Why is Canada Naming its Warships After U.S. Defeats?

[DicedT]

www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/12/23/northern_fights_canada_navy

Michael

[Steelgrave]

I'm sorry, but for some reason I find that highly amusing. I suspect our northern friends were counting on us not being educated enough to figure it out, hahaha!

The article brings up some very good points on how the U.S. and other navies name their warships after victories, so what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

But hey, Canada....good thing you have such a small Navy, because otherwise you would run out of names pretty damn quick  ;)

[DicedT]

I think this says more about Canadian politics. My understanding is that Canadians don't particularly care about the War of 1812.

The funny thing is that when I wrote this, I started checking around other navies. And discovered that the Dutch, for example, name the Tromp after the admirals who defeated the British. I've since learned that the Danish do the same thing.

All of which reminds us that today's enemies are tomorrow's friends. But of course you're going to name ships after battles you've won, current friendship or not.

Michael

[GDS_Starfury]

We have a Burke named after Churchill.  ???

[DicedT]

What's strange is that looking at the Wiki list of current British warships, I don't see any Trafalgar or any ship named after a British victory. British ship names are my favorite - who can resist the Dauntless or the Audacious - but there is no more Trafalgar, Blenheim, etc.

Michael

[Staggerwing]

The Royal Navy has (have?) given some oddly humble names to ships that preformed quite heroically. My personal favorite is the HMS Glowworm, a destroyer that, at less than 1400 tons displacement took on several German destroyers and the German Heavy Cruiser Admiral Hipper which displaced ten times that of Glowworm. The battle became so fierce that the Hipper and Glowworm actually collided, finally causing Gowworm to drift off and sink. Her captain posthumously received the Victoria Cross, supported in part by the written testimony of Hipper's captain who sent a letter to the Royal Navy via the Red cross because he was so impressed by the little destroyer's accounting of itself.

[Centurion40]

I think this says more about Canadian politics. My understanding is that Canadians don't particularly care about the War of 1812.

You average Canadian, much like your average American, is fairly ignorant of her/his nation's history.

That being said, we suffer from a national passive-aggressive inferiority/superiority complex when it comes to our southern neighbor and brother/cousin/friend (depending upon how ones looks at it).  The ship naming is simply symptomatic of our complex.

Many a Canuck is proud of the fact that the Whitehouse got razed during the War of 1812, we just ignore the fact that fire toting Redcoats were mostly Limeys and not Canucks.

[airboy]

I don't see any problems with it.  Unless you go forward to WW1 and ground combat (or further forward in history), what else would you name Canadian ships?

[Gusington]

That is a great story on HMS Glowworm. Here's the whole thing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Glowworm_%28H92%29

[GDS_Starfury]

Unless you go forward to WW1 and ground combat (or further forward in history), what else would you name Canadian ships?

HMS Lend Lease  ;)

[bayonetbrant]

Edmund Fitzgerald

[Staggerwing]

^Technically, Lake Superior won that one, not the Canadians.

[GDS_Starfury]

HMRCS Snowbird

[Airborne Rifles]

We have a Burke named after Churchill.  ???

He's an honorary US citizen.

[LongBlade]

Ticonderoga, anyone?