History
 The
first permanent naval presence in Esquimalt was established
in 1855 during the Crimean war, when Rear Admiral Bruce
instructed Governor Douglas to construct three hospital huts
intended to care for British sailors and soldiers wounded
during naval actions around Petropavlovski located on the
Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Fortunately the only casualty
was a sailor from HMS Brisk suffering from scurvy.
Construction of a graving dock began in 1876 and the
graving dock received its first vessel, HMS Cormorant, July
20, 1887. In the process of construction, two companies went
bankrupt and one provincial government was ousted. The total
cost for this engineering marvel was $1,177,664. The graving
dock was of benefit to both the Navy and the surrounding
village. In the first seven years after its construction, 94
ships, including 24 merchant ships, were laid up in the
dock. Work at the graving dock averaged 21 ships yearly from
1887-1927. After the completion of the federal graving dock
in 1924, the naval graving dock was put out of use until
HMCS Coaticook docked there on August 31, 1945.
CFB
Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
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