Active Service
The full extent of the Vancouver coastal defences and their role in the protection of Canada's west coast were outlined in the local Fire Commander's Orders of October 1942.7n keeping with security regulations, the earlier standing orders issued by the commanding officer, who was customarily the Fire Commander, had been destroyed and the 1942 orders are the oldest ones in existence. The standing orders reveal that though the defences were elaborate they were also deficient in many things.
1 . Role of the Fortress in the Scheme of Defence.
The extreme outer defences of British Columbia are supplied by the R.C.N. patrol vessels and R.C.A.F, seaplane patrols. Owing to the prevalence of fog in the summer and South-Easterly gales with rain and snow in the winter off the West Coast, it is possible for an enemy to elude observation, in which case he would meet the forts in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Yorke Island or Prince Rupert.
For the defence of Vancouver, the Forts on both sides of the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Fort at Yorke Island act as barriers to an attack on Vancouver. There is considerable amount of fog in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Naval Authorities advise it is quite impossible for a determined enemy to slip past Victoria in fog or at night, to attack Vancouver.
The Fort at Yorke Island guarding Johnstone Straits is equipped with two 6" Mk VII guns with a limited range of about 11,000 yards, consequently it is quite possible for an enemy to force his way past these defences on the way to Vancouver or Bremerton, by water.
The role of the Forts in Vancouver is to repel any hostile vessel in the waters adjacent and to assist in repelling any troops attempting to land on shore. For this purpose, the Forts are allotted as follows: Point Grey: Designed for a counter-bombardment battery of three 6" B.L, (breechloading) guns on 45" mountings. Owing to the difficulties in obtaining 45o mountings from England, they are mounted on 75o mountings, consequently are only adapted for close defence.
Stanley Park: Close defence battery guarding English Bay and the First Narrows entrance to Burrard lnlet, equipped with two 4.7" B.L. guns on 20o mountings.
Narrows North: Two 12-pdr. guns. Close defence against Destroyers, M.T.B.'s (motor torpedo boats) or small craft.
Steveston: Two 18-pdr, Q.F. (quick-firing) Field guns to guard the south arm of the Fraser River and to prevent vessels proceeding up the South-Arm to New Westminster.
Point Atkinson: One 18-pdr. Q.F. Field gun - very limited use in defence. Examination Batteries (to challenge and detain incoming ships): Point Grey and Point Atkinson.
As the arc of fire of Point Grey does not cover the Examination Anchorage (in English Bay), Stanley Park is responsible for covering any vessels in the Examination Anchorage.(...)
5. Defensive Measures Against Air Attack, (…)
(e) Defence - The R.C.A.F. has fighter squadrons and is responsible to employ them to the best advantage in Air Raid defence - but - all Forts are responsible for their own Iocal defence.
(f) Active Defence .- Bren guns and rifles supplied for defence (against) land attack have to be sited so that they can be used for defence against air attack. (,..) The Bren guns supplied are equipped with A.A. (anti-aircraft) mountings and are sited so that they can be used for Air Defence. (...)
(g) P.A.D (passive air defence) - Point Grey and Stanley Park are equipped with slit trenches, but owing to the nature of the ground at Narrows North and Steveston, sandbag protection is all that is available. The tunnels and magazines at Stanley Park and Point Grey are also available for use as Air Raid shelters in times of emergency. (. . .)
COMMUNICATIONS
1. TELEPHONE.
(a) Command Line - A line used for tactical purposes only is carried over B.C. Telephone Lines, which is bridged through their exchange for perpetual hook-up , with an Exchange at the F.C. (fire command) Post.
Code Names.
Fire Command Post _____________________ F.C.
Point Atkinson _________________________ ZA
Narrows North _________________________ ZB
Stanley Park ___________________________ ZC
Point Grey _____________________________ ZD
B.O.P. (battery observation post)
Point Grey Naval Control Office, Marine Building
Steveston Battery is not included on this line.
(b) Submarine Cable - A 2-way submarine cable exists between Point Grey and Point Atkinson for the purpose of communication between the Examination Battery (Point Grey) and P.W.S.S. (port war signal station) (Point Atkinson).
The forts could also communicate with one another and the examination vessels by radio and the entire Vancouver defence system was linked by the telephone system. In addition to the battery code names, there was a code for the alert states of the fire command. Beginning with "Sword" and working up through "scabbard" and "Spear" the code reached "Dagger" which meant assume battle stations.
Taken literally, the Fire Commander's Orders of October 1942 could be misleading. The "patrol vessels" of the Royal Canadian Navy then consisted of three mineweepers and a few auxiliary vessels supplemented by the boats of the Fishermen's Reserve. The four destroyers formerly stationed at Esquimalt had been transferred to the Atlantic coast. The Royal Canadian Air Force "seaplane patrols" originated largely from the Jericho Beach Air Station on English Bay. This pioneer air station had been established on a part of the old naval reserve in 1920 and during the Second World War it was a base for the double-winged Blackburn Sharks and Supermarine Stranraers. It was the two-engined Stranraer that patrolled the length of British Columbia's coastline and sent back radio reports on all ships sighted. A brace of twenty-pound bombs hung below each wing. The Vancouver defences also had the support of a squadron of aircraft based at the Patricia Bay airfield.
The Victoria-Esquimalt batteries covering the Juan de Fuca strait were indeed formidable and they were coordinated with guns on the American side. There was a 9.2-inch calibre battery at Albert Head, two 6-inch batteries and four positions armed with 12 pounders. The guns were as old and their mountings as deficient as those at Vancouver. Yorke Island to the north had been bolstered by exchanging its original 4.7-inch guns for the 6-inch pieces at Stanley Park. The exchange was accomplished in the summer of 1942 in what was supposed to be secrecy. The security achieved may be judged from the fact that a gunner on Yorke Island received a letter from his wife in Vancouver reporting the arrival of the 4.7-inch guns.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, Pg 101
1 . Role of the Fortress in the Scheme of Defence.
