Picture a quiet harbour on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Calm waters. Towering forests. It seems peaceful enough—but beneath that surface lies a story that helped shape Canada's Pacific coast. Long before warships lined the docks, Indigenous peoples lived and thrived here. Then came explorers, empires, sailors, and soldiers, each leaving their mark on what would become Esquimalt Harbour. How did this sheltered stretch of water become the birthplace of Canada's Pacific Navy? And why has it remained strategically important for more than 150 years?
Scott Stephen is a historian and educator based in North Vancouver, British Columbia. He is currently working in education policy and as a consultant for Trailmark Systems. Scott’s research areas include British imperial history, British Columbia’s history and naval history. His work on the Esquimalt naval base began during his graduate studies at UBC, and he won the Jacques Cartier MA prize for 2024 from the Canadian Nautical Research Society for his thesis.
His recent article “Esquimalt and its Latin American Connection: Linking British Concerns in Pacific Latin America to the Establishment of a Naval Base on Vancouver Island”, published in the Canadian Historical Review, repositions Pacific Latin America as an essential component to the navy’s interest in Esquimalt Harbour circa 1858 and details the larger imperial context within which that interest arose.
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