Royal Navy on Lake Ontario, 1814

Category: English

  • Argonauta Book Reviews

    By H.T. Holman

    The full text of Argonauta‘s back issues are available, and the chronicles of the CNRS’s early years and development are now accessible. The newsletter provides a picture of the CNRS’s growth, but it also reveals a wealth of information about nautical research in Canada in the 1980s and beyond. In its early years, Argonauta published a great deal of research information in the form of notes, queries, and short articles – some of which were destined to re-appear in later forms as books or articles in The Northern Mariner and other journals.

    Beginning with almost the first issue of Argonauta, the inclusion of book reviews by CNRS members and others was recognized as having a value for the entire research community. The reviews were part of the discussion among members about the role of the organization and the need to strike a balance between those with academic and those with avocational interests – not that those descriptors are mutually exclusive. The book review section appealed to everyone. 

    The book review section is currently one of the strengths of The Northern Mariner – it moved over when the CNRS began its academic publication in 1990 – but, in reality, it was merely the continuation of the feature first established in Argonauta. Indeed, between 1984 and 1989, the newsletter published nearly 160 book reviews. The scope of these reviews was wide, and this continues in the current review policy of The Northern Mariner; it covers everything from formal academic tomes to more popular literature on nautical topics. As well, many of the Argonauta reviews were penned by those who were – or were to become – the leading authorities in Canadian and international nautical research. Argo’s list of reviewers is a who’s who of the maritime research world, and texts reviewed in the newsletter in those early years became, in many cases, the standard references in the field.

    While the reviews in The Northern Mariner are accessible though the continued indexing and full–text access to online issues, the rich Argonauta reviews formerly required access to hard copies of the newsletter, which few collections contained. Even now, though the full copies are available online, they remain in a format that is difficult to search and most access is still through browsing.

    Browsing Argonauta‘s back issues has given me a lot of pleasure, and reading the book reviews has been especially satisfying. In the hopes of making this gem of Argo’s early years more accessible, I have compiled a list of all Argo’s reviews, indexed by author name, book title, date of publication, reviewer, and issue – click on column headings to sort up/down.

    Happy reading!


    [s.i.], A Canadian Enterprise, The Welland Canals: The “Merritt Day” Lectures – 1978-1982, 1984 by McCalla, Douglas (1986, v.III no.2)

    Abbott, R. and Z. Mockus, The Coasting Trade of Eastern Canada, 1986 by Roué, J.E. (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Abelsen, Frank, Mariens Fartyer 1939-45 oq deres Skjebne: Norwegian Naval Vessels 1939-45 and their Fate, 1986 by Harland, John M. (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Alvarez, A., Offishore: A North Sea Journey, 1986 by Fischer, Lewis R. (1986, v.III no.4)

    Andrieux, Jean-Pierre, Newfoundland’s Cod War, Canada or France?, n.d by Ruffman, Alan (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Arbuckle, Graeme, Customs and Traditions of the Canadian Navy, 1985 by Milner, Marc (1986, v.III no.2)

    Arthur, Charles B., The Remaking of the English Navy by Admiral St. Vincent – Key to the Victory over Napoleon, n.d. by Gough, Barry M. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Arthur, Max, Above All, Courage: First Hand Accounts from the Falklands Front Line, 1986 by Salmon, M. Stephen (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Ashdown, Dana, Railway Steamships of Ontario, 1988 by McKee, Fraser (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Attman, Artur, American Bullion in the European World Trade 1600–1800, 1986 by Fischer, Lewis R. (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Baker, William A., Sloops and Shallops, 1988 by Withrow, Don (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Bang-Andersen, Arne and B. Greenhill eds., The North Sea. A Highway of Economic and Cultural Exchange, Character – History, 1985 by Panting, Gerald E. (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Barrow, Clayton R., “The Navy Needs You” U.S. Navy Poster Art of the Twentieth Century, 1987 by McMillan, Andrew (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Bauer, K. Jack, A Maritime History of the United States: The Role of America’s Seas and Waterways, 1988 by Safford, Jeffery J. (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Benbow, William A., Brave Benbow: The Life of Vice Admiral John Benbow 1653–1702, 1987 by Hurst, Norman (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Beveridge, Harry D., Memoirs of a Blue-Nosed Sea Captain, 1986 by Ruff, Eric J. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Boissonault, Réal, Jacques Cartier, Explorer and Navigator, 1987 by Wolff, Annette (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Bosher, J.F., The Canada Merchants 1713–1763, 1987 by Briére, Jean-François (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Boudriot, Jean, John Paul Jones and the Bonhomme Richard, 1987 by Webb, Paul (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Brown, Cassie, Standing into Danger: A Dramatic Story of Shipwreck and Disaster, 1985 by Janzen, Olaf U. (1986, v.III no.4)

    Brown, D.K., A Century of Naval Construction the History of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, 1983 by Davis, S. Mathwin (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Bruntland, Arne O. and R. Gjelsten, European Naval Activity in the Northern Areas, 1987 by Mainguy, D.W. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Burcher, David, The Trawlermen, 1980 by Harrington, M. (1986, v.III no.2)

    Burcher, David, Living from the Sea, 1982 by Harrington, M. (1986, v.III no.2)

    Butcher, David, The Driftermen, 1979 by Harrington, M. (1986, v.III no.2)

    Byers, R.B. ed., Deterrence in the 1980s: Crisis and Dilemma, 1985 by Paise, Marke (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Cabantous, Alain, La verge et les fera: mutins et déserteurs dans la marine de l’ancienne France, 1984 by Turgeon, Laurier (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Campbell, John, Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting, 1986 by Mears, A.W. (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Clarke, J.F., A Century of Service to Engineering and Shipbuilding: A Centennial History of the North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, 1884–1984, 1984 by Summers, R.J. (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Clarke, J.F., The Changeover from Wood to Iron Shipbuilding, 1986 by Harley, C.K. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Coin, John, Provident and the Story of the Brixham Smacks, 1980 by Morant, Daisy (1986, v.III no.3)

    Coletta, Paolo E., The American Naval Heritage, 1987 by Boutilier, James E. (1988, v.V no.2-3)

    Coletta, Paolo E., An Annotated Bibliography of Marine Corps History, 1986 by Milner, Marc (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Coletta, Paolo E., A Survey of U.S. Naval Affairs 1865–1917, 1987 by McKee, F. M. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Cordingly, David, Nicholas Pocock 1740-1821, 1986 by Maginley, C.D. (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Cowin, Hugh W., The New Observer’s Book of Warships, 1983 by Mears, Arthur W. (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Cox, J. Lee and Michael Jehle eds., Ironclad Intruder: U.S.S. Monitor, A Collection of Essays on the History, Symbolism … of the U.S.S. Monitor, 1988 by Duerkop, John (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Cunningham, R.J. and K.R. Mabee, Tall Ships and Master Mariners, 1985 by Fischer, L.R. (1986, v.III no.2)

    Davis, John, The Post Captain, 1985 by Jordan, Gerald (1986, v.III no.3)

    Doane, Benjamin, Following the Sea, 1987 by Fingard, Judith (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Dodman, Frank, The New Observer’s Book of Ships, 1986 by Keefe, Brian E. (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Douglas, W.A.B., The Creation of a National Air Force: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force Vol. 2, 1986 by Wright, Glen T. (1988, v.V no.1)

    Douglas, W.A.B. ed., The RCN in Transition: 1910-1985, 1988 by Boutilier, James (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Drushka , Ken, Against Wind and Weather: The History of Towboating in British Columbia, 1981 by Spearling, R.L. (1984, v.I no.2)

    Durkin, Joseph T., Confederate Navy Chief: Stephen R. Malloy, 1987 by Reynolds, Clark G. (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Elliott, Colin, Steam Fishermen in Old Photographs, 1979 by Morant, Daisy (1986, v.III no.3)

    Elliott, Robert S. and Alan McNairn, Reflections of an Era: Portraits of 19th Century New Brunswick Ships, 1987 by Panting, Gerald E. (1988, v.V no.1)

    Eltis, David, Economic Growth and the Ending of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1987 by Cohn, Raymond L. (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Erhard, Nancy, First in its Class [History of the RNSYS], 1986 by Perkins, J. David (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Essex, James W., Victory in the St. Lawrence: Canada’s Unknown War, 1984 by Sarty, Roger (1986, v.III no.3)

