Canadian War Museum launches online naval history exhibition

OTTAWA, Nov. 9 /CNW/ - The Canadian War Museum is marking the 100th anniversary of Canada's navy with a dynamic new online exhibition that brings Canada's rich naval history to life. Canada's Naval History (www.warmuseum.ca/navalhistory) is a compelling and substantial resource offering online access to an extraordinary range of evocative photographs and art, rare artifacts, fascinating archival documents, and educational materials.

"Canada's Naval History explores the wide range of this country's naval experiences over the past century, making this a valuable addition to the Museum's online offerings," said Mark O'Neill, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. "This online exhibition is both an innovative means to preserve and share Canada's naval history with all Canadians, and a wonderful way to mark the Canadian navy's centennial."

This new online exhibition allows users to explore Canada's naval history from its origins to today. The exhibition showcases about 750 items in a contemporary, visually engaging format that will help to tell the story of the country's naval history and highlight the experiences of the men and women associated with it. The exhibition will appeal to a wide range of visitors from across Canada and around the world, who can navigate the site to explore highlights from Canada's naval collections, research the past and use a variety of educational resources.

The War Museum is committed to the continued development of freely accessible, bilingual information through web initiatives, and to presenting Canada's unique history by preserving and providing access to a nationally important collection of artifacts, artworks, and archival material collected over the past 125 years. Past collaborations have led to the creation of the online exhibition Canada and the First World War, and the digital archive Democracy at War: Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War.

The Museum is also marking the navy's centennial with a travelling art exhibition. The Navy: A Century in Art opens at the War Museum in Ottawa on Remembrance Day, November 11, and closes on March 20, 2011. It has been presented at The Military Museums in Calgary and at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. Already, more than 85,000 patrons have viewed the exhibition.

Canada's Naval History is funded in part by the Department of Canadian Heritage, and draws on a wide selection of material from the collections of the Canadian War Museum and its partners, including the Department of National Defence, the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum, the Naval Museum of Alberta, and the Naval Museum of Quebec.

The Canadian War Museum is Canada's national Museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada's military history in its personal, national and international dimensions.

Backgrounder

ABOUT THE ONLINE EXHIBITION

The Canadian War Museum's new online exhibition, Canada's Naval History, provides a fascinating and extensive overview of the country's naval history in war and peace over the past century. The exhibition's launch takes place during the centennial year of Canada's navy, which was created in 1910.

Visitors to the online exhibition will discover almost 750 historical objects, photographs, artworks and archival documents that have been photographed and digitized specifically for this project. Each item can be examined in detail and is accompanied by an extensive caption.

Drawn from the collections of the Museum and its partners, the Department of National Defence, the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum, the Naval Museum of Alberta, and the Naval Museum of Quebec, these artifacts present Canada's unique naval heritage, including the experiences of Canadians at sea and ashore, and the navy's roles in war and peace.

Canada's Naval History contains seven main sections:

1. Introduction
   Michael Whitby, the distinguished Senior Naval Historian at the Department of National Defence's Directorate of History and Heritage, provides an overview of the Canadian naval experience since 1910.
   
   
2. Explore History
   Presents Canada's naval history across the past century, including the birth of the navy (1910-1914), the First World War (1914-1918), the interwar period (1919-1939), the Second World War (1939-1945), the early Cold War, including the Korean War (1945-1968), the later Cold War (1968-1990) and the navy today (1990-2010).
   
   
3. Special Themes
   Presents works from The Navy: A Century in Art, a travelling naval art exhibition created by the Canadian War Museum, and materials relating to naval culture and traditions
   
   
4. Objects and Photographs
   Objects and Photographs Allows visitors to explore the exhibition's collection of artifacts, photographs, maps, documents and artworks.
   
   
5. Teacher Resources
   Offers educators and students of all ages access to a wide variety of activities and curriculum-linked programs based on content presented in the exhibition. Visitors can also find resources that include references for further reading and links to external online resources.
   
   
6. Navy at 100
   Contains information and links for events and programs related to the Canadian navy's centennial celebrations.
   
   
7. My Navy
   Allows visitors to store their favourite objects and exhibition content for future reference.
   

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