# Pacific coast defences



## Doug_C (12 Jan 2012)

Hi, this is my first post at the site.

I'm currently working on some articles for a documentary series on Canadian military history and was wondering if anyone here had some good reference sources for details on West coast defence emplacements from the 1870s to 1958. Any assistance would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Doug


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## mariomike (12 Jan 2012)

Some info here:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/62924.0/nowap.html


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## GnyHwy (12 Jan 2012)

Parks Canada Site - Fort Rodd Hill

http://www.pc.gc.ca/dci/src/3d_e.asp?what=more&sitename=frh&theme=dc&btn_state=HTM&more_lnk=no


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## GnyHwy (12 Jan 2012)

Sea Island.  This one may lead to a bunch of stuff.

http://www.seaislandhome.org/Army.html

Patricia Bay

http://www.bcam.net/bc-aviation-museum-history.html


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## GnyHwy (12 Jan 2012)

Artillery specific. 

15th Fd Regt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_Field_Regiment,_Royal_Canadian_Artillery
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/15FIELD_ARTILLERY/

Fort Point Grey
http://www.petrowilliamus.co.uk/pointgrey/war.htm

Artillery homepage
http://www.artillery.net/new/artillery.html

A good place to start for contacts would be the RCA museum.  Also, I would think that the 15th Fd Regt currently in Vancouver would have some interesting artifacts and documents.


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## je suis prest (12 Jan 2012)

Peter Moogk's book "Vancouver Defended" is a very good reference source. I assume it is out of print but it might be available on Amazon.  The 15th Field Regiment Museum has a lot of information, and a very detailed diorama of the Point Grey defences circa 1942.


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## BernDawg (12 Jan 2012)

Good stuff here too.

http://www.fortroddhill.com/

I've toured the Fort and it's impressive. The reconditioned 16 pdrs (I think) were found in the bush just over the wall. When they were outdated and replaced they were just tossed over the side!

There are still emplacements all around Esquimalt as well.


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## SeaKingTacco (12 Jan 2012)

Both the maritime museum in Victoria and the museum at CFB Esquimalt have excellent displays in west coast defensive works.


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## Pusser (12 Jan 2012)

The whole field or field of coastal artillery is pretty interesting.  It's probably the shortest-lived combat arm.  It really started in the late 19th Century and was obsolete by the end of WWII, but the amount of building that was done was huge.  Both Halifax and Esquimalt have nearby National Historic Sites that are devoted to this (York Redoubt and Fort Rodd Hill respectively) and they have some interesting displays.  For an American perspective, I recommend Fort Worden State Park in Washington State.  It was originally a US Army Coastal Artillery Site.  There is a good museum and the gun batteries are still there.  It's a state park with campgrounds now.  It also played the part of the US Navy training facility in _An Officer and a Gentleman_.  If you've seen the movie, you'll recognize a lot of the scenery (although Deborah Winger doesn't seem to be hanging around).


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## Kirkhill (12 Jan 2012)

If the show is to include US Coastal Defences then Kodiak and Dutch Harbor need to be on the itinerary as well.  Adak also would be of interest as it includes a Canadian component.  RCN twin screw frigates transporting Canadian and American landing forces to Adak circa 1942.

Kodiak's batteries are still in place - minus the guns.
Dutch has pillboxes in front of the hotel, a runway with protective bays and ammunition and stores facilities carved out of the local mountains.  The stores facilities are still in use as warehouses - original steel blast doors.  Very neat place.


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## SeaKingTacco (12 Jan 2012)

I've been to Dutch Harbor, as well.  Very neat place, with coastal defense emplacements all over.


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## marshall sl (12 Jan 2012)

Fort Stevens in Oregon are worth a look as well.http://visitftstevens.com/history.htm


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## Doug_C (13 Jan 2012)

There's some good stuff here that helps a lot, thanks.

The series is a Canadian production mainly centered on the 1st. Canadian Parachute Battalion in WW II, but it also covers other branches and other periods.


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## Haletown (13 Jan 2012)

http://www.northamericanforts.com/Canada/bc.html

tons of links off that site.