    Fischer, Lewis R. and Gerald Panting eds., Change and Adaption in Maritime History: The North Atlantic Fleets in the Nineteenth Century, 1985 by Moore, Marven E. (1986, v.III no.3)

    Fischer, Lewis R. and S. Salmon, Canadian Maritime Bibliography for 1986, 1987 by Minchinton, Walter E. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Fischer, Lewis R. et.al. eds., Shipping and Trade in the Northern Sea, 1600-1939, 1988 by Holm, Poul (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Fisher, Stephen ed., Studies in British Privateering, Trading Enterprise and Seamen’s Welfare 1775–1900, 1987 by Fischer, Lewis R. (1988, v.V no.2-3)

    Forster, Honore, The South Seas Whaler, 1985 by Harland, John H. (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Francis, Daniel, Arctic Chase: A History of Whaling in Canada’s North, 1984 by Fischer, L.R. (1985, v.II no.4)

    Frank, Stuart M., Herman Melville’s Picture Gallery: Sources and Types of the “Pictorial” Chapters of Moby Dick, 1986 by Lawson, Eric (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Frankel, Ernst Gabriel, The World Shipping Industry, 1987 by Hanington, Daniel L. (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Gilkerson, William, The Ships of John Paul Jones, 1987 by Cook, Robin W. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Gillham, Skip, Ships Along the Seaway Vol. 4, 1986 by Walker, John (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Glenton, Bill, Mutiny in Force X, 1886 by McKee, Fraser (1988, v.V no.2-3)

    Gray, Edwin, Few Survived, A History of Submarine Disasters, 1986 by Perkins, J. David (1988, v.V no.2-3)

    Green, Jim, Against the Tide – The Story of the Canadian Seamen’s Union, 1986 by Stanton, John (1988, v.V no.1)

    Gresko, Jacqueline and R. Howard eds., Fraser Port: Freightway to the Pacific 1858–1985, 1986 by Beasley, Thomas F. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Griffiths, Franklyn, Politics of the Northwest Passage, 1987 by Taylor, Allen D. (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Groves, Frederick, The Big Book of Marine Electronics, 1985 by Matchim, Peter (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Hadley, Michael L., U-Boats Against Canada: German Submarines in Canadian Waters, 1985 by Boutilier, James (1986, v.III no.1)

    Hagelund, William A., Whalers No More, 1987 by Harland, John H (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Hamre, Harald, Skipsfarten I Stavanger I 1870-ara, 1985 by Nordvik, H.W. (1986, v.III no.1)

    Harbron, John D., Trafalgar and the Spanish Navy, 1988 by McKee, Fraser (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Harrington, M., Goin’ to the Ice: Offbeat History of the Newfoundland Seal Fishery, 1986 by Sanger, Chesley (1986, v.III no.4)

    Harrington, Michael, Sea Stories from Newfoundland, 1986 by Baker, Melvin (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Heffer, Jean, Le Port de New York et le commerce extéieur Américain, 1860-1900, 1986 by Veraghtert, Kjarel (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Hobson, Sharon, The Composition of Canada’s Naval Fleet, 1946–1985, 1986 by Salmon, M. Stephen (1986, v.III no.4)

    Hodgson, Godfrey, Lloyd’s of London: A Reputation at Risk, 1986 by Burton, V.C. (1987, v.IV no.3)

    House, D.J., Seamanship Techniques. Vol 1 Shipboard Practice. Vol 2 Ship Handling, 1987 by Harland, John H. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Howe, Octavius I. and F.G. Matthews, American Clipper Ships 1833-1858, 1986 by Maginley, C. Douglas (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Humble, Richard, The Rise and Fall of the British Navy, 1986 by Lund, W.G.D. (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Hunt, William R., Stef: A Biography of Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Canadian Arctic Explorer, 1986 by Archer, Christian R. (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Inglis, Gordon, More than Just a Union: The Story of the NFFAWU, 1985 by Sager, Eric W. (1986, v.III no.3)

    Inglis, Robin, The Lost Voyager of Lapérouse, 1986 by Kendrick, John (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Inglis, Robin and Michael North, The Advance of Seapower, 1986 by Jensen, L.B. (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Jackson, Stanley, J.P. Morgan: A Biography, 1983 by Mackenzie, K.S. (1986, v.III no.1)

    Jamieson, Alan G., A People of the Seas: The Maritime History of the Channel Islands, 1986 by Hackman, John (1988, v.V no.2-3)

    Jensen, L.B., Fishermen of Nova Scotia, 1984 by Briére, Jean-Francois (1986, v.III no.4)

    Kaplan, William, Everything that Floats: Pat Sullivan, Hal Banks and the Seamen’s Unions of Canada, 1987 by Sager, Eric W. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Lambert, Andrew ed., Warship Volume X, n.d. by Grant, Donald A. (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Lawrence, Hal, Tales of the North Atlantic, 1985 by Morgan, Gerald (1986, v.III no.3)

    Leach, Douglas Edward, Now Hear This: The Memoir of a Junior Naval Officer in the Great Pacific War, 1987 by Hadley, Michael (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Leefe, John, The Atlantic Privateers; Their Story – 1749-1815, 1978 by Janzen, Olaf U. (1986, v.III no.3)

    Lewis, Archibald R. and T.J. Runyan, European Naval and Maritime History, 300–1500, 1985 by Davis, S. Mathwin (1986, v.III no.4)

    Lien, Jon, Wet and Fat: Whales and Seals of Newfoundland, 1985 by Sanger, C.W. (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Lindsey, George R., The Strategic Defence of North America, 1986 by Little, C.H. (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Lynch, Thomas G., The Flying 400 – Canada’s Hydrofoil Project, 1983 by Davis, S.M. (1986, v.III no.2)

    Lynch, Thomas G., Canada’s Flowers: A History of the Corvettes of Canada, 1939–1945, 1981 by Hanington, D.L. (1986, v.III no.2)

    Lynch, Thomas G. and J.B. Lamb, Gunshield Graffiti: Unofficial Badges of Canada’s Wartime Navy, 1984 by Lund, W.G.D. (1986, v.III no.2)

    MacDonald, Brian ed., The Soviet Military Challenge, 1987 by Glover, William (1989, v.VI no.3)

    MacDonald, Brian, ed., High Tech and the High Seas, 1985 by Grant, D.A. (1986, v.III no.4)

    Marchak, Patricia et.al. eds., Uncommon Property: The Fishing and Fish-Processing Industries of British Columbia, 1987 by Ommer, Rosemary E. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Martin, Paula, Spanish Armada Prisoners 1587-1597, 1988 by Olmstead, Gordon A. (1989, v.VI no.4)

    McKay, Donald, The Asian Dream: The Pacific Rim and Canada’s National Railway, 1986 by Jones, David (1988, v.V no.1)

    McKee, Fraser, The Armed Yachts of Canada, 1983 by Stokesbury, James L. (1986, v.III no.3)

    McKenzie, Ruth ed., The St. Lawrence Survey Journals of Captain Henry Wolsey Bayfield 1829–1835 (2 vol), 1984/1986 by David, Andrew (1988, v.V no.1)

    McLynn, Frank, From the Armada to Hitler, 1588–1945, 1987 by Graves, Donald E. (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Meijer, Fik, A History of Seafaring in the Classical World, 1986 by Maginley, C.D. (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Milner, Marc, North Atlantic Run: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle for the Convoys, 1985 by Lawrence, Hal (1986, v.III no.3)

    Modelski, George and W. R. Thompson, Seapower in Global Politics 1494-1993, 1988 by Gough, Barry M. (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Mollat, Michel, Histoire des péches maritimes en France, 1987 by Janzen, Olaf U. (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Moss, Michael and John Hume, Shipbuilders to the World: 125 Years of Harland and Wolfe, Belfast, 1861–1986, 1986 by Marcil, Eileen (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Nemetz, Peter N. ed., The Pacific Rim: Investment, Development and Trade, n.d. by MacKay, Donald (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Palmer, Michael A., Stodden’s War: Naval Operations During the Quasi-War with France 1798–1801, 1987 by Avery, William P. (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Palmer, Roy ed., The Oxford Book of Sea Songs, 1986 by Kert, Faye M. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Petersen, H.C., Skinboats of Greenland, 1986 by Lawson, Eric D. (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Post, Robert C., The Tancook Whalers: Origins, Rediscovery, and Revival, 1985 by Hartland, John M. (1986, v.III no.4)

