The Merchant Navy was the name given to the transport ships that crossed the Atlantic to allied countries during the two world wars. They played the crucial role of transporting soldiers, arms, fuel, aircraft, supplies, and many other things. Around 10,000 tonnes of goods per vessel were transported in each crossing.

The Canadian Merchant Navy was small during World War I. However, a large number of Canadian sailors found work on British ships. During the Second World War, thanks to the shipyards the Merchant Navy fleet became significantly larger, growing from 38 to more than 440 vessels.

All these ships made a total of 25,343 crossings and transported more than 165 million tonnes of goods.