OTL
RCN had serious personnel problems during the late 1940s. Most senior officers had served aboard RN capital ships during the war. They saw time sailing aboard capital ships as vital to promotion to senior ranks. That is why the RCN retained cruisers and aircraft carriers after WW2. Many of those officers acted "more British than the British" ..... like snobs from the British gentry.
Officers lost touch with lower ranks. One particularly annoying incident saw bosuns' traditional make-and-mend cancelled so they could lash down officers' cars in the hangar. Officers wanted to drive their personal (civilian) cars while ashore in Europe. The majority of lower deck sailors could not afford cars. Sailors traditionally used make-and-mend to run errands, banking, visiting dentists or hanging out with their families.
Too bad nobody told lower deck sailors why RCN officers were so arrogant and deserved such special treatment. Arristocratic "British" officers were incompatible with more democratic Canadian sailors.
In 1949, sailors on three RCN ships locked themselves in mess decks and refused to work until their grievances were heard by their captains. Fortunately, Admiral Rollo Mainguy did listen and his damming report forced many changes upon the RCN .... like maple leaves and the word "Canada" on uniforms.
OTL HMCS Bonoventure's last refit (1966) was done at Lauzon Shipyards in Quebec. Her refit's primary goal was buying votes in Quebec. Whether the navy got a good ship was third priority. In the long run, all those billions of defence dollars spent in Quebec bought enough votes that Quebec never separated.
RCN had serious personnel problems during the late 1940s. Most senior officers had served aboard RN capital ships during the war. They saw time sailing aboard capital ships as vital to promotion to senior ranks. That is why the RCN retained cruisers and aircraft carriers after WW2. Many of those officers acted "more British than the British" ..... like snobs from the British gentry.
Officers lost touch with lower ranks. One particularly annoying incident saw bosuns' traditional make-and-mend cancelled so they could lash down officers' cars in the hangar. Officers wanted to drive their personal (civilian) cars while ashore in Europe. The majority of lower deck sailors could not afford cars. Sailors traditionally used make-and-mend to run errands, banking, visiting dentists or hanging out with their families.
Too bad nobody told lower deck sailors why RCN officers were so arrogant and deserved such special treatment. Arristocratic "British" officers were incompatible with more democratic Canadian sailors.
In 1949, sailors on three RCN ships locked themselves in mess decks and refused to work until their grievances were heard by their captains. Fortunately, Admiral Rollo Mainguy did listen and his damming report forced many changes upon the RCN .... like maple leaves and the word "Canada" on uniforms.
OTL HMCS Bonoventure's last refit (1966) was done at Lauzon Shipyards in Quebec. Her refit's primary goal was buying votes in Quebec. Whether the navy got a good ship was third priority. In the long run, all those billions of defence dollars spent in Quebec bought enough votes that Quebec never separated.