    Potts, Archie ed., Shipbuilders and Engineers: Essays on the Shipbuilding and Engineering Industries of the North East, 1987 by Lewis, Walter (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Prescott, J.R.V., The Maritime Political Boundaries of the World, 1985 by McDorman, Ted (1986, v.III no.3)

    Pritchard, James, Louis XV’s Navy, 1748–1762: A Study of Organization and Administration, 1987 by Janzen, Olaf U. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Proulx, Gilles, Between France and New France: Life Aboard the Tall Sailing Ships, 1984 by Janzen, Olaf U. (1986, v.III no.2)

    Proulx, P., Whaling in the North Atlantic. From the Earliest Times to the Mid-19th Century, 1986 by Hacquebord, Louwrens (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Provincial Museum of Kymenlaakso, Peasant Seafaring on the Baltic, 1986 by Newman, Jennifer (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Rabchuk, Gordon and Ernest Labelle, Analytical Index to the Documents of the Trinity House of Montreal 1806–1873, 1986 by Walker, John (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Reeves, Randall and E. Mitchell, History of White Whale Exploration in Eastern Hudson and James Bay, 1987 by Busch, B.C. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Richards, James and Marlene Richards, The Sea in My Blood: The Life and Times of Captain Andy Publicover, 1987 by Maginley, D. (1988, v.V no.1)

    Riggs, Douglas, Keelhauled: The History of Unsportsmanlike Conduct in the America’s Cup, 1986 by West, J. Thomas (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Roache, J.F., New Directions in Fisheries Technology, 1986 by Lamson, Cynthia (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Rodger, N.A.M., The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy, 1986 by Douglass, W.A.B. (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Ropp, Theodore, The Development of a Modern Navy: French Naval Policy 1871–1904, 1987 by Maginley, C.D. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Ross, W. Gillies, Arctic Whalers, Icy Seas: Narratives of the Davis Strait Whale Fishery, 1985 by Vickers, Daniel (1986, v.III no.4)

    Runyan, Timothy J. ed., Ships, Seafaring and Society: Essays in Maritime History, 1987 by Hacking, Norman (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Rusted, Nigel, It’s Devils Deep Down There: 50 Years Ago on the M.V. Lady Anderson, A Mobile Clinic on the S.W. Coast of Newfoundland, 1985 by Woookcock, Helen R. (1986, v.III no.3)

    Ryan, Shannon, Fish Out of Water: The Newfoundland Salt fish Trade 1814-1914, 1986 by Nordvik, Helen (1986, v.III no.4)

    Sager, Eric W. and Lewis R. Fischer, Shipping and Shipbuilding in Atlantic Canada 1820-1914, 1986 by Salmon. M. Stephen (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Sagon-King, Alfred, F and E.B. Gillham, The Changing Seaway, 1985 by Lewis, Walter (1986, v.III no.3)

    Sanger, Clyde, Ordering the Oceans: The making of the Law of the Sea, 1987 by McDorman, Ted L. (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Shelton, Russell C., From Hudson Bay to Botany Bay: The lost Frigates for Lapérouse, 1987 by Kendrick, John (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Silitch, Clarissa, ed., The Perilous Sea, 1985 by Roberts, Harry (1986, v.III no.2)

    Sill, William N., Confederate Shipbuilding, 1987 by Harris, Dan (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Smith, Gordon S., One Man and His Sea, 1986 by Jensen, L.B. (1988, v.V no.2-3)

    Smith, Marilyn Gurney, The King’s Yard: An Illustrated History of the Halifax Dockyard, 1985 by Ruff, Eric J. (1986, v.III no.4)

    Smith, Philip C.F., Philadelphia on the River, 1986 by Harrington, Michael (1987, v.IV no.1)

    Stanton, John, Never Say Die! The Life and Times of John Stanton, A Pioneer Labour Lawyer, 1987 by McGinnis, David (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Starkey, David ed., Sources for a New Maritime History of Devon, 1987 by Fischer, Lewis R. (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Stead, Gordon, A Leaf Upon the Sea: A Small Ship in the Mediterranean 1941-1943, 1988 by Graves, Donald E. (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Steele, Ian K., The English Atlantic, 1675–1740: An Exploration of Communication and Community, 1986 by Vickers, Daniel (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Strath, Bo, The Politics of De-Industrialization: The Contraction of the East European Shipbuilding Industry, 1987 by Nordvik, Helge (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Suykens, F. et.al., Antwerp, A Port for All Seasons, 1986 by Fischer, Lewis R. (1989, v.VI no.1)

    Thomas, Peter, Strangers from a Secret Land: The Voyage of the Brig Albion and the Founding of the First Welsh Settlements in Canada, 1986 by Handcock, W.G. (1987, v.IV no.3)

    Tracy, Nicolas, Navies, Deterrence, and American Independence: Britain and Seapower in the 1760s and 1770s, 1988 by Janzen, Olaf U. (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Try, Hans et.al., Meddelelser ja Kattegat-Skagerrak Projektet, 1987 by Fischer, Lewis R. (1989, v.VI no.2)

    Vale, Vivian, The American Peril: Challenge to British on the North Atlantic 1901-1904, 1984 by Mackenzie, K.S. (1986, v.III no.1)

    Walton, Richard E., Innovating to Compete: Lessons for Diffusing and Managing Change in the Workplace, 1987 by Parry, Kevin (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Watt, Frederick B., In All Respects Ready: The Merchant Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic, 1940-1945, 1985 by Panting, G.E. (1986, v.III no.1)

    Webb, Robert Lloyd, West Whaling: A Brief History of Whale-hunting in the Pacific Northwest, 1984 by Du Pasquier, Thierry (1987, v.IV no.2)

    Webb, Robert Lloyd, On the Northwest: Commercial Whaling on the Pacific Northwest, 1790-1967, 1988 by Salmon, M. Stephen (1989, v.VI no.4)

    Weeks-Mifflen, Mary and Ray Mifflen, The Light on Chantry Island, 1986 by McKee, Fraser (1986, v.III no.4)

    Wells, Kennedy, The Fishing of Prince Edward Island, 1986 by Kendrick, Stephen M. (1989, v.VI no.3)

    Wright, Guy David, Sons and Seals: A Voyage to the Ice, 1984 by Fischer, L.R. (1985, v.II no.3)

  • Executive Officers and Councillors

    President:  Ian Yeates
    1st Vice-President:  Jeff Noakes
    2nd Vice-President:  Richard Goette
    Treasurer:  Errolyn Humphreys
    Secretary:  Isabel Campbell
    Membership Secretary:  Meaghan Walker
    Councillor:  Ambjörn Adomeit
    Councillor:  Catherine Brooks
    Councillor:  Adam Coombs
    Councillor:  Michael deJong
    Councillor:  Walter Lewis
    Councillor (Communications):  Sam McLean
    Councillor:  Christopher Perry
    Past President:  Tom Malcomson

    Ex Officio and Honorary Members

    Chair, Editorial Board:  Roger Sarty
    Chair, Awards Committee:  Richard Gimblett
    Honorary Member:  W.A.B. Douglas
    Honorary Member:  Barry Gough
    Honorary Member:  Faye Kert

    Presidents of the CNRS

    The Canadian Society for the Promotion of Nautical Research was formed at a meeting held at the University of Ottawa on 10 June 1982. Professor Keith Matthews of the Memorial University of Newfoundland was in the chair, and became the first president. He died early in 1984. On 25 October 1984 the society was incorporated under federal statute as the Canadian Nautical Research Society.

