Ship’s Cats, Mascots & Animal Companions:

Upcoming Exhibit

Creatures furry and feathered have featured in the shipboard lives of sailors since ancient times. To celebrate the contribution of such creatures great and small, the museum is planning an exhibit for spring/summer 2008.

The exhibit will showcase photos and reminiscences of the animals that have shared the working lives of Canadian Forces members, and will also focus on the animal mascots which have represented Canadian ships like HMCS Qu’Appelle and HMCS Terra Nova.

As part of the exhibition planning process, we are seeking stories and pictures from individuals who want to share memories of animal companions they’ve encountered aboard ship or as part of their working environment. We’ll also be taking a look at animals as part of the CFB Esquimalt community, including the famous (or infamous!) Naden geese, and the many deer that roam freely throughout the Base.

Many cats have served as mascots and companions to ships’ crew members. These feline friends not only paid for their keep by saving shipboard supplies from vermin, they were a real comfort to sailors far from home and loved ones for long periods. There was a ship’s cat aboard HMCS Rainbow, one of the Canadian Navy’s first two vessels, and possibly a dog as well. The cat's name is not known, but as with many naval felines, a hammock was one of the perks of the job.

Sailors from Naden also adopted a variety of other animals over the years. When the crew of HMCS Thiepval returned to Esquimalt from the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan in 1924, they brought with them a living reminder of their travels, a higuma (brown bear).

HMCS Uganda (or possibly HMCS Quebec) was reportedly presented with an elephant during one of the ship’s hospitality visits. Signalman Tim Ryley of HMS (later HMCS) Shearwater purchased a parrot at as a pet while at Corinto, Nicaragua. The bird’s antics certainly kept Ryley and crewmates entertained. The parrot frequently features in Ryley’s 1906 journal. Here are some extracts:

“Had to go and get the parrot from aft because he was disturbing the Old Man by whistling and singing out”.

“The parrot also had a slight attack of sea sickness but bucked up immense by towards dinner time.”

For the full text of Tim Ryley’s Shearwater days, visit -http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/resource_pages/chars/ryley_shearwater_memories.pdf
- Clare Sugrue, exhibit designer/organizer