CFB Esquimalt

Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt (CFB Esquimalt) is Canada's Pacific Coast naval base and home port to Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific Headquarters.

The base occupies approximately 41 km2 at the southern tip of Vancouver Island on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in and around the municipality of Esquimalt, British Columbia, adjacent to the western limit of the provincial capital, Victoria.

CFB Esquimalt comprises facilities including Naden (formerly HMCS Naden), Her Majesty's Canadian (HMC) Dockyard Esquimalt, Fleet Maintenance Facility – Cape Breton (FMF-CB), a Fire Fighting and Damage Control School, the Naval Officer Training Centre (NOTC Venture), and extensive housing including 716 personnel married quarters located at nine sites such as Belmont Park, Work Point, and Royal Roads.

The present dockyard and drydock, known as Her Majesty's Canadian (HMC) Dockyard Esquimalt, dates to the Royal Navy's Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard (1842–1905) and was the Royal Navy's Pacific Station until 1911; Today it serves as the Canadian Naval Headquarters in the Pacific.

Due to their significance in Canadian naval history, four sites at CFB Esquimalt (the dockyard, the former Royal Navy Hospital, the Veterans’ Cemetery and the Cole Island Magazine) have been designated the Esquimalt Naval Sites National Historic Site of Canada.

Ships


As of March 2013, CFB Esquimalt services the following ships assigned to Canadian Fleet Pacific
 * Halifax class patrol frigates
 * HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331)
 * HMCS Regina (FFH 334)
 * HMCS Calgary (FFH 335)
 * HMCS Winnipeg (FFH 338)
 * HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341)
 * Iroquois class destroyer
 * HMCS Algonquin (DDG 283)
 * Kingston class coast defence vessels
 * HMCS Nanaimo (MM 702)
 * HMCS Edmonton (MM 703)
 * HMCS Whitehorse (MM 705)
 * HMCS Yellowknife (MM 706)
 * HMCS Saskatoon (MM 709)
 * HMCS Brandon (MM 710)
 * Victoria class patrol submarines
 * HMCS Victoria (SSK 876)
 * HMCS Corner Brook (SSK 878)
 * Protecteur class auxiliary oil replenishment
 * HMCS Protecteur (AOR 509)
 * Fleet sail training vessel
 * HMCS Oriole (KC 480)
 * Auxiliary vessels
 * CFAV Tillicum (YTM 555), tugboat
 * Fire class fireboat
 * CFAV Firebrand (YTR 562), fireboat
 * Ville class tugs
 * CFAV Lawrenceville (YTL 590), tugboat
 * CFAV Parksville (YTL 591), tugboat
 * Glen class tugs
 * CFAV Glendyne (YTB 640), tugboat
 * CFAV Glendale (YTB 641), tugboat
 * Orca class patrol craft training tender
 * Orca (PCT 55)
 * Raven (PCT 56)
 * Caribou (PCT 57)
 * Renard (PCT 58)
 * Wolf (PCT 59)
 * Grizzly (PCT 60)
 * Cougar (PCT 61)
 * Moose (PCT 62)

