Guardians of the North - by Richard H Gimblett & Karl Gagnon (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A comprehensive, fully illustrated survey of Canada's warship and maritime aircraft acquisitions from 1910 to the present day.

Combining the talents of two of Canada's foremost naval historians, this book fills an important void in the story of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and associated Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Maritime Aviation. A never-before-attempted chronological examination of when and why Canada has procured its some 50 classes of warships and a dozen aircraft types over the past 120 years, and how it has employed and disposed of them, it does more than collect statistics on the specifications and characteristics of those vessels and aircraft -- it reveals fresh insights to many overlooked themes and connections.

Karl Gagnon's marvellous profile drawings and many rarely seen images complement this engaging narrative history of the RCN and Maritime Aviation.

About the Author

Richard H. Gimblett was a naval warfare officer from 1975 to 2001, and then the civilian Command Historian of the Royal Canadian Navy from 2006 to 2018. His many books include the official history of the Persian Gulf War and the multi-volume official history of the Royal Canadian Navy. He is a past president of the Canadian Nautical Research Society and lives in Port Hope, Ontario.
Karl Gagnon joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1983, serving mostly in the Reserves on a full-time basis before transferring to the regular force in 2014. Self-taught in graphic art and heraldry, his drawings have graced many publications such as the Navy's commemorative centennial volumes. A native of Ville de Saguenay, Quebec, he resides in Ottawa.