Esquimalt, Coaling Station

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Until the Crimean War of 1854-56 Esquimalt Harbour was regularly visited by British warships, but there was no land establishment. During the Crimean War some hospital facilities were built after failed attacks on Petropavlovsk and the Kamchatka Peninsular. This was followed in 1858 with the Fraser River Gold Rush which saw a huge in prospectors, mainly from the USA. Royal Marine Infantry were landed on San Juan Island, opposite Victoria (capital of Esquimalt) and in 1859 Rear Admiral Baynes, C-in-C of the Pacific Fleet, recommended coastal defence batteries be built. Esquimalt became the major base for the British Pacific Fleet, but no shore batteries were built.

In 1866 Vancouver Island and British Columbia were untied as British Columbia and in 1871 joined the Canadian Confederation. In 1877 Esquimalt was first designated as a coaling station, and it was listed as the eighth most important in the British Empire. At this stage, no coastal batteries were built. It was not until 1878 with a new Anglo-Russian in the Balkans, that the ‘Russian Scare’ came to the fore. Four emergency batteries were built, all with earthen ramparts, two at Victoria and two at Esquimalt. In 1887 a further battery was added to the Esquimalt defences. These first batteries primarily mounted RML guns and came about after a report completed by Lieutenant-Colonel De La Chevois T. Irwin in 1878. He spent time in Esquimalt and oversaw the redeployment of guns to four new batteries, for example two 64-pdr Palliser converted guns were removed from the Drill Shed in Victoria and placed in Finlayson Point Battery. The building of the battery, made from earth and timber, took only ten days, showing the urgency of this work and the simple construction. All the guns were mounted en barbette on terraces with wooden platforms. All the batteries were completed within three months. These ’emergency’ or temporary batteries built were as follows:

Finlayson Point Battery

Two 64-pdr 71 cwt RML (Palliser)

Victoria (Nisa) Point

Two 64-pdr guns, one a 71 cwt RML (Palliser) and the other a 64 cwt RML

Macaulay Point

Three 7-inch 6.5 ton RMLs

Brothers Island

Two 64-pdr 64 cwt RML

One 8-inch, 9 ton, 64 cwt RML

Between 1879 and 1882 various reports and recommendations were made in respect of the coastal defences for Esquimalt and to a limited extent Victoria. The Afghanistan crisis of 1885, which saw potential conflict between Russia and Britain, led to an re-evaluation of the British Pacific Fleet. The 1878 temporary batteries were now in a poor condition and in response to this crisis they were made operational.

In 1887 the Graveling Dock was completed in Esquimalt, which further increased its’ importance to the Royal Navy. By 1888 the British and Canadian Governments had agreed that new modern defences needed to be built, but another five years elapsed as they argued over a cost sharing arrangement. On 18th August, 1893 the first contingent of the Royal Marine Artillery arrived in Esquimalt.

In 1886 Lieutenant-Colonel E.D.C. O’Brien with three architects prepared a report on Esquimalt Defences. He made detailed recommendations, as well as preparing a list of minimum defences, including 9.2-inch and 6-inch BL guns. In the meantime, the Colonial Defence Committee, looking at coastal defences throughout the British Empire, produced a policy document formally circulated on 31st December 1896. By now the RML guns were becoming second line, with the breech loader (BL) assuming prominence in new works.

By 1887 the work of Lieutenant-Colonel E.D.C. O’Brien was amended to include 6-inch Batteries at Rodd Hill and Macaulay Point, a 9-inch RML high angle fire battery at Sangster Knoll and two 6-pdr Q.F. guns covering the minefield. Six heavy machine guns and six 16-pdr RML field pieces to provide local defence.

After discussions between the British and Canadian authorities, an agreement was reached on 13th June 1888. The British Government agreed to provide Esquimalt with the following artillery:

Six 6-inch BL guns on hydro-pneumatic disappearing carriages

Four 9-inch RML high angle fire guns

Two 6-pdr Q.F. guns

Six 16-pdr RML field guns for local defence

Six heavy machine guns

In principle the main coastal defence batteries were agreed to be:

Sangster Knoll Battery

Four 9-inch High Angle Fire, RML

Never built

Rod Hill Battery (1895)

Three 6-inch BL on HP disappearing mounts

Macaulay Point Battery (1897)

Three 6-inch BL on HP disappearing mounts

Victoria Point Battery

Two 64-pdr RML practice battery

Finlayson Point Battery

Two 64-pdr RML practice battery

Duntze Point Battery

Two 6-pdr QF for minefield defence

Agreement was also reached that the Imperial Government would provide the funds for the submarine minefield protecting the entrance to Esquimalt Harbour. Apart from technical expertise, the British Government would also provide sixty permanent Royal Artillery, funds for two hundred and forty local volunteers and militia, fifteen permanent and fifty volunteer or militia Submarine Miners. This led to further disagreement with the Canadian Government who wished to maintain greater control. Final agreement saw the Imperial Government bearing the majority of the initial cost, but the Canadian Government being responsible for much of the maintenance and annual costs.

Because of inter departmental rivalries in London, nothing was done until the end of 1892 when the Canadian proposed the defences be built. This was speedily put into action and by March 1893 the first Royal Marine have arrived in Victoria, followed my Major H.H. Muirhead R.E. who was to supervise the building of the coastal defences. Work began on the new batteries in February 1894. The first batteries built were for 6-inch BL guns at:

Macauly Point Battery with three 6-inch BL guns on hydropneumatic disappearing carriages.

Fort Rodd Hill, where work commenced in September 1895, also mounted three 6-inch BL gun on disappearing carriages, two in the Lower Battery and one in the Upper Battery.