Victoria West in Esquimalt in Capital Region, British Columbia — Canada’s West Coast (North America)

Esquimalt Naval Sites

Les Sites Navals d'Esquimalt

Photographed by Andrew Lester, September 25, 2013

1. Esquimalt Naval Sites Marker

Inscription. The long naval presence here has produced a unique legacy among defence sites in Canada. From its establishment in 1865 until Britain's Royal Navy withdrew in 1906, Esquimalt served as headquarters of the vast Pacific Station. In the Dockyard, the Admiralty built wooden storehouses and repair shops for the Pacific fleet. Well-crafted brick buildings, many still in use, replaced the original structures in the 1890s. A hospital complex was installed at nearby Pilgrim Cove. Sailors who succumbed to disease or to the hazards of life at sea were buried in the Royal Navy Cemetery. Cole Island, isolated at the northern tip of Esquimalt Harbour, housed gunpowder and high explosives. In 1910, the new Royal Canadian Navy took over the base, eventually expanding the Dockyard and hospital sites to provide training and administrative facilities, and the heavy industrial complexes needed to service the modern Canadian fleet. These sites embody more than a century's evolution of naval defence by British and Canadian forces.

La longue présence de la marine a laissé ici un ensemble unique d'une grande richesse patrimoniale. Après son

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établissement en 1865 et jusqu'au départ de la Marine royale britannique en 1906, la base d'Esquimalt servit de quartier général pour les opérations dans le Pacifique. Au chantier naval, l'Amirauté avait érigé des magasins et des ateliers en bois pour l'entretien de la flotte. Ils furent remplacés dans les années 1890 par des bâtiments élégants et bien construits en brique. L'hôpital fut installé tout près, à l'anse Pilgrim. Les marins qui y décédaient et ceux qui mouraient en mer étaient enterrés dans le cimetière de la base. L'île Cole, isolée à la pointe nord du port d'Esquimalt, abritait le dépôt de munitions. La nouvelle Marine royale du Canada, qui occupa les lieux dès 1910, ajouta au chantier naval et à l'hôpital des bâtiments destinés à la formation et à l'administration, ainsi que les complexes industriels nécessaires à l'entretien d'une flotte moderne. Tous ces sites illustrent l'évolution de la défense navale par les forces britanniques et canadiennes pendant plus d'un siècle.

Erected by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Military.

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In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 48° 26.168′ N, 123° 25.254′ W. Marker is in Esquimalt, British Columbia, in Capital Region. It is in Victoria West. It can be reached from Belim Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Esquimalt BC V9A 6N, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC) (within shouting distance of this marker); Craigflower Manor (approx. 1.8 kilometers away); The Lightkeeper's Boat / L'embarcation du gardien de phare (approx. 2.1 kilometers away); Fisgard Lighthouse (approx. 2.1 kilometers away); Naval Defence: Yesterday and Today (approx. 2.1 kilometers away); Get Your Bearings / S'Orienter (approx. 2.1 kilometers away); Wisdom on the Water / Prudence en Mer (approx. 2.2 kilometers away); Fisgard Lighthouse / Phare de Fisgard (approx. 2.2 kilometers away).

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2013, by Andrew Lester of Victoria, BC, Canada. This page has been viewed 596 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on April 7, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. Photo 1. submitted on December 21, 2013, by Andrew Lester of Victoria, BC, Canada. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.