A King's Harbour Master (abbreviated as KHM, also known as Queen's Harbour Master or QHM during the reign of a female monarch) is a harbourmaster and public official in Canada and the United Kingdom. Their official responsibilities includes enforcing the regulations of a particular

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

, ensure port operations are done correctly, and maintain safety of navigation.

Canada

In Canada, the responsibilities of a King's Harbour Master's includes assisting warships in and out of harbours, providing refit services through specialty barges, oversee environmental protection of the harbour, and maintain navy buoys for the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

. In French, a KHM is called a ''capitaine de port de Sa Majesté'' (). King's Harbour Masters are employed in several harbours, including Esquimalt Harbour, Nanoose Harbour, and the

CFB Halifax Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax is Canada's east coast naval base and home port to the Royal Canadian Navy Atlantic fleet, known as Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), that forms part of the formation (military), formation Maritime Forces At ...

. The functions of CFB Esquimalt's QHM was transferred to the base operations officer of CFB Esquimalt in 1968, with the QHM staff being adjuncts to the base. However, the Esquimalt QHM was re-established as its own unit in 1974. The QHM for CFB Esquimalt later became the harbour authority for the entire Esquimalt Harbour after

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

transferred responsibility of the harbour to the Department of National Defence. As a result, ship movement in Esquimalt Harbour requires the approval of the Esquimalt KHM. A flag for the Queen's Harbour Masters was approved on 1 December 1999, and registered with the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...

. The flag features a Canadian flag with a white border, with the maple leaf charged with a plate that includes the royal crown with the letters Q.H.M. inscribed above and C.P.S.M below it.

United Kingdom

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, a King's Harbour Master is a public official with the duty of keeping the port secure for both military and civilian shipping. There are three King's Harbour Masters in the UK, one for each of the major naval ports of the UK: the Clyde Dockyard Port of Gareloch and Loch Long in the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

, the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, and the Dockyard Port of Plymouth in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. The powers of the King's Harbour Masters are defined in the Dockyard Ports Regulation Act 1865. Although legislation does not require it, most KHMs have been serving officers in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. Queen's Harbour Masters were first appointed in the first half of the nineteenth century; there was some overlap with the duties of Master Attendants in HM Dockyards, and the two offices were held by the same person in several instances. The King's Harbour Masters have their own flag, consisting of a white-bordered Union Flag with a white circle on it, within which there is a crown and the letters "KHM".

References

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External links

Queen's Harbour Master
from gov.uk Marine occupations Port authorities in the United Kingdom Royal Navy appointments Water transport in Canada Water transport in England Water transport in Scotland