Architecture
CFB Esquimalt contains several recognized and classified federal heritage buildings on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings.
 * Colwood Site
 * Guard House Building 38 Recognized – 2002
 * Belmont Road Main Gatehouse BEL 13 Recognized – 2000
 * Cow Barn / Dairy RR6 Recognized – 2000
 * Gatehouse Lodge RR8 Recognized – 2000
 * Grant Block, Building 24 Recognized – 1990
 * Gymnasium RR22 Recognized – 2000
 * Hatley Castle Classified – 1986
 * Nixon Block RR24A Recognized – 2000
 * Stable / Garage RR4 Recognized – 2000
 * Swimming Pool RR22A Recognized – 2000
 * Dockyard
 * Admiral's Residence, former Naval Storekeeper's Residence, Building D101 Classified – 1991
 * Aldergrove Building DY 199 Recognized – 2001
 * Bickford Tower, Building D118 Recognized – 1988
 * Clothing / Receiving Stores, Building 211 Recognized – 1991
 * Cordage / Furniture Stores, Building D80 Recognized – 1991
 * Dry Dock Pumphouse, Building 175 Recognized – 1991
 * Electrical Shop Building DY 141 Recognized – 2001
 * Engineer's Residence, Building 1 Recognized – 1991
 * Factory, Building 51 Recognized – 1991
 * Guard House Building 214 Recognized – 1991
 * Main Office, Building 70 Recognized – 1991
 * Oil Stores Building 83 Recognized – 1991
 * Ordnance Stores, Building D77 Recognized – 1991
 * Royal Navy Prison, Building D26 Recognized – 1991
 * Rum / Salt Meats Stores, Building D75-76 Recognized – 1991
 * Sail Loft / Oil Stores, Building 109 Recognized – 1991
 * Shipwrights' Shed / Spar Shed, Building D113 Recognized – 1991
 * Stone Frigate Building D38 Recognized – 1991
 * Warehouse Building D85 Recognized – 1986
 * Naden
 * Administration Block, Building 37 Recognized – 1990
 * Administration Office, former Offices of the Officer-in-Charge, Building 5 Recognized – 1991
 * Catholic Chapel, Building 35 Recognized – 1990
 * Communications School, Building 67 Recognized – 1991
 * Drill Hall Building 33-33A-33B Recognized – 1991
 * Gunnery School, former Building 50 Recognized – 1991
 * Nelles Block, Building 34 Recognized – 1994
 * Officer's Ward / Base Museum, Building 20 Recognized – 1990
 * Protestant Chapel Building 39 Recognized – 1990
 * Radar Training Building 92A Recognized – 2006
 * Stores / Museum Warehouse, Building 29 Recognized – 1990
 * Torpedo School, former Building 2 Recognized – 1991
 * Trades Training Building 92 Recognized – 2006
 * Signal Hill
 * Armament Artificer's and Sergeant's Quarters, former Building 522 Recognized – 1991
 * Gun Emplacement, Building 578 Recognized – 1990
 * Private Married Quarters, former Building 523 Recognized – 1991
 * Reserve Ordnance Stores, former Building 508 Recognized – 1991
 * Work Point Barracks
 * Administration Building 1020 Recognized – 1991
 * Artillery Barracks, Building 1075 Recognized – 1991
 * Barracks Building 1004 Recognized – 1991

The Institute for Stained Glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at the Multi-Faith Naval Chapel and the stained glass at the Old Naval and Garrison Church (1866), now known as St Paul's Anglican

Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
The Naval and Military Museum is located at HMCS Naden. Building 20 (c. 1891), part of Naden Museum Square is a Municipal Heritage Property. Building 37 (c. 1889) part of the Naden Museum Square is also a Municipal Heritage Property and is also on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. HMCS Naden was named after the Dominion Government Ship Naden, which was commissioned as a tender for the Royal Naval College of Canada from 1918 to 1922 for training in sail. The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada.

Other facilities
CFB Esquimalt operates a bus services to provide intra-base transportation.

The Lookout is the base newspaper, which covers local, national and international news with specific interest to Navy and Canadian Forces members and family issues.

Other properties that are part of CFB Esquimalt include the Albert Head training area near Albert Head, Metchosin, located approximately 30 km by road southwest of downtown Victoria. It occupies approximately 88 ha, 4 of which are developed as training facilities. Fort Albert Head was established in the late 1800s along with Fort Rodd Hill and other installations, to provide shore defence for the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Victoria Harbour. The training area is used for Regular and Reserve Force training throughout nine months of the year year and is home to the Regional Cadet Instructor School (Pacific) that trains Canadian Forces Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) Branch that deliver the cadet program. During the summer months of June, July and August the area houses the Albert Head Air Cadet Summer Training Centre. Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Test Range at Nanoose Bay is also part of CFB Esquimalt. The facility provides non-explosive technical testing of sonobouys, torpedoes and other equipment. Naval Radio Station Aldergrove in the Fraser Valley houses transmitting and receiving equipment for long distance communications.

Nearby naval facilities

 * CFMETR, Nanoose Bay maritime test facility on Vancouver Island
 * NRS Aldergrove communications relay site on British Columbia mainland

Historical background

 * Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard 1842–1905
 * Work Point Barracks 1887–1968 (became a component of CFB Esquimalt)
 * List of Royal Navy ships in the Pacific Northwest 1579–1900s
 * Royal Roads Military College 1940–1995