Royal Canadian Navy
| Royal Canadian Navy | |
|---|---|
| Marine royale canadienne (French) | |
| Founded | 4 May 1910 |
| Country | Canada |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Naval warfare |
| Size | 68 ships Personnel: • Regular Force: 7,700 Regular force members ("Effective strength" was 6,226 personnel as of late 2023; reported as around 5,700 personnel as of early 2026) • Reserve Force: 4,100 Reserve force members • Civilian members: 3,800 civilian members |
| Part of | Canadian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario |
| Motto | Parati vero parati (Latin for 'Ready aye ready') |
| March | "Heart of Oak" |
| Mascot | SONAR (Newfoundland dog) |
| Anniversaries | Niobe Day |
| Engagements | |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander of the RCN | Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee |
| Command CPO of RCN | CPO1 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. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 Halifax-class frigates, 4 Kingston-class coastal defence vessels, 4 Victoria-class submarines, 5 Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels, 8 Orca-class patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. Officially, the RCN consisted of 7,700 Regular Force and 4,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians.
Founded in 1910 as the Naval Service of Canada (French: Service naval du Canada) and given royal sanction on 29 August 1911, the RCN was amalgamated with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Army to form the unified Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, after which it was known as Maritime Command (French: Commandement maritime) until 2011.
In 2011, its historical title of "Royal Canadian Navy" was restored. The RCN has served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan, and numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions and NATO operations.