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Naval Base Tours - Feb. 08-2004

CFB Esquimalt is prying open its gates a little wider to let more visitors in.

The base is introducing year-round bus and walking tours once a week until the summer months when they once again will be offered daily.

"I hear that from time to time that some people have a very hazy impression of what the military presence here is and what sort of activities go on behind the gates," base commander Capt. (N) David Kyle said Friday.

"Others compliment us on what a sea change there's been over the last decade or so and say 'Geez, the gates have never been so wide open and you folks are so active in the community.' ... So we're constantly re-examining the programs we're doing and looking at our ability to sustain more."

Offering tours has to be balanced with security interests post-9/11. Armed guards are still stationed at the main gate to HMC Dockyard and visitors to Naden are asked to produce photo ID.

Kyle, who was working in the U.S. during the 9/11 attacks, doubts there will ever be a return to the days of the "open base" that used to be the norm.

"I feel the sense as the landlord around here to make sure we're not asleep at the gate, that we're not overdoing it, but at the same time I think the taxpayers have a lot of investment here.

We've got $4.5-billion worth of ships and submarines in that dockyard. Those are irreplaceable national assets. So I think ... with the nature of the threats that are out there, defined and undefined, that it's unacceptable to go back to the pre-9/11 state of mind where we were a fireproof house," he said.

The interest seems to be there. Summer tours last summer hosted about 1,500 weekday visitors.

The base tours will offer a wealth of information. CFB Esquimalt's roots reach back to the 1850s when the Royal Navy began developing a base to handle the wounded from a potential battle with the Russians which the British fleet anticipated during the Crimean War.

"Fundamentally they see a mix of the military historical heritage, which is fascinating to see in the early imprint of the British imperial defence with a lot of heritage buildings ... and they'll also see the modern fleet. They'll see the submarine in dry-dock or in the water and see the fleet in various stages repair and get a sense for what a huge industrial activity there is on the base with the shipyard and the integrated construction."

The degree of construction activity at the base is breathtaking with some $125 million in capital projects under construction. Given the base supports a $4.5-billion fleet and some 6,500 military and civilian employees, it's a construction pace that's not due to slow in the near future.

"I would say in a 10-year span -- five years ago, and over the next five years --we're looking at well over $200 million going into the ground in terms of replacement facilities," Kyle said.

"In the ships themselves, we're talking billions of dollars, and the structure it takes to maintain and support those ships in a modern, industrial setting is a constant battle to maintain."

For example, one of the major projects underway is construction of a new $90-million ship maintenance facility to consolidate work that is currently spread out over 60 different buildings.

"You want to see 19th-century Imperial Navy heritage at work, try to imagine repairing a modern frigate out of 60 different work sites."

But, like the rest of the armed forces, the base is operating on a limited budget and that means constantly looking for ways to operate more efficiently.

Urban planners and developers alike have long coveted many DND properties, including the wartime housing around Work Point in Esquimalt that serves as married quarters for service personnel. Critics have said there's been no incentive for senior military personnel to divest underutilized land because proceeds of any sales go into general government revenues and aren't ploughed back into renewing infrastructure.

Kyle said that could change.

"I think we're going to get smaller. We have to. Our tax bills are killing us. We -- to the great satisfaction of the surrounding municipalities -- pay a large portion of their tax base. But that's coming at the expense of operating our ships and just sustaining the plant here. So something has got to get smaller and the best way to do it is to grow inwards."

© Copyright 2004 Times Colonist (Victoria)
reprinted with permission
Story Credit: Bill Cleverley

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