CFB Halifax

CFB Halifax - former Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
CFB Halifax - former Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
	Ships docked at CFB Halifax
Coordinates	44°39′23.63″N 63°34′44.69″W / 44.6565639°N 63.5790806°W
Type	Naval base
Site information
Controlled by	Canadian Forces
Site history
In use	1759-present
Garrison information
Garrison	Maritime Forces Atlantic

Canadian Forces Base Halifax (CFB Halifax) is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic.

It is presently the largest Canadian Forces Base in terms of the number of posted personnel and is formed from an amalgamation of military properties situated around the strategic Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia.

Components of the base are described below.

Her Majesty's Canadian Dockyard (HMC Dockyard)

HMC Dockyard was acquired by the Canadian government from the Royal Navy following the withdrawal of British military forces from Canada in 1906. Prior to 1906, it was known as Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax and is one of the oldest defence establishments in Canada, having been established by the Royal Navy during the 18th century as HM Dockyard.

HMC Dockyard is located on the western side of Halifax Harbour at the southern end of The Narrows. It hosts the headquarters of Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT), the formal name for the Atlantic Fleet. HMC Dockyard contains berths for Canadian and foreign warships, Formation Supply Facility, Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Scott, shore-based training facilities as well as operations buildings for MARLANT and other organizations such as Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre Halifax (JRCC Halifax).

HMC Dockyard also has an adjunct facility directly across the harbour on the Dartmouth shoreline with jetties and various buildings, including Defence Research and Development Canada - Atlantic.

HMC Dockyard maintains exclusive control of several anchorage areas within the limits of Halifax Harbour and prevents civilian vessels from sailing in the vicinity of military facilities; a floating force protection boom system is currently being constructed to prevent small vessels from unauthorized passage near warships and pierside facilities.

Stadacona

Stadacona, formerly referred to as "HMCS Stadacona" (pre-1968) and frequently referred to as "Stad", is an adjunct to HMC Dockyard located west of the waterfront in the North End of the Halifax peninsula. Stadacona contains the Canadian Forces Naval Engineering School (with facilities at Herring Cove/York Redoubt, south of Halifax), the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School, the base hospital, the Canadian Forces Maritime Warfare Centre, and various messes. Stadacona is also home to the headquarters of Land Force Atlantic Area and the Maritime Command Museum.

Stadacona was originally built as the British Army's Wellington Barracks, later known as the Nelson Barracks, as part of the Halifax Defence Complex. After the departure of British military forces from Canada in 1906, the Royal Canadian Navy appropriated the site and it was transformed into HMCS Stadacona.

Housing

Housing for CFB Halifax is provided to Canadian Forces personnel and their dependents at Windsor Park, a housing area built by the Department of National Defence in the West End of Halifax. Stadacona is home to the Atlantic Block, a barracks for single junior non-commissioned officers and enlisted sailors. Base housing also used to be provided at Shannon Park and Wallis Heights in the North End of Dartmouth, however with defence cutbacks in the 1990s, this area has been sold for civilian use. Housing is available at the 12 Wing Shearwater site, which is part of CFB Halifax. A large number of service personnel own or rent civilian property in the area.

CFAD Bedford

The Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Bedford, informally referred to as the "Bedford Magazine", is a major Canadian Forces property occupying the entire northern shore of Bedford Basin. It houses all of the weaponry for MARLANT vessels and has a loading jetty and several nearby anchorages.

HMCS Trinity

HMCS Trinity is the name of the organization housed at Stadacona which is tasked with maintaining MARLANT communications with vessels and other Canadian Forces and allied units, as well as developing strategic and tactical operational intelligence for unit commanders.

HMCS Trinity operates two remote radio transmitter/receiver stations near Halifax:

HMCS Trinity also hosts the Canadian Forces IUSS Centre or CFIC which operates two remote SOSUS arrays in support of the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System for the United States Navy. These arrays were formerly operated from two separate joint USN/Canadian Forces facilities that were closed upon the opening of CFIC:

Naval Station Argentia, closed fall 1994
CFS Shelburne, closed summer 1994

Shearwater Heliport

The Shearwater Heliport is an airfield located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the community of Eastern Passage that supports CH-124 Sea King helicopters used on MARLANT's warships based at CFB Halifax.

Formerly a separate base known as CFB Shearwater, the airfield was realigned as part of CFB Halifax during the mid-1990s. 12 Wing, an AIRCOM unit that reports to 1 Canadian Air Division, is the primary user of the Shearwater Heliport and is headquartered there. DND properties that were formerly aligned to CFB Shearwater, such as the Hartlen Point Golf Course and the Shearwater Jetty, are now part of CFB Halifax.