Pacific coast defences

[Doug_C]

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

 

[mariomike]

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

 

[GnyHwy]

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

 

[GnyHwy]

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

 

[GnyHwy]

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.

 

[je suis prest]

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.

 

[BernDawg]

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 When they were outdated and replaced they were just tossed over the side!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.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

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

 

[Pusser]

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).

 

[Kirkhill]

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.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

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

 

[marshall sl]

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

 

[Doug_C]

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.

 

[Haletown]

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

tons of links off that site.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

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

 

[jparkin]

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.

 

[lea]

Pearl Harbour 70th Anniversary: Fortress UBC

By Brian Platt

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

 

[jparkin]

Pearl Harbour 70th Anniversary: Fortress UBC

By Brian Platt

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

Exactly what I was referencing haha. 

 

[Doug_C]

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

 

[Pusser]

Don't forget the Japanese balloon bombs...