The extreme outer defences of British Columbia are supplied by the R.C.N. patrol vessels and R.C.A.F, seaplane patrols. Owing to the prevalence of fog in the summer and South-Easterly gales with rain and snow in the winter off the West Coast, it is possible for an enemy to elude observation, in which case he would meet the forts in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Yorke Island or Prince Rupert.
For the defence of Vancouver, the Forts on both sides of the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Fort at Yorke Island act as barriers to an attack on Vancouver. There is considerable amount of fog in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Naval Authorities advise it is quite impossible for a determined enemy to slip past Victoria in fog or at night, to attack Vancouver.
The Fort at Yorke Island guarding Johnstone Straits is equipped with two 6" Mk VII guns with a limited range of about 11,000 yards, consequently it is quite possible for an enemy to force his way past these defences on the way to Vancouver or Bremerton, by water.
The role of the Forts in Vancouver is to repel any hostile vessel in the waters adjacent and to assist in repelling any troops attempting to land on shore. For this purpose, the Forts are allotted as follows: Point Grey: Designed for a counter-bombardment battery of three 6" B.L, (breechloading) guns on 45" mountings. Owing to the difficulties in obtaining 45o mountings from England, they are mounted on 75o mountings, consequently are only adapted for close defence.
Stanley Park: Close defence battery guarding English Bay and the First Narrows entrance to Burrard lnlet, equipped with two 4.7" B.L. guns on 20o mountings.
Narrows North: Two 12-pdr. guns. Close defence against Destroyers, M.T.B.'s (motor torpedo boats) or small craft.
Steveston: Two 18-pdr, Q.F. (quick-firing) Field guns to guard the south arm of the Fraser River and to prevent vessels proceeding up the South-Arm to New Westminster.
Point Atkinson: One 18-pdr. Q.F. Field gun - very limited use in defence. Examination Batteries (to challenge and detain incoming ships): Point Grey and Point Atkinson.
As the arc of fire of Point Grey does not cover the Examination Anchorage (in English Bay), Stanley Park is responsible for covering any vessels in the Examination Anchorage.(...)
5. Defensive Measures Against Air Attack, (…)
(e) Defence - The R.C.A.F. has fighter squadrons and is responsible to employ them to the best advantage in Air Raid defence - but - all Forts are responsible for their own Iocal defence.
(f) Active Defence .- Bren guns and rifles supplied for defence (against) land attack have to be sited so that they can be used for defence against air attack. (,..) The Bren guns supplied are equipped with A.A. (anti-aircraft) mountings and are sited so that they can be used for Air Defence. (...)
(g) P.A.D (passive air defence) - Point Grey and Stanley Park are equipped with slit trenches, but owing to the nature of the ground at Narrows North and Steveston, sandbag protection is all that is available. The tunnels and magazines at Stanley Park and Point Grey are also available for use as Air Raid shelters in times of emergency. (. . .)
COMMUNICATIONS
1. TELEPHONE.
(a) Command Line - A line used for tactical purposes only is carried over B.C. Telephone Lines, which is bridged through their exchange for perpetual hook-up , with an Exchange at the F.C. (fire command) Post.
Code Names.
Fire Command Post _____________________ F.C.
Point Atkinson _________________________ ZA
Narrows North _________________________ ZB
Stanley Park ___________________________ ZC
Point Grey _____________________________ ZD
B.O.P. (battery observation post)
Point Grey Naval Control Office, Marine Building
Steveston Battery is not included on this line.
(b) Submarine Cable - A 2-way submarine cable exists between Point Grey and Point Atkinson for the purpose of communication between the Examination Battery (Point Grey) and P.W.S.S. (port war signal station) (Point Atkinson).
The forts could also communicate with one another and the examination vessels by radio and the entire Vancouver defence system was linked by the telephone system. In addition to the battery code names, there was a code for the alert states of the fire command. Beginning with "Sword" and working up through "scabbard" and "Spear" the code reached "Dagger" which meant assume battle stations.
Taken literally, the Fire Commander's Orders of October 1942 could be misleading. The "patrol vessels" of the Royal Canadian Navy then consisted of three mineweepers and a few auxiliary vessels supplemented by the boats of the Fishermen's Reserve. The four destroyers formerly stationed at Esquimalt had been transferred to the Atlantic coast. The Royal Canadian Air Force "seaplane patrols" originated largely from the Jericho Beach Air Station on English Bay. This pioneer air station had been established on a part of the old naval reserve in 1920 and during the Second World War it was a base for the double-winged Blackburn Sharks and Supermarine Stranraers. It was the two-engined Stranraer that patrolled the length of British Columbia's coastline and sent back radio reports on all ships sighted. A brace of twenty-pound bombs hung below each wing. The Vancouver defences also had the support of a squadron of aircraft based at the Patricia Bay airfield.
The Victoria-Esquimalt batteries covering the Juan de Fuca strait were indeed formidable and they were coordinated with guns on the American side. There was a 9.2-inch calibre battery at Albert Head, two 6-inch batteries and four positions armed with 12 pounders. The guns were as old and their mountings as deficient as those at Vancouver. Yorke Island to the north had been bolstered by exchanging its original 4.7-inch guns for the 6-inch pieces at Stanley Park. The exchange was accomplished in the summer of 1942 in what was supposed to be secrecy. The security achieved may be judged from the fact that a gunner on Yorke Island received a letter from his wife in Vancouver reporting the arrival of the 4.7-inch guns.
Vancouver Defended, Peter Moogk, Pg 101