Bringing the Battle of the Atlantic to Life

Sharing the stories of Canadians and conflict from early Indigenous warfare to the world’s most recent hotspots, the War Museum’s Canadian Experience Galleries offer thought-provoking insight into Canada’s military history.

The Second World War gallery is a case in point. The gallery explores the world’s most costly conflict to date and features compelling displays, walk-through environments, and unique interactive experiences. One of these experiences is an exciting upgrade to the Corvette Bridge in the Museum’s Battle of the Atlantic module.

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Although the Corvette Bridge has long been a favourite stop for visitors, advances in technology — along with a generous gift from the Pasieka family — have allowed the Museum to update the experience to become a multi-sensory form of storytelling that has elicited surprise and positive reviews from people of all ages.

The Pasieka family made its gift in honour of Arnold Roy Pasieka, who served on the frigate HMCS Strathadam, a convoy escort during the Battle of the Atlantic. Like the frigate on which Mr. Pasieka served, Canada’s corvettes — such as the ship seen in the animated presentation — helped protect the transatlantic lifeline of merchant ships from North America to Europe, which provided people, food, weapons and supplies to keep the Allies in the war.

This gift has been crucial in refurbishing the Corvette Bridge display. Visitors can now experience a moment in history, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the choppy North Atlantic, as a corvette crew hunts a deadly German U-boat. Our sincere thanks to the family for its generous support and, of course, to Arnold Roy Pasieka for his service to this country.

“In a world in which virtual reality and gaming have raised expectations on how content should be shared, we are very pleased with how the new Corvette Bridge experience has turned out,” said Glenn Ogden, Director of Exhibitions at the War Museum. “Immersed by a huge, curved screen, visitors are thrown into the heart of the action. The response has been outstanding.”

Our thanks as well to the many other donors who continue to support our exhibitions and programs so that visitors from around the world can continue to explore, experience and understand thousands of years of Canadian military history.