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## Colin Parkinson (13 Jan 2012)

je suis prest said:
			
		

> Peter Moogk's book "Vancouver Defended" is a very good reference source. I assume it is out of print but it might be available on Amazon.  The 15th Field Regiment Museum has a lot of information, and a very detailed diorama of the Point Grey defences circa 1942.



Peter is the curator at the 15th FD Regt museum. He has the fireplans for Prince Rupert which I just finished looking at. Here is a wiki page i did for Barrett point in Prince Rupert. Feel free to add to it if you come across any more info. Also twin QF 6pdrs across the way at Fredrick point, 2x US military 8" railguns were install at Fairview and then a further 2 were emplaced on Ridely Island, the remains of the rail line spurs were still evident when the island was turned into a coal/grain port according to a friend who did the survey.

Let us not forget about Yorke Island, one of the happening places of WWII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorke_Island_coastal_fort
  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_Point


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## jparkin (13 Jan 2012)

I'm a student at UBC right now and just the other day a full spread article was published in the Ubyssey, our newspaper, about Point Grey Fort. The article covered discussed the coastal defense system, the positions of all military facilities and gun emplacements, and UBC's military history in general. The main source of the article is Peter Moogk*, a UBC historian who specializes in Vancouver's military history. He is also the curator for the 15th Field Artillery Regiment Museum. It was an excellent article and I would consider it worth your while to get in contact with him. 

Jonathan

*All information that has been listed about Peter Moogk was included in the original print article and is available online at The Ubyssey's website.


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## lea (13 Jan 2012)

Pearl Harbour 70th Anniversary: Fortress UBC

By Brian Platt

 http://ubyssey.ca/features/fortess-ubc432-guarding-the-city/


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## jparkin (13 Jan 2012)

lea said:
			
		

> Pearl Harbour 70th Anniversary: Fortress UBC
> 
> By Brian Platt
> 
> http://ubyssey.ca/features/fortess-ubc432-guarding-the-city/



Exactly what I was referencing haha.


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## Doug_C (16 Jan 2012)

Thanks for the help, the article is done now, I'll have to wait to see if it makes it onto a segment.

Although I'm in Alberta now I grew up and spent most of my life in BC, mostly in the interior and I had little idea there were such extensive coastal defences going back so far. The Victoria-Esquimalt area was fairly heavily fortified and defended at different times and the same with the entrance to the Port of Vancouver.

The only action in the area seems to have been with Japanese subs in June of 1942 when one merchant ship(Camosun) was torpedoed and the next day a few shells were lobbed at Estevan Point lighthouse, which if remember correctly didn't hit anything.

Thanks again, Doug


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## Pusser (17 Jan 2012)

Don't forget the Japanese balloon bombs...


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## eurowing (17 Jan 2012)

There is a Japanese Incendiary Bomb on display at the Air Force Museum in Comox.  It is a very good museum for its size!

During the summer, tours are available on occasion to Yorke Island out of Campbell River.  I plan on taking the next one I hear about.


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## Doug_C (18 Jan 2012)

A balloon bomb also landed near where I'm originally from in the BC interior.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=stcULbOFcbsC&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=williams+lake+BC+balloon+bombs+japanese&source=bl&ots=LSHlJu199x&sig=bWrX__GqRqjo2s1kaHZE_IZD7Po&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Bx8XT6DWEeeRiQL-jbGyDw&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=williams%20lake%20BC%20balloon%20bombs%20japanese&f=false

It was a fairly extensive program by the Japanese and considering their biological weapons program with Unit 731 could have been more than just a nuisance.


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## Colin Parkinson (23 Jan 2012)

My contacts tell me there will be a another run in Sept to Yorke Island, between 2-5 days and last year they brought a gen set and started up the lights of the battery there. They hope this year to repair more of the electrical system sp they can light up all of the fort.


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## Good2Golf (23 Jan 2012)

Doug, I don't have the links available with me at the moment, but you could also do a search for the 3rd Batallion of the Royal Regina Rifles (RRR) Regiment in 1942 on the West coast.  My grandfather was a Company Commander and told me stories about the Japanese fire balloons, subs and the like. 

UPDATE: Here is a link to the book "Up the Johns - History of the Royal Regina Rifles Regiment" (you'll have to type in '101' into the dialogue box at the bottom of the page)

Regards
G2G


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