Admiral Percy Walker Nelles, (7 January 1892 – 13 July 1951) was a flag officer in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 January 1934 to 15 January 1944. He oversaw the massive wartime expansion of the RCN and the transformation of Canada into a major player in the Battle of the Atlantic. During his tenure U-boats raided the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canadian Northwest Atlantic command was created, and the RCN provided up to 40% of all escort forces in the North Atlantic. His handling of the RCN's war effort had its opponents however, and he was removed from his post as Chief of the Naval Staff in January 1944. He was sent to London as Overseas Naval Attaché, coordinating RCN operations for Operation Overlord. He retired in January 1945 as a full admiral. Early life Nelles was born in Brantford, Ontario on 7 January 1892, the son of Brigadier General Charles M. Nelles (1865–1936). As a child, Nelles attended the private schools Lakefield Preparatory School and then Trinity College School in Port Hope. As a child he was known to play with boats on the Grand River and wanted to be a part of the navy all of his life. Brigadier General Nelles wrote to the Minister of Marine and Fisheries for an appointment for Percy in the future Canadian naval service. Nelles enlisted as a cadet in the Fisheries Protection Service in 1909. He joined the Fisheries Protection Service as the second of the first seven cadets in anticipation of the formation of the Canadian navy. Nelles first assignment was to , the new Canadian fisheries protection vessel in 1910. Naval career In 1910, Nelles transferred to the nascent RCN and became a midshipman aboard Canada's new cruiser . Over the next ten years he would rise from the rank of sub-lieutenant to the rank of captain as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff. Due to the small size of the RCN, Canadian officers were sent to train on larger ships of the British Royal Navy to gain experience. In December 1911, Nelles joined the battleship . In early 1914, Nelles transferred to the cruiser , which was assigned to the North America and West Indies Station based at Bermuda. In early 1914 Suffolk was sent to protect British interests in Mexico during the civil war. With the breakout of