean troops began crossing the boarder supported heavily by their armoured divisions, signaling the start of the next great Korean war [1]. On the 27th of June 1950, the RCN began readying its Pacific fleet for wartime status after the Security Council meeting at the United Nations that day [1].
Canada's three primary Pacific destroyers were in varying states of readiness; The HMCS Cayuga being the senior ship was the best equipped at the time, followed closely by the HMCS Athabaskan, and lastly the HMCS Sioux who was in dry-dock at the time [1]. The Pacific fleet received its final orders on that day to begin their preparation and cancel all planned training and maintenance: “You are to sail “Cayuga,” “Sioux” and “Athabaskan” from Esquimalt at 16 knots to Pearl Harbor p.m. Wednesday 5 July, 1950...[1]”. As the operational requirements increased throughout the conflict more ships began to deploy for the Korean coast in rotations, including the Atlantic fleet: HMCS Haida, Huron, Iriquois, Nootka, & the HMCS Crusader from the Pacific fleet 1950-1955 [1].
Throughout the conflict Canada's naval contribution made a significant impact on coalition efforts to secure South Korea [5]. This was the first post-world...
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...RCN, Canadian Commander Destroyers Far East, “Korean War Report, part 2,” Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH),81/520/1650-239/187.
[4] Canada's Naval Memorial (2014) The Korean War (1950-54). HMCS Sackville memorial site and website 2014. http://canadasnavalmemorial.ca/history/battles-and-conicts/korea/
[5] Alexander, James Edwin. Inchon to Wonsan: From the Deck of a Destroyer in the Korean War (1996). Annapolis MD: Naval Institute Press, 1996.
[6] Office of the Historian (2014) U.S Department of State. Various Documents relating to NATO involvement in the Korean War (1945-1952) https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/nato [7] Commodore J.C. Hibbard, RCN, “Inspection Report,” May 1952, DHH, 88/6, p. 7.
[8] Korean Veteran’s Association of Canada (1997-2014). SERVICE OF HMC SHIPS IN KOREAN WATERS (1997-2014)
http://www.kvacanada.com/cdnforces_navy.htm
Canadian War Museum. "The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917." WarMuseum.ca. http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/vimy/index_e.shtml (accessed April 2, 2014).
“In 1957, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Canadian diplomat Lester B. Pearson for his pivotal role in the creation and deployment of the United Nations Emergency Force to the Sinai, bringing a relatively successful end to the Suez Crisis of 1956, and creating the concept of peacekeeping as it would be understood throughout the Cold War.” This instigated Canada’s dominant role in peacekeeping...
2004 [9] The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum. 27 December2001 [10]Reid. Brian. Canada at war and peace volume 1. Esprit Dr corps Books [11] Canadians and Conflicts.
Every 11 hour, 11 day of the 11th month we express our gratitude to those Canadian soldiers who fought courageously in the wars of World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Lest We Forget is a famous phrase that everyone has heard or seen in the month of Remembrance Day. This phrase reminds us daily about the losses of loved ones and the possibilities of declaring another conflict that could hurt millions of people. Canada's war experiences have defined its nation. Due to Canada's numerous contributions to the World War I, World War II and the Korean War, Canada has earned a reputation as an independent strong fighting force, a supportive ally and eventually as a valuable peacekeeping nation.
Stacey, C. P. Six Years of War: The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific.
and in fact it had the third largest and strongest navy in the world by 1950. To date, the Canadian
The Korean War changed the face of American Cold War diplomacy forever. In the midst of all the political conflict and speculation worldwide, the nation had to choose between two proposed solutions, each one hoping to ensure that communism didn?t sweep across the globe and destroy American ideals of capitalism and democracy. General Douglas MacArthur takes the pro-active stance and says that, assuming it has the capability, the U.S. should attack communism everywhere. President Harry Truman, on the other hand, believed that containing the Soviet communists from Western Europe was the best and most important course of action, and that eliminating communism in Asia was not a priority.