    • 1982 – 1984 Professor Keith Matthews, Memorial University of Newfoundland
    • 1984 – 1987 Professor Gerald Panting, Memorial University of Newfoundland
    • 1987 – 1990 Professor Barry Gough, Wilfrid Laurier University
    • 1990 – 1993 Dr W.A.B. Douglas, Directorate of History, Department of National Defence
    • 1993 – 1996 Dr Faye Kert, Department of Health and Welfare
    • 1996 – 1999 G. Edward Reed, Bank of Canada
    • 1999 – 2002 Dr William Glover, Kingston, Ontario
    • 2002 – 2005 Professor James Pritchard, Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University
    • 2005 – 2008 Dr Richard Gimblett, Ottawa, Ontario
    • 2008 – 2011 Dr Paul Adamthwaite, Picton, Ontario
    • 2011 – 2014 Maurice D. Smith, Kingston, Ontario
    • 2014 – 2017 Dr Chris Madsen, North Vancouver, BC
    • 2017 – 2020 Dr Richard Gimblett, Port Hope, Ontario
    • 2020 – 2023 Michael Moir, York University
    • 2023 – 2026 Dr Thomas Malcomson, Toronto, Ontario
  • 2029 – Ian Yeates, Regina, Saskatchewan
  • Alec Douglas Award for Contributions to Maritime History

    This is an occasional award by which the Society acknowledges excellence in contributions to maritime history across the broad range of such activity. It is applicable to individuals or institutions such as museums, archives or educational organizations.  There is no cash value associated with the award. 

    W.A.B. ‘Alec’ Douglas is a scholar-sailor of international stature. Building on a career as a sea-going officer in the Royal Canadian Navy, he was Director (1973-1993) and then the Director General (1993-94), of the Directorate of History, National Defence Headquarters (Canada). He was a founding member of the CNRS. The re-naming of the CNRS Merit Award is very much in spirit with his leadership in the promotion of Canadian maritime history at home and abroad.

    Award Criteria:

    1. Primary consideration will be given to Canadian individuals and institutions.
    2. In the case of museum exhibitions, the display may be shown outside the country, but it must have a Canadian maritime focus.
    3. Foreign individuals, archives or institutions contributing to the preservation of Canadian nautical heritage are also eligible for this award.
    4. Individual awards may recognize lifetime contributions to Canadian nautical research by Canadian or foreign researchers or curators.
    5. Members of CNRS, with the exception of members of the Committee, may self-nominate for this award.
    6. Submissions must be in the hands of the Committee by 31 March of the presentation year.

    Terms of Reference:

    1. The Chair of the Awards Committee will solicit nominations for the Award through the Society’s publications Argonauta, the Northern Mariner/Le Marin du Nord or on the web.
    2. Nominations will be reviewed by Council in advance of final selection.
    3. Once selected, candidates will be advised immediately of their award by the Chair of the Awards Committee.
    4. Formal announcement of the Award will be made at the Society’s AGM.
    5. Costs incurred for a certificate for the Award will be authorized by the Treasurer.
    6. The Chair of the Awards Committee will report to Council on the activities of the Committee and to the Society’s membership at the AGM.

    Winners of the Alec Douglas Award for Contributions to Maritime History

    2025: Paul Adamthwaite and Betty Ann Anderson for their role in founding the Naval Marine Archive: The Canadian Collection, their service to this Society, and their direction of the Canadian Society of Marine Artists.

    2021: William Glover for his role as editor of the Society’s journal, Northern Mariner/Le Marin Du Nord, for two five-year terms, from July 2001 to April 2006 and July 2015 to December 2020.

    2020: Isabel Campbell and Colleen McKee co-editors for Argonauta the Society’s bulletin, from Spring 2010 to Spring 2020.

    2002: Lewis “Skip” Fischer, Co-founded and served as editor of the journal, Northern Mariner/Le Marin Du Nord, from the first issue in January 1991 to January 2001.

    2002: Olaf U. Janzen, Co-founded and co-editor of the journal, Northern Mariner/Le Marin Du Nord, and Book Review Editor from 1991 to 2000.

  • Gerry Panting Award for New Scholars

    Gerald E. ‘Gerry’ Panting was a founder of the CNRS, and as a longtime faculty member at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (1959-93) was a mentor of young scholars. This award in his name is a bursary of not more than $1,000 CDN to assist a new scholar in the field of nautical research to present a paper (in English or French) at the CNRS annual conference. The person(s) selected should be in the early stages of their career in the field of maritime research.

    Award Criteria:

    1. A “new scholar” is generally defined as a person with less than five years experience in the academic field, particularly in maritime studies. 
    2. To be eligible for the award, new scholars can be Canadian students at Canadian or foreign universities working in the field of maritime studies, or researchers from other countries working on Canadian maritime topics. 
    3. The object of the bursary is to assist in-person attendance at the Society’s annual conference.
    4. The Awards Committee will take into account the merit of the applications received, previous work by applicants as well as their proposed paper, and the level of need for financial assistance. 
    5. Members of CNRS, aside from Awards Committee members, may self-nominate for this award.
    6. Applications must be made in conjunction with submission of conference paper proposal, with deadline as specified in the Call for Papers.

    Terms of Reference:

    1. The Conference Organizing Committee will ensure that the conference announcement, call for papers and all references to the conference mention the Gerry Panting Award for New Scholars. 
    2. Nominations for the Gerry Panting Award for New Scholars are reviewed by the Council in advance of final selection notification. 
    3. Once selected, candidates will be advised immediately of their award by the Awards Committee Chair. 
    4. The recipient will be announced in Argonauta and identified in The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord, if his or her paper is published. 
    5. Formal announcement of the recipient will be made at the Society’s AGM. 
    6. Costs incurred for the Gerry Panting Award for New Scholars will be authorized by the Treasurer. 
    7. Members of the Awards Committee are not eligible for the award during their tenure. 
    8. The Chair of the Awards Committee will report to Council on the activities of the Committee and to the Society’s membership at the AGM.

    Winners of the Gerry Panting Award for New Scholars

    2026: Shared by Ambjörn L. Adomeit, “On Behalf of the Canadian Nation: Premier Sir Richard McBride’s Submarine Purchase on the Dawn of War, 4 August 1914” and Noah James, “The Advance to the West Coast: Naval Planning and Weltpolitik under Kaiser Wilhelm II”

    2025: not awarded

    2024: Shared by Ambjörn L. Adomeit, Western University, “The American Indictment: Canada’s Search for Nuclear Attack Submarines and the United States’ Opposition,” and Jill Schuler, North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, “ ‘A Tale of Two Ships: Part Deux’ – Previous Discoveries in the History of La Concorde and the Next Phase of the Project.” Papers presented at the CNRS Conference, St Catharines, ON 

    2021: Jordan Kerr, University of Victoria, “The Invisible Strength and Heart Behind the Uniform: Experiences of Canadian Navy Officers Wives since World War II Through Oral History.” Presented at the CNRS Conference, Victoria, BC.

    2019: Shared by Ambjörn Adomeit, Royal Military College of Canada, “The RCN Submarine Squadron: Historical Trends and Advocating a Direction for Canadian Submarine Procurement in the 21st Century” and Nicholas Kaizer, Mount Saint Vincent University, “How the Royal Navy and the British World understood the forgotten single ship actions of the American War, 1813-1815.” Papers presented at the CNRS Conference, Thunder Bay, ON.

    2012: Shared by Natalie Anderson, University of British Columbia, “British Ballads and Yankee Ditties: The Musical War of 1812;” and James Walton, Queen’s University, “‘The Forgotten Bitter Truth:’ The War of 1812 and the Foundation of an American Naval Myth.” Papers presented at the CNRS Conference, Picton, ON.

    2011: Shared by Sam McLean, Wilfred Laurier University, “To Put the Sea in the Soul of the Sailor: Naval Attitudes towards Sail Training;” and Corbin Williamson (with Chris Madsen), “British Warship Repairs in North America during the Second World War.” Papers presented at the CNRS Conference, Ottawa, ON.

    2010: Samuel McLean, Wilfred Laurier University, “Richmond and Callender: The hidden debate of 1942.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Halifax, NS. 

    2005: Ken Hansen, Royal Military College of Canada, “The Royal Canadian Navy and Dreadnoughts: The research Sources.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Hamilton, ON.

    2004: Erin Weir, U of Calgary, “The Nazi Submarine Blockade: A Near Victory of Economic Warfare.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Ottawa, ON.

    2002: William Miles, Memorial University of Newfoundland, “Some Aspects of Squadron Deployment to North America, 1689-1713.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Halifax, NS.

    2001: Kimberley Monk, East Carolina University, “‘A prince among Welland Canallers’?: Documenting the History of the Schooner-barge Sligo.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Kingston, ON.

    2000: Michael Dove, University of Western Ontario, “Laying the Keel: The Evolution of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Shipping Operation, 1670 -1730.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Ottawa, ON.

