A Second War Royal Canadian Navy H.M.C.S. Haida Sailor's Cap 1944

Black wool exterior, stiff oval framed sides, visorless with a concave top, a pair of eyelets on either side for ventilation, tally ribbon in black nylon with gold-threaded stitched letters inscribed "H.M.C.S. HAIDA" and tied in a bow on the left side. The interior sides lined in gray cotton, pleated liner in gray cotton in the dome with a white drawstring, light gray canvas top stamped in white ink with the size "7 3/8", the maker mark "NATIONAL HAT MFG. CO." and the date "1944" inside a circle, with "NAVAL" stamped in black ink nearby, a 580 mm long navy blue cotton ribbon attached to the the underside of the pleats in the dome and hangs loose, measuring 190 mm x 210 mm for the head opening and 245 mm x 255 mm x 85 mm in height overall. Although the navy blue cotton ribbon exhibits extensive fraying, the cap remains free of mothing and interruptions in the fabric. Extremely fine. Footnote: The H.M.C.S. Haida was one of twenty-seven Tribal Class destroyers built for the Canadian Navy, the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy between 1937 and 1945. It has been said that the Tribals were "magnificent in appearance, majestic in movement and menacing in disposition". Technologically, they represented the most advanced naval architecture, marine propulsion systems and weaponry of their time. During the Second World War, she served on the frigid Murmansk run to Russia and in clearing the English Channel for the Normandy invasion. She helped sink fourteen enemy vessels. She was recommissioned in 1952 and served with the United Nations in Korea, taking part in shore bombardment, blockades and attacks on trains. After being retired, it was opened as a museum in 1965, docked near the CNE grounds in Toronto, After extensive overhauling, it was moved to Hamilton in 2003 and is owned and operated by Parks Canada as a National Historic site. It is the only surviving Tribal Class destroyer of the twenty-seven constructed. (C:14)