Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax was a

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 ...

base in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. Established in 1759, the Halifax Yard served as the headquarters for the Royal Navy's North American Station for sixty years, starting with the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. The Royal Navy continued to operate the station until it was closed in 1905. The station was sold to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1907 becoming His Majesty's Canadian Dockyard, a function it still serves today as part of

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 ...

History

Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural har ...

had served as a Royal Navy seasonal base from the founding of the city in 1749, using temporary facilities and a careening beach on Georges Island. The British purchased the property which now contains the Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Scott for the Naval Yard. This property had belonged to John Gorham (Gorham Point), Captain Ephraim Cook, Philip Durell, Joseph Gerrish and William Nesbitt. (In the summer of 1751, Gorham built the first registered vessel in Halifax, a brig he named ''Osborn Galley'', at Gorham Point.) Land and buildings for a permanent Naval Yard were purchased in 1758 and the Yard was officially commissioned in 1759. The Yard served as the main base for the Royal Navy in North America during the

, the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. In 1818 Halifax became the summer base for the squadron which shifted to the

Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda HMD Bermuda ( Her/His Majesty's Dockyard, Bermuda) was the principal base of the Royal Navy in the Western Atlantic between American independence and the Cold War. The Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda had occupied a useful position astride ...

for the remainder of the year. The Halifax yard did not have a

dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

until 1887 so it was officially called the "Halifax Naval Yard" when first established, although it was popularly known as the Halifax Dockyard. The

graving dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

, coaling facilities and

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

slip were added between 1881 and 1897. The station closed in 1905 and sold to Canada in 1907, becoming His Majesty's Canadian Dockyard, a function it still serves today as part of

. The Yard was on the western shores of Halifax Harbour to the north of Citadel Hill and the main Halifax townsite. In addition to refitting and supplying the North American Squadron the Halifax Yard played a vital role in supplying masts and

spars SPARS was the authorized nickname for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve. The nickname was derived from the USCG's motto, "—"Always Ready" (''SPAR''). The Women's Reserve was established by law in November 1942 during Wor ...

for the entire Royal Navy after the loss of the timber resources in the American colonies in the

. Masts cut all over

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

were collected and stored in Halifax to be shipped to British Dockyards in wartime with heavily escorted mast

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

s. The site was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1923.

Facilities

The Naval Yard was initially defended by its own large

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

, three redoubts and a fortified stone wall. These defences were enhanced and later replaced by the large network of army fortifications whose main purposes was to safeguard the Naval Dockyard including nearby Fort Needham, Fort George, the Halifax Citadel; York Redoubt; Fort Charlotte on Georges Island, Fort Clarence in Dartmouth; five forts on McNabs Island and extensive batteries at Point Pleasant. Many of the original Royal Navy 18th and 19th century buildings in the Dockyard were destroyed in the 1917

Halifax Explosion On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with Explosive material, high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastat ...

; others were demolished in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to make way for machine shops, stores buildings and drill halls needed to man and maintain the many escort ships being commissioned during the crash expansion of 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 ...

during the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

. Only one residence from 1814 and the Admiral's Residence from 1816 survived. The Admiral's residence in now the

Maritime Command Museum The Naval Museum of Halifax (formerly the Maritime Command Museum) is a Canadian Forces museum located at CFB Halifax in the former official residence of the Commander-in-Chief, North American Station, Commander-in-Chief of the North America and ...

. The original Naval Yard clock has been restored and moved to the Halifax Ferry Terminal entrance while the original Naval Yard bell is preserved at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, a museum which also features a large diorama depicting the Naval Yard in 1813 at its height in the

Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...

. The building and facilities in the base included: * careening wharf * mast ponds and mast house * boat house * refitting yard * building slip * astronomical observatory * commissioner's residence * graving yard (after 1887) * coal facility * torpedo boat yard * Wardroom * victualling yard (North Dockyard) * Gate Warder's House * Commissioner's House * Hospital – home to Royal Naval College of Canada from 1911 to 1917 * Admiralty House – home to the Admiral of the North American Station and now

Ships

The main purpose of the Halifax Yard was to supply, man and refit ships but it also built some warships including: * * Ships based at the Royal Navy Yard Halifax included: * * * * * *

Administration of the dockyard and other key officials

The Master Shipwright was originally the key civil official at the royal navy dockyards during the 16th century until the

Navy Board The Navy Board (formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes) was the Regulatory agency, commission responsible for the day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. The board was headqua ...

introduced resident commissioners of the navy in the 17th century, after which he became deputy to the resident commissioner. In 1832 the post of commissioner was replaced by the post of superintendent, who was retained the same powers and authority as the former commissioners. In September 1971 all

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

s of the Royal Navy holding positions of Admiral Superintendents at Royal Dockyards were restyled as Port Admirals.

