
Merchant vessels under construction at a North Vancouver, British Columbia, shipyard in 1944.
© City of Vancouver Archives AM54-S4-: Pan P77
The ‘Park’ and ‘Fort’ ships
At the outset of the Second World War in 1939, Canada’s ocean-going merchant fleet amounted to 38 vessels. By war’s end in 1945, Canadian shipyards had delivered more than 400 merchant ships, an astounding achievement made all the more impressive given that the country’s shipbuilding industry was equally occupied in manufacturing thousands of naval vessels, including escort ships, minesweepers, tugs and landing craft.
The majority of merchant ships built in Canada for the war’s emergency shipbuilding program each had a capacity to deliver 10,000 tons of cargo. This volume was equivalent to enough provisions to feed 225,000 people for a week!
The ‘parks’ and ‘forts’ freighters were generally built following the model of Britain’s “North Sands” ships, an outdated model but one that could be assembled quickly. Painted in the colour of “Admiralty Grey,” these vessels were deployed the world over.
Today, very little remains of the vessels themselves, while the shipyards in which they were constructed have undergone substantial transformations since their bustling heyday of the Second World War. Nevertheless, the heroic stories of the men and women who built these ships and those who courageously served aboard them live on in the communities where these ships were constructed, together with several monuments dedicated to the memory of the merchant marine.
See a selection of merchant ships:

- Builder: Foundation Maritime Ltd., Pictou, Nova Scotia
- Completion date: May 1944

- Builder: Burrard Dry Dock Company Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia
- Completion date: May 2, 1945

- Builder: Burrard Dry Dock Company Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia
- Completion date: December 24, 1942

- Builder: Marine Industries Limited, Sorel, Quebec
- Completion date: November 20, 1943

- Builder: Victoria Machinery Depot Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia
- Completion date: May 18, 1945

- Builder: Canadian Vickers Limited, Montreal, Quebec
- Completion date: April 27, 1942

- Builder: Burrard Dry Dock Company Ltd., North Vancouver, British Columbia
- Completion date: January 29, 1942

- Builder: Burrard Dry Dock Company Ltd., North Vancouver, British Columbia
- Completion date: October 6, 1944

- Builder: Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Company Limited, Lauzon, Quebec
- Completion date: November 8, 1943

- Builder: Saint John Dry Dock Company Limited, St. John, New Brunswick
- Completion date: February 15, 1943
- Builder: North Van Ship Repairs Ltd., North Vancouver, British Columbia
- Completion date: July 22, 1944
Parks Canada national historic forts and national parks that have namesake merchant vessels
These vessels contributed to securing Allied victory in 1945, a legacy for which Parks Canada is proud to associate with our natural and cultural treasures.
Nova Scotia
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Cape Breton |
Cape Breton Highlands National Park |
Fort Anne | Fort Anne National Historic Site |
Fortress of Louisbourg |
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site |
Prince Edward Island
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Green Gables Park |
Part of L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish National Historic Site within Prince Edward Island National Park |
New Brunswick
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Fort Beausejour |
Fort Beausejour - Fort Cumberland National Historic Site |
Quebec
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Fort Chambly |
Fort Chambly National Historic Site |
Fort Lennox | Fort Lennox National Historic Site |
Montmorency Park |
Montmorency Park National Historic Site |
Ontario
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Fort George |
Fort George National Historic Site |
Fort St. Joseph |
Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site |
Fort Wellington | Fort Wellington National Historic Site |
Point Pelee Park |
Point Pelee National Park |
Manitoba
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Riding Mountain Park |
Riding Mountain National Park |
Saskatchewan
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Fort Livingstone |
Fort Livingstone National Historic Site |
Fort Walsh |
Fort Walsh National Historic Site |
Prince Albert Park |
Prince Albert National Park |
Alberta
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Banff Park |
Banff National Park |
Buffalo Park |
Thought to be an abbreviation for Wood Buffalo National Park, or could reference Buffalo National Park in existence from 1909-1947 |
Elk Island Park | Elk Island National Park |
Jasper Park | Jasper National Park |
Rocky Mountain Park |
Relates to Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site |
British Columbia
Vessel Name | Associated National Park or National Historic Site Administered by Parks Canada |
---|---|
Fort Langley |
Fort Langley National Historic Site |
Fort St. James |
Fort St. James National Historic Site |
Glacier Park | Glacier National Park |
Kootenay Park | Kootenay National Park |
Mount Revelstoke Park | Mount Revelstoke National Park |
Yoho Park |
Yoho National Park |