CFB Esquimalt

Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt (CFB Esquimalt) is the Royal Canadian Navy's Pacific Coast naval base and home port to Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific Headquarters. As of 2018, 4,411 military personnel and 2,762 civilians work at CFB Esquimalt. It is located in the very south of British Columbia. Geography The base occupies approximately 41 km2 (10,000 acres) at the southern tip of Vancouver Island on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in the municipality of Esquimalt, adjacent to the western limit of the provincial capital, Victoria. Facilities CFB Esquimalt comprises facilities that include Naden (formerly HMCS Naden), His 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 at nine sites such as Belmont Park, WorkPoint, and Royal Roads. The present dockyard and dry dock, known as 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 Royal Canadian Navy headquarters in the Pacific. Operational and support units Major units of the base are: Maritime Forces Pacific Naval Security Team Joint Task Force Pacific Campus Pacific Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific) 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron Canadian Forces Health Services Centre (Pacific) Naval Provost Marshal (Pacific) 5th (British Columbia) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA The Canadian Scottish Regiment 11 Service Battalion 4th Canadian Rangers Patrol Group Acoustic Data Analysis Centre Regional Cadet Support Unit (Pacific) Historic site 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 In March 2025, 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) Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels HMCS Max Bernays Planned 2026 HMCS Robert Hampton Gray Victoria-class patrol submarines HMCS Victoria (SSK 876) HMCS Corner Brook (SSK 878) HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879) 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 D211 Recognized – 1991 Cordage / Furniture Stores, Building D80 Recognized – 1991 Dry Dock Pumphouse, Building D175 Recognized – 1991 Electrical Shop Building DY 141 Recognized – 2001 Engineer's Residence, Building D1 Recognized – 1991 Factory, Building 51 Recognized – 1991 Guard House Building D214 Recognized – 1991 Main Office, Building D70 Recognized – 1991 Oil Stores Building D83 Recognized – 1991 Ordnance Stores, Building D77 Recognized – 1991 Pump House, Graving Dock No. 1 Recognized – 1991 Royal Navy Prison, Building D26 Recognized – 1991 Rum / Salt Meats Stores, Building D75-D76 Recognized – 1991 Sail Loft / Oil Stores, Building D109 Recognized – 1991 Shipwrights' Shed / Spar Shed, Building D113 Recognized – 1991 Stone Frigate Building D38 Recognized – 1991 Transformer House, Graving Dock No. 11 Recognized – 1991 Veterans' Cemetery Chapel Recognized – 1996 Warehouse Building D85 Recognized – 1986 Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton, Buildings D250 & D252 Recognized – 1991; Final Construction Completed – 2020 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 Work Point Guard House Recognized – 2011 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 CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum is 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: Canadian Museums Association (CMA), Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), Organization of Military Museums of Canada (OMMC) and Virtual Museum of Canada. Other facilities 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 (19 mi) by road southwest of downtown Victoria. It occupies approximately 88 hectares (220 acres), four 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 the year and was previously home to the Regional Cadet Instructor School (Pacific) that trained Canadian Forces Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) Branch that deliver the cadet program. Albert Head currently houses the British Columbia Patrol Company of the 4th Canadian Rangers Patrol Group, training facilities for the Naval Tactical Operations Group, as well as a cadet summer training centre: Albert Head CTC. Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Test Range at Nanoose Bay is also part of CFB Esquimalt. The facility provides non-explosive technical testing of sonobuoys, torpedoes and other equipment. Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot (CFAD) Rocky Point store excess ammunition for Maritime Forces Pacific and provides maintenance for missiles and torpedoes. The grounds are also used for by Albert Head CTC for survival training. Naval Radio Section Aldergrove in the Fraser Valley houses transmitting and receiving equipment for long-distance communications. Also, the CFB Esquimalt Base Fire Hall & Emergency Response Centre was founded to provide services to CFB Esquimalt and the civil community in the way of fire intervention and emergency response. Economic facts CFB Esquimalt contributes about $760 million (in 2023) into the local community annually. CFB Esquimalt is the largest community employer. CFB Esquimalt provides 7,866 jobs in the community. CFB Esquimalt spends locally 770,847,000 dollars annually. See also Naval Operations Branch Historical background Royal Roads Military College 1940–1995 References External links Maritime Pacific Command infopage on CFB Esquimalt Esquimalt Naval Sites National Historic Site of Canada. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada. CFB Esquimalt – Joint Task Force Pacific Headquarters The Look out – CFB Esquimalt newspaper