This was the Officer's living and dining room where they ate their meals, relaxed and entertained guests. The activities of the wardroom mess were supervised by the Executive Officer who was also the President of the Mess. The Captain was not a member, nor did he have access to the Wardroom. He was however, invited in for movies, social and mess dinners. The system was very effective as the Captain remained detached from the officers so they could relax without being under his constant scrutiny.During World War II, when HAIDA'S sister ship H.M.C.S. ATHABASKAN was sunk, the Wardroom was used as the area for treating the survivors. Today, the Wardroom is the place where guests and dignitaries are entertained when they visit and for a rental fee, it's available for private functions.
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| The table you see today was original to HAIDA in 1943 and was removed
from the ship by a family after HAIDA paid off. For years, It was
stored in a garage . One day, the family were clearing out the garage
and figured out what it was, so they turned it over to the (former) MARCOM
Museum in Halifax. A lot of the pieces still had the original 1943 identification
tags on them.
MARCOM had no space for an assembled table, so they offered it to HAIDA. It arrived to the ship via a transport company that the museum had hired. The table used to be longer that it is today since it was shortened when the Squid hoist was installed during the 1949-1952 modernization. The original mounting still lined up but the the pull- out section had been changed. Normally it accomodated 12 officers, not including the CO, who ate in his Cabin except for formal Mess Dinners. Dinner was about the only time that all, or most, would sit down at the same time. The Officers were not always there for every meal, as there would be one or two on watch while at sea. Breakfast seating was in waves as not everyone got up at the same time. The head of the table, next to the Squid Hoist (at the left side of this photo) was the XO's seat, and the EO had the spot to his left. No one sat in these spots even when the the XO and EO wern't there. Everyone else sat randomly, although the Electrical Officer and the Supply Officer had favourite seats. The others wouldn't normally occupy them unless they had finished their meal and left the table. When in Halifax, all officers were normally there only for lunch. However, lunchtime in any port usually involved some drinking so not everyone was necessarily at the table at the same time. (Photo by Jim Brewer) |
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| After the table arrived from Halifax, all the Wardroom chairs were
rounded up from various parts of the ship. They were in a very sad state.
Most of the plastic-like seats and backs had been panted over the original
colour. The chairs weresent out to be repainted and reupholstered to match
the original colour and texture aa close as possible.
The table could be cordoned off with two curtains which ran on rails that were positioned on on the deckhead amd on the same centres as the Squid hoist. At the right side of the photo is an airconditioning unit that was installed in the late 1990s. (Photo by Mark Yearian) Jim Brewer designed and installed the two historically accurate light fixtures that are currently above the table in the wardroom. The design is based from a period picture and an electrical drawing. The drawing also referred to a historically correct fixture in the Captain’s Day cabin so this served to verify accuracy. In the Captain’s Cabin, the fixture was fitted with a plug so it could be removed when the ship was at sea. In addition, these were multi-bulb fixtures. As a result of the Parks Canada re-wiring project of 2019, the receptacle in the Captain’s Day cabin has been moved from its original; position and is no longer active. |
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| The chair at the end of the table on the port side had a missing arm . This was intentional because the chair was at the outboard end and would not fit between the table legs. The Engineering Officer sat at the end of the table next to the Squid hoist while the Executive Officer sat at the outboard end. |
Starboard side view of Wardroom looking slightly towards aft. In 2006, the Wardroom deck was restored to its authentic Korean war-era colours using the old 9"x 9" linoleum format. The two glass tables are not authentic Wardroom furniture. Normally there would not be any glass enclosed, framed photos displayed on the bulkheads of a working ship. (Photo by Jerry Proc) The wardroom table was the central, fixed piece of furniture, which was used for meals, briefings, paperwork and informally for discussion and decision-making. On a Tribal-class destroyer like Haida, it was a substantial, heavy wooden table, designed to survive heavy seas.
Construction and appearance:
*Typically solid hardwood (often teak or similar naval furniture timber)
*Rectangular, with heavy legs or pedestal supports
*Fitted so it could not shift in rough weather
*Plain and utilitarian — no decoration — consistent with wartime RN/RCN practice
*Surrounded by fixed or semi-fixed seating (often benches or chairs secured to deck fittings)Historical significance:
This table would have been in daily use during Atlantic convoy operations, the Normandy (D-Day) period, English Channel and Bay of Biscay actions.
Arctic and North Sea service - Many operational discussions, orders, and post-action reviews would have taken place around it. Officers who later became senior RCN figures would have sat at that table early in their careers.
Is it original to HMCS Haida?
Yes — the wardroom table currently identified as such aboard Haida is regarded as original or period-original to her wartime service, not a modern reproduction. Unlike electronics or weapons (which were replaced repeatedly), furniture was rarely changed unless damaged. During Haida’s long postwar service and later preservation, the table survived because it had no scrap value, it remained useful, it was part of the ship’s internal structure and fittings.
Where it fits in today:
As with many museum ships, access to the wardroom can be restricted or guided-only, to protect original fittings. The table is now considered to be a material artifact of daily naval life. It is one of the few few untouched “human-scale” wartime objects aboard. It contrasts strongly with restored areas, because it shows wear, patina, and use, not cosmetic refurbishment.
Why it’s important
Unlike guns or radar, this table represents routine life, not just combat. It’s where the men ate; letters were read; abd careers were shaped Decisions were argued and settled. In short, Haida’s wardroom table is a quiet survivor — not dramatic, but deeply authentic.
According to the late Cdr Bob Willson, HAIDA had a piano in the Wardroom but it doesn't show up on drawings. Pianos were not RCN issue. If a ship had a piano . that means it was procured by the crew outside of RCN channels.
This photo titled 'Entertaining Black Watch Pipers prior to Mess Dinner, HMCS HAIDA' was taken in HAIDA'S Wardroom sometime between 1956 and 1958. The occasion was the Military Tattoo held in Hamilton, Bermuda. (A.W. Driega Collection, HMCS HAIDA Archives) The Wardroom went through many different variations in colour and furniture coverings over the years. At one point the coverings were all white! There were many instances where the officers painted the bulkhead with images. In the Al Driega photo above, the deck was carpeted and the scuttle with covered with a black, floral patterned curtain. Sometimes the deck was carpeted. Other times, tiles were the norm.
Pat Barnhouse served as HAIDA's Electrical Office in the 1960-61 time period. He recalls one amenity in the Wardroom and that was a TV set which sat in an opening between the Wardroom (starboard, front side bulkhead) and one of the Officers cabins. There was no installed antenna system for the TV. Officers experimented with all sorts of jury rigs such as rabbit ears and metal clothes hangers. None of these schemes were very successful. TV, could not of course, be viewed once the ship was outside the line of sight distance to the TV transmitter. There was no radio in the Wardroom. Instead, the primary source of entertainment was the Sound Reproduction Equipment (SRE) system and supplemented with movies.
Another item to note is the location of the Officers Quarters and bunks:
* The Captain had his own private bunk in his Day Cabin .
* The XO had his own cabin and bunk in Wardroom Flats.
* There were four double bunk cabins in wardroom flats with two officers per cabin.
* The Engineer's cabin had one bunk.
* In Ship's Office flats, there were six bunks. Three were removed when HAIDA was berthed at Ontario Place. Now there are only three to be seen.
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