HMCS Protector
Encyclopedia
HMCS Protector was the name of a Royal Canadian Navy
base located in Sydney Harbour
on Nova Scotia
's Cape Breton Island
.
During the months prior to the declaration of World War II
in 1939, the RCMP
Patrol Vessel Protector stationed at Sydney for various policing duties. On 28 August 1939 the Royal Canadian Navy established a small shore facility on the Sydney waterfront. On 22 July 1940, this facility was commissioned as HMCS Protector, taking its name from Patrol Vessel Protector; RCN regulations at the time dictated that the name of a naval shore establishment must have been borne by a vessel afloat.
HMCS Protector saw intensive use during the early years of the war as Sydney Harbour became the assembly port for slow Atlantic convoys of the SC (Sydney-Clyde) series. Protector was the base for the warships that escorted the SC convoys in the western Atlantic. Protector was the focal point for the extensive Sydney Harbour defences that were established to protect against Nazi U-boat
attack.
HMCS Protector was initially stationed on the Sydney waterfront and used commercial wharves and buildings along Esplanade Street where the present armouries and marine terminal are located. In 1943, a new custom-built shore facility and extensive piers was constructed at Point Edward
on the opposite western shore of the harbour. A Canadian National Railways line linked this new base to the mainline to Point Tupper
and numerous convoy supply ships and warships were loaded and serviced at Protector; at the same time, the RCN maintained use of the commercial facilities on the eastern shore in Sydney proper. The base specialised in repair and fitting.
After the end of the war, the RCN relinquished use of the commercial facilities on the Sydney waterfront (eastern side of the harbour) but maintained the use of HMCS Protector at Point Edward on the western side of the harbour until the base was closed and decommissioned in 1965.
Following the base's closure, the nascent Canadian Coast Guard College
was located in some of the now-unused RCN facilities and used the base's jetties; a custom-built CCGC opened on an adjacent property in 1981.
The old base is now used by various warehouses and located north of the CCGC.
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
base located in Sydney Harbour
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
on Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
's Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
.
During the months prior to the declaration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, the RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
Patrol Vessel Protector stationed at Sydney for various policing duties. On 28 August 1939 the Royal Canadian Navy established a small shore facility on the Sydney waterfront. On 22 July 1940, this facility was commissioned as HMCS Protector, taking its name from Patrol Vessel Protector; RCN regulations at the time dictated that the name of a naval shore establishment must have been borne by a vessel afloat.
HMCS Protector saw intensive use during the early years of the war as Sydney Harbour became the assembly port for slow Atlantic convoys of the SC (Sydney-Clyde) series. Protector was the base for the warships that escorted the SC convoys in the western Atlantic. Protector was the focal point for the extensive Sydney Harbour defences that were established to protect against Nazi U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attack.
HMCS Protector was initially stationed on the Sydney waterfront and used commercial wharves and buildings along Esplanade Street where the present armouries and marine terminal are located. In 1943, a new custom-built shore facility and extensive piers was constructed at Point Edward
Point Edward, Nova Scotia
Point Edward is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.It is located on the southwest shore of the North West Arm of Sydney Harbour, immediately north of the community of North West Arm, south of Edwardsville and west of Westmount.Point Edward is also the name of a headland...
on the opposite western shore of the harbour. A Canadian National Railways line linked this new base to the mainline to Point Tupper
Point Tupper, Nova Scotia
Point Tupper is a small rural community located in Richmond County, Nova Scotia on the Strait of Canso in western Cape Breton Island.-History:...
and numerous convoy supply ships and warships were loaded and serviced at Protector; at the same time, the RCN maintained use of the commercial facilities on the eastern shore in Sydney proper. The base specialised in repair and fitting.
After the end of the war, the RCN relinquished use of the commercial facilities on the Sydney waterfront (eastern side of the harbour) but maintained the use of HMCS Protector at Point Edward on the western side of the harbour until the base was closed and decommissioned in 1965.
Following the base's closure, the nascent Canadian Coast Guard College
Canadian Coast Guard College
The Canadian Coast Guard College is a maritime training college and Canadian Coast Guard facility located in Westmount in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, near Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada....
was located in some of the now-unused RCN facilities and used the base's jetties; a custom-built CCGC opened on an adjacent property in 1981.
The old base is now used by various warehouses and located north of the CCGC.