Welland, Robert P.: my Navy recollections (December 6, 2009)
Interviewee: Welland, Robert P.
ABSTRACT: Rear-Admiral Robert Welland The Interview begins with a quick summary of Admiral Welland’s career up until 1962 and the Crisis. This is quite extensive since the Admiral had served in both WWII and the Korean War. The interview turns to a discussion on the Cuban Missile Crisis proper, as Welland was then a Commodore at headquarters and well apprised of the situation. He then talks about cooperation with the US Navy, and the role of the RCN in NATO and the CANUS defense agreements. He then briefly talks of his arrival in Britain to take command of the aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure. Welland next talks about the Soviet submarine capability. The interview next turns to a discussion of ASW methods, specifically, the Bonaventure’s patrol area and what was to be done if a Soviet Sub was spotted. There is a brief discussion on the Political situation in which he relates that Admiral Dyer was taking the only initiative in respect to Canada’s naval participation. This is followed by a description of the Bonaventure’s plane capacity and other capabilities. Next, Welland discusses the nature of the conflict. He discusses the fact that nothing much happened during operations in the Atlantic. He claims that not one Soviet submarine was successfully confirmed. He postulates that it was because the subs were pulled back away from the North American coast. He goes on to talk about the roles and responsibilities of the RCN during the Cold War, and how they related to NATO and CANUS. The interview concludes with a tangential story from WWII.
An interview/narrative of Robert P. Welland's recollections of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Interview took place on December 6, 2009.
Interviewer: Pye, Andrew
Rank: Rear-Admiral.
- In Collection:
- Glasgow (Cruiser)
- Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, Canadian
- Anti-submarine warfare--Equipment and supplies
- United States--Navy
- Athabaskan II (Destroyer)
- Daido-ko (North Korea)
- Naval gunnery
- Cold War
- Dunkirk, Battle of, Dunkerque, France, 1940
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Frobisher (Cruiser)
- Haida (Destroyer)
- Bonaventure (Aircraft carrier)
- Canada-United States (CANUS) Basic Defense Document (BDD)
- Royal Roads Military College
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Canadian
- Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
- Submarines (Ships)--Soviet Union
- Welland, Robert Phillip, 1918-2010--Interviews
- Dyer, Kenneth Lloyd ("Ken"), 1915-2000
- Canada--Politics and government--1945-1980
- Canada--Royal Canadian Navy
- Assiniboine I (Destroyer)
- St. Laurent (Destroyer)
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 39.76, -98.5
- 60.10867, -113.64258
- Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- WRP_607
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- January 22, 2010
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 192 kbps and 44 kHz. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2010. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
This page supports the Zotero and Mendeley browser extensions simply click on the extension widget in your browser to save the objects citation.
