Royal Canadian Navy officer Vice Adm. Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, welcomes guests to the B Jetty opening ceremony on February 5, 2025. The infrastructure upgrade to replace two World War II-era jetties and marks a major capability upgrade for the Canadian Armed Forces. THE LOOKOUT
THE WATCH STAFF
Canada’s second-largest naval base marked a historic infrastructure investment in February 2025 with the completion of a jetty able to accommodate a new generation of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) vessels, strengthening the ability of the RCN to defend the Canadian and U.S. Pacific coasts. The new jetty is part of Canada’s $1.1 billion (U.S. $700 million) investment in military infrastructure contained in the country’s latest defense plan.
“I’m thrilled to see the reopening of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt’s B Jetty. This significant upgrade ensures that our sailors have a modern, sustainable, and resilient jetty from which to operate the future fleet in defence of Canadian waters and interests,” said Vice Adm. Angus Topshee, RCN commander, who attended the dedication ceremony at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt, located in British Columbia just west of Victoria.
The original B Jetty, built in World War II, was demolished in 2017 and the site remediated to remove contaminated sediment from the harbor seabed. Underwater rocks also were removed to prepare the site for the new jetty, according to a Canadian Department of National Defence news release. Construction began in June 2020. The base provides support services to all ships and hosts more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel of both Maritime Forces Pacific, who maintain multipurpose, combat-capable maritime forces, and Joint Task Force Pacific, which focuses on Canadian defense and civil support operations in the Pacific.
“CFB Esquimalt is the second-largest military base in Canada and the Defence Team members stationed there require the appropriate infrastructure to support their vital work in defending our country. The investment in the Royal Canadian Navy by our government, the largest since the Second World War, includes modern infrastructure that can support our newly acquired fleets,” said Harjit S. Sajjan, president of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and minister of emergency preparedness and minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, according to a Canadian Department of National Defence news release.
The jetty will be able to accommodate RCN ships built in the last 15 years as part of the country’s $30 billion (U.S. $21 billion) National Shipbuilding Strategy, including Joint Support Ships and Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels. The jetty also will help mitigate the effects of climate change and is designed to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis, the release stated. “Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the federal government is committed to ensuring that members of the Royal Canadian Navy are equipped with the modern ships required to carry out their important work defending and protecting Canada. Today’s opening of B Jetty at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt is an exciting moment, as this key piece of infrastructure will accommodate the future Navy fleet that is being delivered under the Strategy,” Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lt. Jean-Yves Duclos said.
The 270-meter-long and 26-meter-wide structure is built on pipe piles as long as 100 meters, anchored securely in underlying bedrock and reinforced with heavy-duty concrete beams and decking. Topshee said the jetty was built with care not to damage the surrounding ecosystem and marine wildlife. Local Indigenous communities were consulted to protect culturally significant areas, according to Lookout News, the base’s newspaper. Now that B Jetty is operational, work will commence on A Jetty, which will further enhance the base’s operational capability.
The new jetty will be able to welcome visiting NATO ships. “This milestone will ensure the Royal Canadian Navy has the critical infrastructure it needs at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to accommodate the next generation of Canadian naval vessels. This is an important milestone in the A/B Jetty Recapitalization Project, and I am proud of the progress being made in continuing to grow our military capabilities,” said Minister of National Defence Bill Blair, according to the release.