    1999: Bradley T. Shoebottom, University of New Brunswick, “The Shipbuilding Career of Gaius Samuel Turner of Harvey Bank, New Brunswick, 1874-1892.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Corner Brook, NL.

    1998: Dr. Joseph Maiolo, London School of Economics and Political Science, “Deception and Intelligence Failure: Anglo-German Preparations for U-Boat Warfare in the 1930s.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, Calgary, AB.

    1997: David Clarke, Memorial University of Newfoundland. “Maryport Coaster and Coaster Men, 1855-1889.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference, St. John, NB.

    1996: Daniel Conlin, St Mary’s University, “Nova Scotia Privateers in the Caribbean, 1793-1805.” Paper presented at the CNRS Conference at HMCS Cataraqui, Kingston, ON.

  • James Pritchard Student Article Prize

    The James Pritchard Student Article Prize was initiated in 2021 to be awarded annually for the best contribution written by a student and published in The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord. The winner will receive an award of $300. 

    James Pritchard, Professor Emeritus of Queen’s University, was President of the Society from 2002 to 2005, and was highly regarded as a maritime historian of the French navy and Canadian shipbuilding, and as a mentor of young scholars.

    Award Criteria:

    1. The articles considered for this prize must be published in the Society’s journal in the year for which they are judged. 
    2. To be eligible for the prize, a student must be enrolled in a Canadian educational institution at the time of submission of the article for consideration for publication. 
    3. If no article meets the eligibility criteria or is deemed worthy of an award in a given year, no prize is given.

    Terms of Reference:

    1. Once Committee members have reviewed the submissions and reached a consensus, the Chair of the Awards Committee advises the successful author of the decision.
    2. Formal announcement of the James Pritchard Student Article Prize is made at the Society’s AGM.
    3. The cash prizes and other costs related to the James Pritchard Student Article Prize will be authorized by the Treasurer. 
    4. The Chair of the Awards Committee will report to Council on the activities of the Committee and to the Society’s membership at the AGM.

    James Pritchard Student Article Prize recipients:

    First awarded in 2023, this prize is for an article published in the previous year.

    2026: Mary Baxter, “Point Pelee’s Disappearing Act: Sand Suckers, Erosion, and Conflict Along the Shores of Canadian National Park” The Northern Mariner/ Le marin du nord 35.2 (Summer/ Été 2022), 157-82.

    2025 : not awarded.

    2023: David Niddam-Dent, “’The Best VR in the Whole Flaming Navy’: The Life and Career of Lieutenant Commander Clifton R. ‘Tony’ Coughlin” The Northern Mariner/ Le marin du nord 32.2 (Summer/ Été 2022), 129-174.

  • Jacques Cartier MA Prize

    To encourage graduate studies at the Master’s level in Canadian universities and other institutes of higher learning, the Society awards a prize annually to a thesis of high achievement. The winner will receive an award of $500.

    The award is named after Jacques Cartier, navigator of Saint-Malo, master mariner and explorer of France, who voyaged into the Gulf and River St. Lawrence which he named, and in three voyages traced details of a watery entry into the heart of a continent. Theses (including master’s research projects/MRPs, cognate papers, or extended research papers) that demonstrate interdisciplinary approaches beyond history and the arts are encouraged.

    Award Criteria:

    1. Candidates must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents attending a Canadian university or institution of higher learning or a similar foreign institution, writing on a Canadian maritime topic. 
    2. The thesis, (including master’s research projects/MRPs, cognate papers, or extended research papers) must have been successfully completed and assessed, leading to successful completion of the degree in the previous calendar year (i.e., completion in 2020 for the prize awarded in 2021).  
    3. The submitted thesis must demonstrate original research of an extended order and be at least 50 pages / 12,500 words in length.
    4. A PDF copy of the thesis is to be submitted to the Chair of the Awards Committee by 31 March of the year in which the prize is to be awarded.
    5. Applicants shall provide a cover letter that includes a brief biography (200-words), as well as mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address. Additionally, a letter from the candidate’s supervisor or head of department in the university or institute in which the thesis is completed must confirm that the work has passed examination (noting the dates of submission and examination, and/or completion of the degree).
    6. Theses must have a maritime focus. Areas of research include, but are not limited to, history, history of science and technology, political studies and political economy, literature, archaeology, underwater archaeology, anthropology, geography, sociology, ecology, and any other branch of historical learning related to human uses of the seas, oceans, rivers or lakes. 
    7. If no thesis is deemed worthy of an award in a given year, no award is given.
    8. Submissions must be in the hands of the Committee by 31 March of the presentation year.

    Terms of Reference:

    1. Eligible students typically will self-nominate. Faculties may also submit theses they consider worthy of review. As well, on behalf of the Committee, the Chair of the Awards Committee may contact educational faculties to solicit theses for review by the members. 
    2. Once Committee members have reviewed the submissions and reached a consensus, the Chair of the Awards Committee advises the successful candidate of the decision. 
    3. Formal announcement of the Jacques Cartier Prize is made at the Society’s AGM. 
    4. The Chair of the Awards Committee ensures that award recipients receive a certificate signed by the President of CNRS and one of the adjudicators the Jacques Cartier Prize. When more than one thesis is worthy of note, an Honourable Mention certificate may be awarded. 
    5. The cash prizes and other costs related to the Jacques Cartier Prize will be authorized by the Treasurer. 
    6. The Chair of the Awards Committee will report to Council on the activities of the Committee and to the Society’s membership at the AGM.

    Winners of the Jacques Cartier MA Prize:

    2026: Noah James, “The Advance to the West Coast: A Study of Naval Planning and Weltpolitik in the age of Kaiser Wilhelm II” Master of Arts Thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2025

    2025: Scott Stephen, “Esquimalt and its Latin American Connection: Linking British Concerns in Chile and Peru to the Establishment of a Naval Base in British Columbia.” Master of Arts Thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2024

    2024: Jillian Schuler, “Guns and Ships and so the Balance Shifts: Using Artifact Patterning to Contextualize a Salvaged Assemblage Dated to the Battle of Yorktown, 1781.” Master of Arts Thesis, East Carolina University, 2023

    2023: Lieutenant-Commander Malcolm A. P. Butler (RCN retired), “A Plan In the Making: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Pacific Theatre.” Master of Arts Thesis – Naval History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Portsmouth, UK, 2022.

    2022: not awarded

    2021: Garison Ma, “A Marriage of Intersecting Needs: The Procurement of the Canadian Patrol Frigates by the Pierre Trudeau Government, 1977-1983.” Master of Arts Thesis, Faculty of History, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON. 2020.

    2020: not awarded

    2019: Ambjörn Adomeit, “A Fleet of its Compromises: The Canadian Navy’s Cold War Submarine Posture.” Master of Arts Thesis in War Studies Programme, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON. 2018.

    2013-2018: Not Awarded

    2012: J. Matthew Gillis, “Canadian Maritime Security in an Age of Climate Change.” Master of Arts Thesis, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. 2011.

    2009-2011: not awarded

    2008: Erin Weir, “The Nazi Submarine Blockade: A Near Victory of Economic Warfare.” Master of Arts Thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. 2007.

    2006-2007: not awarded

    2005: Kenneth P. L. Hansen, “Fuel, Endurance and Replenishment at Sea in the Royal Canadian Navy, 1935-1945.” Master of Arts Thesis, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON. 2004.

     

  • Northern Mariner

    The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord, ISSN No. 1183-112X (paper), 2561-5467 (electronic), is a fully refereed, quarterly journal published by the The Canadian Nautical Research Society and the North American Society for Oceanic History. It is devoted to the study of maritime affairs and the inland waterways of the nations that touch the seas of the northern hemisphere. The journal’s content spans the fields of naval, political, diplomatic, social, cultural, gender, Indigenous, economic, and environmental history. Specific topics of interest include – but are not limited to – ships, shipbuilding, technology, merchant shipping, trade, labour, seafaring, maritime life, coastal communities, ports and harbours, naval warfare, maritime aviation, fishing, whaling, sealing, underwater archaeology, disasters and emergencies, and maritime biography.

    The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord publishes research articles, research notes, commentaries, review essays, and book reviews. Submissions may be written in either English or French. If you have an idea for an article, note, commentary, or review essay please contact the editor.

