The Defence Islands are two small islands in

Howe Sound Howe Sound (french: Baie (de /d')Howe, squ, Átl'ka7tsem, Nexwnéwu7ts, Txwnéwu7ts) is a roughly triangular sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosph ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, located northeast of

Anvil Island Anvil Island, is the third-largest of the islands in Howe Sound, British Columbia, Canada, and the northernmost of the major islands in that sound. The island is part of West Howe Sound, Electoral Area F within the Sunshine Coast Regional District ...

and in the northern reaches of that sound near

Porteau Cove Porteau Cove Provincial Park is a provincial park located along the eastern shore of Howe Sound in British Columbia, Canada. Situated along the Sea to Sky Highway, park is 50 hectares in size, and offers picnicing, camping, swimming, windsurfin ...

. The easterly and smaller of the two comprises Defence Island Indian Reserve No. 28, 1.7 ha., the westerly comprises the Kwum Kwum Indian Reserve (unnumbered), 6.20 ha. Both are under the administration of the

Squamish Nation The Squamish Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw () in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language), is an Indian Act government originally imposed on the Squamish (''Sḵwx̱wú7mesh'') by the Federal Government of Canada in the late 19th cen ...

Name origin

"Named c1860 by
Captain Richards Sir George Henry Richards (13 January 1820 –14 November 1896) was Hydrographer of the Royal Navy from 1863 to 1874. Biography Richards was born in Antony, Cornwall, the son of Captain G. S. Richards, and joined the Royal Navy in 1832. ...
, RN, after HMS ''Defence'', 74 guns, under Captain
James Gambier Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, he saw action again, as captain of the ...
, engaged in Earl Howe's victory of "the
Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June (1 June 1794), also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic ...
" 1794, when the ''Defence'' had the distinguished honour of first passing through the enemy's line... After serving at
the Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest riv ...
, at
Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England It may also refer to: Music * ''Trafalgar'' (album), by the Bee Gees Pl ...
and in the Baltic she was driven ashore on the coast of Jutland by a terrific gale, 23 December 1811, and all of her 600 men perished but five."Walbran, John T; ''British Columbia Coast Names, 1592-1906: their origin and history''; Ottawa, 1909 (republished for the Vancouver Public Library by J.J. Douglas Ltd, Vancouver, 1971)

References

{{GulfIslands Islands of British Columbia South Coast of British Columbia Squamish people