Canadian Naval Technical History Association

The research area that began the serious work of CNTHA was the Canadian Naval Defence Industrial Base, known by its acronym CANDIB. A working group was formed to organize and coordinate the gathering of historically interesting information, data and the anecdotal recollections of participants in the Defence Industrial Base developed in Canada in response to Canadian Naval requirements in the period from 1950 to 2003. The role of the Team portrayed here is to establish realistic goals for the working group, set guidelines for the gathering of information, determine the manner in which the information will be stored and made accessible and to gather together an array of subject Team Leaders to manage the collection of information for each of the areas of activity in which the Navy’s activities impacted the industrial base throughout this period.

Mission Statement: To document the development of the Canadian industrial base as it evolved in support of warship construction and naval equipment programs between 1930 and 2003, and the affects these programs had on that industrial base.

The CANDIB Team: The CANDIB Working Group Chair is Tony Thatcher. The balance of the CANDIB team is listed separately.

CANDIB Activities: The following CANDIB activities are noteworthy and demonstrate the breadth and depth of the project along with the progress to date:

1. CANDIB Briefing, in November, 2008.

2. Shipyards and Personnel Narrative, by Douglas Hearnshaw.

3. CANDIB’s Oral History Program managed by the late Douglas Hearnshaw assisted by the late Colin Brown and by Tony Thatcher.

4. Canadian Naval Technology Areas - a structured approach to CANDIB investigative work. Working groups are being formed made up of specialists from the area concerned to undertake more focused work in support of CNTHA objectives. At this time the linked page is only visible to Committee Members.

More recently, the work of CANDIB has been subsumed into the work plan of the parent CNTHA.