Harold Taylor Wood Grant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 16, 1899 Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Died | May 8, 1965 (aged 66) Ottawa, Ontario |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service | Royal Canadian Navy |
| Years of service | 1914–1951 |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral |
| Commands | Chief of the Naval Staff HMCS Ontario HMS Enterprise HMS Diomede HMCS Skeena |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Canadian Forces' Decoration Mentioned in Despatches Bronze Star Medal (United States) |
Vice-Admiral Harold Taylor Wood Grant, CBE, DSO, CD (March 16, 1899 – May 8, 1965) was a Canadian naval officer and a post-war Chief of the Naval Staff. The son of Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, MacCallum Grant, Harold Grant entered the Royal Canadian Navy as a cadet in 1914. He spent most of the First World War in training until 1917, when he became a midshipman aboard a British Royal Navy ship. Considered an above average officer, he was earmarked for early promotion during the interwar period and by 1938, commanded the destroyer HMCS Skeena.
During the Second World War, Grant was sent to command the British cruisers HMS Diomede and HMS Enterprise as training in preparation for the Canadian acquisition of the ship type later in the war. During his time in command of Enterprise, he took part in the Battle of the Bay of Biscay, earning his Distinguished Service Order, the invasion of Normandy and bombardment of Cherbourg where he was wounded. He then commanded the Canadian cruiser HMCS Ontario until war's end.
Following the war, Grant served as a staff officer and deputy to the Chief of the Naval Staff, Howard E. Reid. Grant succeeded Reid as Chief of the Naval Staff on September 1, 1947, and was made vice admiral. He commanded the Royal Canadian Navy through the early years of the Cold War and the Korean War, during which a series of personnel unrest incidents, the restructuring of the navy, and the beginning of the anti-submarine warfare specialisation took place. Grant retired from the navy on December 1, 1951.