The United States vows to protect the democratic South Korea. American forces defend South Korea but are almost pushed on the peninsula . Douglas Mccarthur is in charge of the American forces. He stages an impressive counter attack that pushes the North Koreans all the way back to China. This is when China enters the warand pushes American forces back to the 38Th parallel. In 1953 , the war ended In a stalemate. (document C)
The Korean War Veterans Memorial’s groundbreaking was on June 14, 1992, Flag Day. The memorial was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war. The sculptures apparel seemed fitting due to the light rain that was falling at the memorial site. I noticed the wall glimmering as the raindrops slid down the glassy surface and fell into the wilting flowers while the images were illuminated by the glare of rain and light.
The Korean War began when the North Koreans invaded South Korea across the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. The North Korean forces fought their way to Pusan at the southern edge of the Korean peninsula. With the North Koreans controlling most of the peninsula, General Douglas MacArthur landed an amphibious assault at Inchon on September 15, 1950 and wrested control of South Korea from North Korean forces. After MacArthur’s forces marched to the northern border of Korea, China entered the war. After a major Chinese attack and a major American counter attack, the front of the war had a new stage, the Chosin Reservoir (Henretta, Edwards & Self 768).
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located on The National Mall in Washington, DC, in West Potomac Park. It was authorized by Congress on October 28, 1986 and construction began in November 1993. It was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war by Bill Clinton and Kim Young Sam, President of the Republic of Korea, to the men and women who served during the conflict. The Memorial is managed by the U.S. National Park Serv...
Overshadowed by the previous, long and devastating Second World War, the Korean War became known by Canadian veterans as the "Forgotten War". After Japan's defeat in World War II, Korea was split into two parts, North Korea and South Korea. North Korea was occupied by the communist country of USSR while South Korea was held by the Americans and other democratic nations. War officially broke out on June 25, 1950, when the North Koreans assaulted across the country's division on the 38th Parallel with their men and artillery behind them. North Korea and its leaders wanted to unify the whole country from its division by taking over South Korea under their government. North Korea was allied with China and the Republic of Korea was supported by democratic nations. Although Canada did not send as many troops as the Americans, Canada played a vital part in the war being victorious over several important battles. The Korean War was significant for Canada because it demonstrated Canada's relations with the US and UN and showcased its growing power among other nations. Canada participated in the Korean War because of their obligation to UN, American influence, and Canada's early misconception of the war.
The U.S. Navy nurtured into a challenging power in the years previous to World War II, with battleship construction being revived in 1937, commencing with the USS North Carolina . It was able to add to its fleets throughout the early years of the war when the US was still not involved, growing production of vessels both large and small. In a conflict that had a number of amphibious landings, naval superiority was important in both Europe and the Pacific. The mutual resource...
Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1941–1945). US Naval Institute Press.
On December 7th 1941, Japanese Planes and submarines attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor. This event singlehandedly brought the U.S from its then neutral stance in World War Two to a fighting member of the “Allied Powers.” Pearl Harbor was the first of a long series of confrontations between the U.S and the Japanese in an effort to gain control of the Pacific. Unlike the “War in Europe” the Pacific strategy was dominated by naval and aerial battles, with the occasional land-based “Island Hopping” Campaign. As such, one of the most important factors in the war in the pacific was Fleet Size, the more ships a country could send to war, the better. Pearl Harbor was the Japanese’s way of trying to deal with the massive U.S Pacific fleet. However, Pearl Harbor was not the turning point of the war. After December 7th the United States began work on numerous technological developments which would ultimately help them in one of the most important battles of WWII, the largest naval confrontation of the war, The Battle of Midway. The battle, which took place from June 4th to June 7th , 1942 is widely considered the turning point of the Pacific Theater (James & Wells). Through the Post-Pearl Harbor desire for “Revenge” and various technological advantages including code breaking and radar, the U.S were able to outsmart the Japanese at Midway and ultimately win the battle, eventually leading to a victory in the Pacific.