Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy
Marine royale canadienne (French)
Founded4 May 1910 (1910-05-04)
CountryCanada
TypeNavy
RoleNaval warfare
Size42 ships
Personnel:
 • Regular Force: 8,400 members
 • Reserve Force: 4,100 members
 • Civilian employees: 3,800
Part ofCanadian Armed Forces
HeadquartersNational Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario
MottoParati vero parati (Latin for 'Ready aye ready')
March"Heart of Oak"
MascotSONAR (Newfoundland dog)
AnniversariesNiobe Day
Engagements
Websitewww.canada.ca/en/navy.html Edit this at Wikidata
Commanders
Commander of the RCNVice-Admiral Dan Charlebois
Command CPO of RCNCPO1 Pascal Harel
Insignia
Naval ensign
Naval jack
Bilingual logo
Pennant

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; French: Marine royale canadienne, MRC) is the naval force of Canada, and one of three environmental commands of the Canadian Armed Forces. The command's official strength includes 8,400 Regular Force sailors, 4,100 naval reservists, and a fleet that includes 25 commissioned warships and additional auxiliary vessels.

The RCN is headquartered in Ottawa, with its commander reporting to the Chief of Defence Staff. Three formations are responsible to the commander of the RCN: Maritime Forces Atlantic, based at CFB Halifax on the Atlantic coast; Maritime Forces Pacific, based at CFB Esquimalt on the Pacific coast; and the Naval Reserve, headquartered in Quebec City with 24 reserve divisions located across the country.

Established in 1910 as the Naval Service of Canada, the service received royal sanction in 1911 and was renamed the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1968, the RCN was unified with the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force to form the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the RCN becoming its naval command, Maritime Command. The historic Royal Canadian Navy designation was restored in 2011. The RCN took part in several conflicts including the First World War, Second World War, the Korean War, the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and other NATO and UN peacekeeping missions.