    The current and back issues are available here. That site also includes information for contributors and a list of our editors and editorial board.

  • Keith Matthews Awards: Books

    These prestigious awards are named after the renowned maritime historian from Memorial University who was also a founder and first president of the CNRS. Keith Matthews died in 1984 and the first award in his name was made the following year.

    The annual Keith Matthews Award is for the best book published on a Canadian nautical subject (the author does not have to be Canadian) or by a Canadian author on any maritime subject. Monographs and edited collections are eligible and subject matter can include oceanic and inland waters, naval or non-naval, from any discipline. 

    Award Criteria:

    1. The books considered for these awards must be published in the year for which they are judged. 
    2. Books must be either written or edited by a Canadian author or be on a Canadian maritime topic. 
    3. Books do not have to be published by a Canadian publisher.
    4. Books must have a maritime focus and can include works of history, geography, sociology, anthropology or other disciplines.
    5. Authors or members of CNRS may self-nominate books. 
    6. If no book is deemed worthy of an award in a given year, no award is given.
    7. Book submissions must be in the hands of the Committee by 31 March of the presentation year.

    Terms of Reference:

    1. Publishers typically will submit books they consider worthy of review. The Chair of the Awards Committee may also contact publishers to solicit books for review by the members. 
    2. When more than one book is worthy of note, an Honourable Mention or Special Recognition may be awarded.
    3. Once the Awards Committee members have reviewed the submissions and reached a consensus, the Chair of the Awards Committee will advise the successful authors and their publishers of the decision. 
    4. Formal announcement of the Matthews Awards is made at the Society’s AGM. 
    5. The Chair of the Awards Committee ensures that award recipients will receive a certificate signed by the President of CNRS and the Chair of the Matthews Awards Committee. 
    6. The costs related to the Matthews Awards will be authorized by the Treasurer. 
    7. The Chair of the Awards Committee will report to Council on the activities of the Committee and to the Society’s membership at the AGM. 

    Keith Matthews Awards Recipients for books

    First awarded in 1985, the award is for a book published in the previous year.

    2026: Richard Gimblett and Karl Gagnon, Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910-2025 (Dundurn)
    Honourable Mention: Michael Layland, Turmoil: the Life and Times of Philip Hankin (Touchwood)

    2025: Gordon H. Boyce, A History of British Tramp Shipping, 1870-1914: Volume 1, Entry, Enterprise Formation, and Early Firm Growth (Liverpool University Press, Research in Maritime History No. 57, 2024).
    Honourable Mention: Matthew Neufeld, Early Modern Naval Health Care in England, 1650-1750 (McGill-Queen’s University Press 2024).
    Honourable Mention: Nate Hendley, Atrocity on the Atlantic: Attack on a Hospital Ship During the Great War (Dundurn 2024).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: Michael L. Hadley, Boxing the Compass: A Life of Seafaring, Music, and Pilgrimage (Heritage House 2024).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition, Honourable Mention: Ron Thompson, The Wind From All Directions [a novel] (Double Dagger 2024).

    2024: Robert D. Banks, Warriors and Warships: Conflict on the Great Lakes and the Legacy of Point Frederick (Dundurn 2023).
    Honourable Mention: Matthew Betts, HMS Terror: The Design, Fitting and Voyages of the Polar Discovery Ship (United States Naval Institute Press 2023).
    Honourable Mention: Peter Rowe, Out There: The Batshit Antics of the World’s Great Explorers (Sutherland House 2023).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: Gordon Miller, Pacific Voyages: The Story of Sail in the Great Ocean (Douglas & McIntyre 2023).

    2023: Russel A. Potter, Regina Koellner, Peter Carney, & Mary Williamson, May We Be Spared To Meet On Earth: Letters of the Lost Franklin Arctic Expedition. (Montreal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022).
    Honourable Mention: Robert G. Allan, with Peter A. Robson, Workboats For the World: The Robert Allan Story. (Maderia Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2022) 
    and
    Erika Behrisch Discovery, Innovation, and the Victorian Admiralty: Paper Navigators. (Cham, CH: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).

    2022: Barry Gough, Possessing Meares Island: A Historian’s Journey into the Past of Clayoquot Sound. (Maderia, B.C.: Harbour Publishing, 2021).

    2021: T. Joseph Scanlon, edited by Roger Sarty, Catastrophe: Stories and Lessons from the Halifax Explosion. (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2020).
    Honourable Mention: Eileen Reid Marcil, PS Royal William of Quebec: The First True Transatlantic Steamer (Baraka Books of Montreal, 2020).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: Helen Edwards (ed.), Dutchy’s Diaries: Life as a Canadian Naval Officer, In His Own Words, 1915-1929. (Edwards Heritage Consulting 2020).

    2020: John MacFarlane and Lynn Salmon, Around the World in a Dugout Canoe: The Untold Story of Captain John Voss and the Tilikum. (Harbour Publishing, 2019).
    Honourable Mention: Antony Adler, Neptune’s Laboratory: Fantasy, Fear, and Science at Sea. (Harvard University Press, 2019).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: Not awarded 

    2019: Anthony B. Dickinson and Chesley W. Sanger, After the Basques: The Whaling Station of Newfoundland and Labrador. (DRC Publishing, 2018).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: Rick James, Don’t Never Tell Nobody Nothin’ No How: The Real Story of West Coast Rum Running.(Harbour Publishing, 2018).

    2018: Barry Gough, Churchill and Fisher: Titans of the Admiralty.(Seaforth Publishing, 2017).
    and
    Michael L. Hadley and Anita Hadley (eds.), Spindrift: A Canadian Book of the Sea. (Douglas & McIntyre, 2017).
    Honourable Mention: Cheryl Fury (ed.), The Social History of English Seamen, 1650 – 1850. (Boydell Press, 2017).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: Not awarded

    2017: Chesley W. Sanger, Scottish Arctic Whaling. (John Donald, 2016).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: Colin Henthorne, The Queen of the North Disaster: The Captain’ Story. (Harbour Publishing, 2016).

    2016: Faye M. Kert, Privateering: Patriots and Profits in the War of 1812. (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015).
    Honourable Mention: Adam Shoalts, Alone Against the North: An Expedition into the Unknown. (The Penguin Group, 2015).
    Honourable Mention: Glenn Stein, Discovering The North-West Passage: The Four-Year Odyssey of H.M.S. Investigator and the McClure Expedition. (McFarland & Company, 2015).
    Book Deserving Special Recognition: (new category) Derrick Bowring, edited by Amy Bowring, Down to Bowring’s: A Memoir. (Creative Book Publishing, 2015).

    2015: Gordon W. Smith and edited by P. Whitney Lackenbauer, A Historical and Legal Study of Sovereignty In the Canadian North: Terrestrial Sovereignty, 1870 – 1939. (University of Calgary Press, Northern Lights series, 2014).
    Honourable Mention: Barry Gough, Pax Britannica: Ruling the Waves and Keeping the Peace before Armageddon. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).

    2014: Sean Cadigan, Death on Two Fronts: National Tragedies and the Fate of Democracy in Newfoundland, 1914 – 1934. (Allen Lane, 2013).

    2013: Christopher M. Bell, Churchill & Sea Power. (Oxford University Press, 2012).
    Honourable Mention: Freeman Tovell (trans.), Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America, 1792: Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra and the Nootka Sound Controversy. (Oklahoma University Press, 2012).
    Honourable Mention: Roger Sarty, War in the St Lawrence: The Forgotten U-Boat Battles on Canada’s Shores. (Allen Lane, 2012). 

    2012: James Pritchard, A Bridge of Ships: Canadian Shipbuilding during the Second World War. (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2011).
    Honourable Mention: Katharine Lochnan, Black Ice: David Blackwood Prints of Newfoundland. (Douglas & McIntyre and the Art Gallery of Ontario, 2011).

    2011: Barry Gough, Historical Dreadnoughts: Arthur Marder, Stephen Roskill and Battles for Naval History. (Seaforth Publishing, 2010).
    Honourable Mention: William Johnston, William Rawling, Richard Gimblett and John McFarlane, The Seabound Coast: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1867-1939, vol 1. (Dundurn Press, 2010). 

