"The remarkable tale of how the Canadian government in a bold stroke for independence defied Britain in 1916 and began plans to build a fleet of 63 ships. The move brought Canada into the industrial age and was a first step into making Canada a great trading nation. The fleet steamed the seven seas, carrying Canad's name and Canada's goods to every continent. Author Charles Coffin, a sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy for 21 years, spent more than a decade researching this little known nugget of Canadian history. Coffin died five years ago, before he could finish, and the text was organized by Editor Ivan Fenton into three inter-connected sections. The first describes the vision, the creation, the aggressive marketing and eventually the Canadian Government Merchant Marine's demise after years of butting its head against the Great Depression. The book gives unique insights into the political stakes and commercial pressures that accompanied every stage of the Canadian Government Merchant Marine's life, from its creation in 1918 to its end in 1936. It also covers the saga of the 15 shipyards that built the fleet. The second section profiles the 63 ships of the fleet from launch to sinking or breakup at the end of their days. Coffin provides ship specifications, and details the cargoes and the voyages of each ship. Through the 20s and 30s, tragedy stalked many ships. Some, like Canadian Trader in 1928, disappeared with their entire crew. Thirteen ships bought or captured by Japan were sunk during World War 2 by American submarines or aircraft. The third section consists of appendices for the historian, details and charts that fairly shout with excitement, revealing a treasure trove of historical gems, ranging from a list of ship masters and sample rates of pay, to market values for the ships, to Cabinet decisions on selling vessels of the fleet"--Provided by publisher. The Canadian Government Merchant Marine Limited was incorporated on 30 December 1918. In 1936 the company became inactive.