their civilian careers were to receive training at sea, while those who lived near to the sea would do some of their training at sea and those who lived inland would receive their training at their company's headquarters. First World War During the First World War, members of the RNCVR saw immediate service with the Royal Canadian Navy, as members of the Victoria, British Columbia company, which was the only operational naval reserve company in the country at the time, were recalled to fill out the crew of the Canadian cruiser . The cruiser deployed south off the western coast of North America, responding to reports of German raiders operating along it. Though Rainbow never interacted with the German raiders, Rainbow did capture two German merchant vessels as war prizes. The Victoria company went on to fill out the crews of the submarines and and their tender soon after the war began. As volunteer numbers grew, an Overseas Division was created in February 1916 to recruit Canadians for service with the Royal Navy. Recruiting for this division was divided into nine districts, headquartered in the provincial capitals except in British Columbia, where the headquarters was in Vancouver. By early 1917, roughly 1,200 men had been shipped to the United Kingdom. Though 5,000 men had been authorized, by the end of the war, only 1,700 volunteers were enrolled into the Overseas Division, a number that was limited after the East Coast Patrol along Canada's Atlantic Coast became the focal point of the Canadian naval reserve. During the war, 8,000 officers and ratings joined the RNCVR for service at home or overseas, including those in the Overseas Division. The RNCVR crewed 160 vessels, mainly patrol vessels protecting the shores around Canada and convoy escort duty. Demise The RNCVR quickly rose to prominence during the war, but, along with the Royal Canadian Navy, was neglected after the war drew to a close in 1918. Reservists were demobilized, and the organization of the RNCVR was allowed to lapse due to cuts to the Royal Canadian Navy's budget. By 1922, debates in the House of Commons proposed to rework Canada's naval reserve. The reserve would be reworked into a militia model and would train two to three times a year, supplementing the much smaller regular force on the coasts. This new reserve force replaced the RNCVR, being renamed the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in