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. An unprecedented chronological examination of when and why Canada procured its some fifty classes of warships and a dozen aircraft types over the past 120 years, and how it has employed and disposed of them, Guardians of the North does more than collect statistics on the specifications and characteristics of those vessels and aircraft -- it also offers fresh insights into many previously overlooked themes, revealing trends and connections over the decades to the present day.

Karl Gagnon's exceptional profile drawings and many rarely seen images complement Richard Gimblett's engaging narrative history of the RCN and Maritime Aviation, making this the defining work on the ships and aircraft defending Canada today.

Review Quotes

[Guardians of the North] provides the background and context for both the evolution and necessity of Canada's seagoing hardware. It is ostensibly a visual history of Canadian naval platforms, from early cruisers to modern frigates and maritime patrol aircraft. But its deeper lesson is strategic: ships and aircraft tell the story of how Canada has tried, sometimes successfully, sometimes haltingly, to defend its maritime interests.

-- "Colin Robertson, Policy Magazine"

The book is a major accomplishment: informative, readable and well presented in a large format.

-- "David Rahn and David Conn, Western Mariner"

This comprehensive reference volume should be on the shelves of every Canadian who has an interest in its naval vessels and aircraft from the origins of the Royal Canadian Navy (and even slightly before) until today's proposed new destroyers and maritime patrol aircraft.

-- "Fraser M. McKee, NRAC Connexions"

A volume of surpassing beauty, both in the crisp book design and layout of the text, and especially in the painstaking detail of Karl's drawings ... But this book is much more than just pretty; it is a salient reminder on Canada's lengthy and laborious attempts to manage its maritime security, through the material development of its naval and maritime air fleets.

-- "Nigel S. Greenwood, eVeritas"

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.