Resident Commissioner of the Navy, Halifax Nova Scotia

Incomplete list of post holders included: # 1775–1778, Captain Marriott Arbuthnot # 1778–1781, Captain Sir Richard Hughes # 1781–1783, Captain Andrew Snape Hamond # 1783–1799, Captain Henry Duncan # 1799–1800, Captain Isaac Coffin # 1800–1803, Captain Henry Duncan # 1803–1812, Captain John Nicholson Inglefield # 1812–1819, Captain Philip Wodehouse

Master Shipwright, Halifax Dockyard

Incomplete list of post holders included: # 1756–1762, George Kittoe (originally appointed as acting master shipwright) # 1763–1770, Abraham Constable # 1783–1792 Provo Featherstone Wallis, father of

Provo Wallis Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Parry Wallis, (12 April 1791 – 13 February 1892) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer, following the Capture of USS Chesapeake, capture of USS ''Chesapeake'' by ...

# 1813–1818, Thomas Forder Hawkes # 1818–1839, Algernon Frederick Jones Note: (post holders were appointed until 1875)

Master Attendant, Halifax Dockyard

Incomplete list of post holders included: # 1758, Richard Hamilton # 1763, David Hooper # 1780–1787, Samuel Hemmens # 1788–1799, Thomas Read # 1799–1802, John Jackson # 1806, John Parry # 1807–1810, Thomas Atkinson # 1815–1827, John Douglas

Storekeeper, Halifax Dockyard

Incomplete list of post holders included: # 1756-1773/, Joseph Gerrish (superannuated) # 1773–1780, Richard Williams (resigned March 1780) # 1780, Mar–Aug, John Gambier # 1780, George Thomas # 1790–1799, Titus Livie # 1832–1840, John Robert Glover # 1841–1852, Alex Elliot

Naval Storekeeper, Halifax Dockyard

Title changed in 1853 # 1853–1854, Alex Elliot # 1855–1858, Edgecumbe Chevallier # 1858–1859, John N. Macgregor

Naval Storekeeper and Agent Victualler, Halifax Dockyard

Additional title and responsibility added in 1859 # 1859, John N. Macgregor

Officers-in-Charge, Royal Naval Hospital Halifax

# 1795–1803 Duncan Clark # 1803–1806 John Jackson #1807–1808 David Ridgway #1811–1812 John Clifford ( – 31 Dec. 1812) #1813–1819 David Rowlands #1819–1827 David Ridgway #1828–1837 J.H. McEwan #1841–1855 Alexander Elliott #1855–1859 Edgecombe (Edgecumbe) Chevallier #1860–1866 J.N. MacGregor #1867–1880 Benjamin Stokes #1881–1899 Andrew Vizard (1841-27 Oct 1922) #1900–1901 Nathaniel A. Hay #1901–1904 Henry Baker #1904–1905 A.C. Cocks

References

Sources

# Brent Raymond
"Tracing the Built Form of HMC Dockyard"
Nova Scotia Museum, 1999. Curatorial Report No. 88 # Clowes, Sir William Laird (1897–1903). The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the present Volume III. London, England: S. Low Marston. # Clowes, Sir William Laird (1897–1903). The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the present Volume IV. London, England: S. Low Marston. # Clowes, Sir William Laird (1897–1903). The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the present Volume V. London, England: S. Low Marston. # George Bates. John Gorham 1709–1751. Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society. # Gwyn, Julian, (2004). ''Frigates and Foremasts: The North American Squadron in Nova Scotia Waters, 1745–1815'' Vancouver, BC: UBC Press . OCLC 144078613. # Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "Master Attendant at Halifax Dockyard". threedecks.org. S. Harrison. # Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "Master Shipwright at Halifax Dockyard". threedecks.org. S. Harrison. # Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "Storekeeper at Halifax Dockyard". threedecks.org. S. Harrison. # Marilyn Gurney, ''The Kings Yard'', Maritime Command Museum, Halifax.
Research guide B5: Royal Naval Dockyards

CFB Halifax Officers Mess
. {{Royal Navy shore establishments Royal Navy dockyards in Canada Buildings and structures in Halifax, Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Navy dockyards