    2010: Eric L. Mills, The Fluid Envelope of our Planet: How the Study of Ocean Currents Became a Science (University of Toronto Press, 2009).
    Honourable Mention: edited by Richard Gimblett, The Naval Service of Canada 1910 – 2010: The Centennial Story,, (Dundurn Press, 2009).
    Honourable Mention: Glyn Williams,  Arctic Labyrinth: The Quest for the Northwest Passage (Viking Canada, 2009).

    2009: Freeman M. Tovell, At the Far Reaches of Empire: The Life of Juan Francisco de la Bodega Y Quadra (UBC Press, 2008).
    Honourable Mention: Ken McGoogan, Race to the Polar Sea: The Heroic Adventures and Romantic Obsessions of Elisha Kent Kane(HarperCollins, 2008).
    Honourable Mention: Taras Grescoe, Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood (HarperCollins, 2008).

    2008: W.A.B. Douglas, Roger Sarty, Michael Whitby, et. al., A Blue Water Navy: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1943-1945, Volume II, Part 2.(Vanwell Publishing, 2007).
    Honourable Mention: Barry Gough, Fortune’s a River: The Collision of Empires in Northwest America. (Harbour Publishing, 2007).
    Honourable Mention: Dionisius A. Agius, Classic Ships of Islam: From Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean. (Brill – Netherlands, 2007).
    Honourable Mention: Hilda Chaulk Murray, Of Boats On the Collar: How it was in One Newfoundland Fishing Community. (Flanker Press, 2007).

    2007: Keith McLaren, A Race for Real Sailors: The Bluenose and the International Fishermen’s Cup, 1920-1938, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006)
    Honourable Mention: Daniel Sekulich, Ocean Titans: Journeys in Search of The Soul of a Ship (Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2006)
    Honourable Mention: Peter A. Robson, Salmon Farming: The Whole Story (Nanoose Bay, B.C.: Heritage House, 2006)
    Honourable Mention: Michael Whitby, Richard Gimblett, and Peter Haydon, eds., The Admirals: Canada’s Senior Naval Leadership in the Twentieth Century (Toronto: Dundurn, 2006)
    Honourable Mention: John G. Langley, Steam Lion: A Biography of Samuel Cunard (Halifax: Nimbus, 2006)

    2006: Anthony B. Dickinson and Chesley W. Sanger, Twentieth Century Shore-Station Whaling in Newfoundland and Labrador(Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2005)
    Honourable Mention: Michael Whitby, ed. Commanding Canadians: The Second World War diaries of Commander A.F.C. Layard(Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005)
    Honourable Mention: Dennis Brown, Salmon Wars: the Battle for the West Coast Salmon Fishery (Madeira Park, B.C.: Harbour Publishing, 2005)
    Honourable Mention: Noel Elizabeth Currie, Constructing Colonial Discourse: Captain Cook at Nootka Sound (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queens University Press, 2005) 

    2005: Julian Gwyn, Ashore and Afloat: The British Navy and the Halifax Naval Yard before 1820 (University of Ottawa Press, 2004)
    Honourable Mention: Werner Hirschmann with Donald Graves, Another Place, Another Time: A U-Boat Officer’s Wartime Album (Robin Brass, 2004)
    Honourable Mention: Fraser M. McKee, ‘Sink all the Shipping there:’ the Wartime Loss of Canada’s Merchant Ships and Fishing Schooners (Vanwell, 2004)
    Honourable Mention: Richard Gimblett, Operation Apollo: The Golden Age of the Canadian Navy in the War against Terrorism (Magic Light Publishing and the Department of National Defence, 2004)

    2004: W.A.B. Douglas, Roger Sarty, Michael Whitby, Robert H. Caldwell, William Johnston, and William G. P. Rawling, No Higher Purpose. The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1939-1943, Volume II, Part I (Vanwell Publishing, 2002)
    Honourable Mention: Jerry Bannister, The Rule of the Admirals: Law, Custom, and Naval Government in Newfoundland, 1699-1832(University of Toronto Press, 2003
    Honourable Mention: Julian Gwyn, Frigates and Foremasts: The North American Squadron in Nova Scotia Waters, 1745-1815 (UBC Press, 2003) 

    2003: John Jennings, The Canoe : A Living Tradition (Firefly Books, 2002)
    Honourable Mention: John G. Armstrong, The Halifax Explosion and the Royal Canadian Navy: Inquiry and intrigue (UBC Press, 2002)

    2002: James McDermott, Martin Frobisher : Elizabethan Privateer(Yale University Press, 2001)

    2001: Brian Tennyson and Roger Sarty, Guardian of the Gulf : Sydney, Cape Breton and the Atlantic Wars (University of Toronto Press, 2000)

    2000: Thomas H.B. Symons, Meta Incognita : A Discourse of Discovery – Martin Frobisher’s Arctic Expeditions, 1576 – 1578 (The Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999)

    1999: Emerson W. Baker and John G. Reid, The New England Knight : Sir William Phips, 1651 – 1698 (University of Toronto Press, 1998)

    1998: W. Gillies Ross, This Distant and Unsurveyed Country : A Woman’s Winter at Baffin Island, 1857-58 (McGill Queen’s University Press, 1997)

    1997: Pierre Camu, Le Saint-Laurent et les grands lacs au temps de la voile 1608-1850 (Les Editions Hurtubise, 1996)

    1996: James Pritchard, Anatomy of a Naval Disaster : The 1746 French Expedition to North America (McGill Queen’s University Press, 1995)
    Honourable Mention: Michael Hadley Count not the Dead : The Popular Image of the german Submarine (McGill Queen’s University Press, 1995)
    Honourable Mention: John D. Fudge, Cargoes, Embargoes, and Emissaries: The Commercial and Political Interaction of England and the German Hanse, 1450- 1510 (University of Toronto Press, 1995)
    Honourable Mention: Eileen Reid Marcil, The Charley-Man: A History of Wooden Shipbuilding at Quebec 1763-1893. (Quarry Press, 1995)

    1995: Wayne M. O’Leary, The Tancook Schooners: An Island and Its Boats (McGill Queen’s University Press, 1994)

    1994: Dianne Newell, Tangled Webs of History : Indians and the Law in Canada’s Pacific Coast Fisheries (University of Toronto Press, 1993)

    1993: James R. Gibson, Otter Skins, Boston Ships, and China Goods: The Maritime Fur Trade of the Northwest Coast 1785 – 1841(University of British Columbia Press, 1992)
    Honourable Mention: Barry M. Gough, The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and Discoveries to 1812 (University of British Columbia Press, 1992)
    Honourable Mention: G.P.V. Akrigg and Helen B. Akrigg, H.M.S. Viragoin the Pacific 1851 – 1855: To the Queen Charlottes and Beyond(Victoria: Sono Nis Press, 1992)

    1992: Michael Hadley and Roger Sarty, Tin-Pots and Pirate Ships: Canadian Naval Forces and German Sea Raiders 1880 – 1918 (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1991)
    Honourable Mention: Rosemary E. Ommer, From Outpost to Outport: A Structural Analysis of the Jersey-Gaspé Cod Fishery, 1767 – 1886(McGIll-Queen’s University Press, 1991)

    1991: Eric W. Sager with Gerald E. Panting, Maritime Capital: The Shipping Industry in Atlantic Canada, 1820 – 1914 (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1990)
    Honourable Mention: Jean-François Brière, La Pêche française en Amérique du Nord au XVIIIe siècle (Editions Fides, 1990) 

    1990: Brian Loring Villa, Unauthorized Action: Mountbatten and the Dieppe Raid (Oxford University Press, 1989)
    Honourable Mention: Eric Sager, Seafaring Labour: The Merchant Marine of Atlantic Canada, 1820 – 1914 (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1989)

    1989: Gordon Stead, A Leaf Upon the Sea: A Small Ship in the Mediterranean, 1941 – 1943 (University of British Columbia Press, 1988)
    Honourable Mention: W.A.B. Douglas, ed., The RCN in Transition, 1910 – 1985 (University of British Columbia Press, 1988)

    1988: J.F. Bosher, The Canada Merchants, 1713 – 63 Oxford University Press, 1987)
    Honourable Mention: Aliette Geistdoerfer, Pêcheurs acadiens, pêcheurs madelinots: Ethnologie d’une communauté de pêcheurs (Presses Universitaires de Laval, 1987)
    Honourable Mention: Clyde Sanger, Ordering the Oceans: The Making of the Law of the Sea (University of Toronto Press, 1987)

    1987: Ian K. Steele, The English Atlantic 1675 – 1740: An Exploration of Communications and Community (Oxford University Press, 1986)

    1986: Michael L. Hadley, U-boats Against Canada: German Submarines in Canadian Waters (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1985)

    1985: Barry M. Gough, Gunboat Frontier: British Maritime Authority and the Northwest Coast Indians, 1846 – 1890 (University of British Columbia Press, 1984)

  • Awards

    In pursuit of its mandate to encourage the study of nautical history by and about Canadians, the Canadian Nautical Research Society/La société canadienne pour la recherche nautique presents a variety of annual awards:

  • Argonauta

    Logo

    Argonauta is a quarterly publication of the Society (ISSN 2291-5427). Besides serving as the CNRS newsletter, it also provides a place for articles less formal than those which would appear in The Northern Mariner. Contributions may be sent by e-mail to the editors Ambjörn Adomeit and Richard Goette.

    It is also the best place for queries and small research notes; for example: Robin H. Wyllie’s articles on  Maritime Provinces Steam Passenger Vessels.

    H.T. Holman has indexed all the  Argonauta Book Reviews  with an explanatory introduction.

    Starting with Volume XXX, Number 1 (Winter 2013),  Argonauta  has been published on-line. Our latest issue is  Argonauta, Vol XLII, No 3 (Summer 2025) . Back issues are available below:


    1984 Vol I
    No 1 (September 1984)
    No 2 (December 1984)
    First issue was titled “ The Canadian “

    1985 Vol II
    No 1 (March 1985)
    No 2 (June 1985)
    No 3 (September 1985)
    No 4 (December 1985)

    1986 Vol III
    No 1 (March 1986)
    No 2 (June 1986)
    No 3 (September 1986)
    No 4 (December 1986)

    1987 Vol IV
    No 1 (March 1987)
    No 2 (June 1987)
    No 3 (September 1987)
    No 4 (December 1987)

    1988 Vol V
    No 1 (March 1988)
    Nos 2 and 3 (June/September 1988)
    No 4 not published

    1989 Vol VI
    No 1 (January 1989)
    No 2 (April 1989)
    No 3 (July 1989)
    No 4 (October 1989)

    1990 Vol VII
    No 1 (January 1990)
    No 2 (April 1990)
    No 3 (July 1990)
    No 4 (October 1990)
    Argonauta, Vol VII – special supplement

    1991 Vol VIII
    No 1 (January 1991)
    No 2 (April 1991)
    No 3 (July 1991)
    No 4 (October 1991)

    1992 Vol IX
    No 1 (January 1992)
    No 2 (April 1992)
    No 3 (July 1992)
    No 4 (October 1992)

    1993 Vol X
    No 1 (January 1993)
    No 2 (April 1993)
    No 3 (July 1993)
    No 4 (October 1993)
    special supplement

    1994 Vol XI
    No 1 (January 1994)
    No 2 (April 1994)
    No 3 (July 1994)
    No 4 (October 1994)

    1995 Vol XII
    No 1 (January 1995)
    No 2 (April 1995)
    No 3 (July 1995)
    No 4 (October 1995)

    1996 Vol XIII
    No 1 (January 1996)
    No 2 (April 1996)
    No 3 (July 1996)
    No 4 (October 1996)
    Argonauta, Vol XIII, special supplement

    1997 Vol XIV
    No 1 (January 1997)
    No 2 (April 1997)
    No 3 (July 1997)
    No 4 (October 1997)

    1998 Vol XV
    No 1 (January 1998)
    No 2 (April 1998)
    No 3 (July 1998)
    No 4 (October 1998)

    1999 Vol XVI
    No 1 (January 1999)
    No 2 (April 1999)
    No 3 (July 1999)
    No 4 (October 1999)

    2000 Vol XVII
    No 1 (January 2000)
    No 2 (April 2000)
    No 3 (July 2000)
    No 4 (October 2000)

    2001 Vol XVIII
    No 1 (January 2001)
    No 2 (April 2001)
    No 3 (July 2001)
    No 4 (October 2001)

    2002 Vol XIX
    No 1 (January 2002)
    No 2 (April 2002)
    No 3 (July 2002)
    No 4 (October 2002)
    Note: January 2002 labeled “XVIV Number Four” and April 2002 labeled “XVIV”

    2003 Vol XX
    No 1 (January 2003)
    No 2 (April 2003)
    No 3 (July 2003)
    No 4 (October 2003)

    2004 Vol XXI
    No 1 (January 2004)
    No 2 (April 2004)
    No 3 (July 2004)
    No 4 (October 2004)

    2005 Vol XXII
    No 1 (January 2005)
    No 2 (April 2005)
    No 3 (July 2005)
    No 4 (October 2005)

    2006 Vol XXIII
    No 1 (January 2006)
    No 2 (April 2006)
    No 3 (July 2006)
    No 4 (October 2006)

    2007 Vol XXIV
    No 1 (January 2007)
    No 2 (April 2007)
    No 3 (July 2007)
    No 4 (October 2007)

    2008 Vol XXV
    No 1 (January 2008)
    No 2 (April 2008)
    No 3 (July 2008)
    No 4 (October 2008)

    2009 Vol XXVI
    No 1 (January 2009)
    No 2 (April 2009)
    No 3 (July 2009)
    No 4 (October 2009)

    2010 Vol XXVII
    No 1 (Winter 2010)
    Nos 2-4 (Spring-Autumn 2010)

    2011 Vol XXVIII
    No 1 (Winter 2011)
    No 2 (Spring 2011)
    No 3 (Summer 2011)
    No 4 (Autumn 2011)

    2012 Vol XXIX
    No 1 (Winter 2012)
    No 2 (Spring 2012)
    No 3 (Summer 2012)
    No 4 (Autumn 2012)
    No 4 was the last “paper” edition.

    2013 Vol XXX
    No 1 (Winter 2013)
    No 2 (Spring 2013)
    No 3 (Summer 2013)
    No 4 (Autumn 2013)
    Start of electronic (.pdf) issues.

    2014 Vol XXXI
    No 1 (Winter 2014)
    No 2 (Spring 2014)
    No 3 (Summer 2014)
    No 4 (Autumn 2014)

    2015 Vol XXXII
    No 1 (Winter 2015)
    No 2 (Spring 2015)
    No 3 (Summer 2015)
    No 4 (Autumn 2015)

    2016 Vol XXXIII
    No 1 (Winter 2016)
    No 2 (Spring 2016)
    No 3 (Summer 2016)
    No 4 (Autumn 2016)

    2017 Vol XXXIV
    No 1 (Winter 2017)
    No 2 (Spring 2017)
    No 3 (Summer 2017)
    No 4 (Autumn 2017)

    2018 Vol XXXV
    No 1 (Winter 2018)
    No 2 (Spring 2018)
    No 3 (Summer 2018)
    No 4 (Autumn 2018)

    2019 Vol XXXVI
    No 1 (Winter 2019)
    No 2 (Spring 2019)
    No 3 (Summer 2019)
    No 4 (Autumn 2019)

    2020 Vol XXXVII
    No 1 (Winter 2020)
    No 2 (Spring 2020)
    No 3 (Summer 2020)
    No 4 (Autumn 2020)

    2021 Vol XXXVIII
    No 1 (Winter 2021)
    No 2 (Spring 2021)
    No 3 (Summer 2021)
    No 4 (Autumn 2021)

    2022 Vol XXXIX
    No 1 (Winter 2022)
    No 2 (Spring 2022)
    No 3 (Summer 2022)
    No 4 (Autumn 2022)

    2023 Vol XL
    No 1 (Winter 2023)
    No 2 (Spring 2023)
    No 3 (Summer 2023)
    No 4 (Autumn 2023)

    2024 Vol XLI
    No 1 (Winter 2024)
    No 2 (Spring 2024)
    Nos 3-4 (Summer Autumn 2024)

    2025 Vol XLII
    No 1 (Winter 2025)
    No 2 (Spring 2025)
    No 3 (Summer 2025)
    No 4 (Fall 2025)

    2026 Vol XLIII
    No 1 (Winter 2026)
    No 2 (Spring 2026)