HMCS NADEN

Caution: This article contains dated, biased and/or racist language. 

The name “Naden” is derived from a clan, and a river of that name in Graham Island of the Queen Charlottes.  It was borne by a 60-foot, 100 Ton two-masted schooner built by the Wallace Shipyards of Vancouver for the Dominion Hydrographic Survey in 1913.  In 1918 she was loaned to the RCN and was commissioned as a tender to the Royal Naval College of Canada to give the cadets training in sail and at sea.  When HMCS RAINBOW was paid off, NADEN succeeded her as the depot ship with all officers and men serving in Esquimalt having her name on their books.

In due course, HMCS NADEN was sold and converted into the yacht Mabel Dell by Captain J.W. Hoggs who is understood to have made a considerable fortune supplying thirsty Americans.  Later, she was sold to John Gilbert, the movie star of the silent pictures, who converted her and renamed her Enchantress and took her to Los Angeles.  All efforts to find out what happened to her since have failed.

When Canada acquired the Royal Naval Hospital together with the other naval establishments and properties in 1910, she acquired the site of what is now HMCS NADEN.  At that time the hospital was closed down, but it was re-opened and used as a convalescent and rehabilitation centre during the First World War.

It was not until 3 September, 1922, that NADED was commissioned as a training establishment with Commander Charles Taschereau Beard as the first commanding officer.  Building #20, the 1956 Training Commander’s office, was the residence of Commander Beard; Building #19, where the Naval Library and well-Baby Clinic are located (1956), was the Wardroom.  The parade square was between the Wardroom and the buildings which have now been remodelled into the two chapels.

In 1929, Building #2, which is just inside the Main Gate, was erected to serve as an Electrical School and a Torpedo Anti-submarine Building.

In 1936, when NADEN was separated from the operational command of the Coast, considerable construction was undertaken.  A drill shed, which is now known as the old gym, was constructed.  Excavation was carried out by shovel and by horse cart.  The earth was used to fill in the end of Pilgrim Cove where the present anti-aircraft school building is located (Building #63).  In the same year, Building #5, the Administration Building where the Commodore and Commander and their immediate staffs have their offices, was put up and Building #12 was constructed as a school.  In 1938 the new parade square was built.  By 1939 it became necessary to expand beyond the original limit and a section of private property was expropriated.  This included the section bounded by Dublin, Liverpool and London Streets of the original Esquimalt and included the McKay Dairy Farm; the McKay house was where Nelles Block now stands, the barns where the Wardroom is, and the pastures where the Officers’ Naval Married Quarters are located.  In that year, Building #11, the Educational Training School was constructed as a Pay and Records Office.

Until 1939 Building #25 was the Esquimalt Radio Station.  It came under the direct control of the Commander in Chief America and West Indies Station, together with Halifax and Ottawa.  Bermuda acted as the control station and Esquimalt had direct traffic to and from Bermuda.  At the beginning of the war, control was shifted to Canada under the new communication system.  During the war years, extensive accommodation blocks were built, particularly 86A, 86B, 28X, 28Y and various buildings on the other side of Admirals Road.

The Commanding Officers of NADEN from 1922 to 1946 were as follows:

Lieutenant-Commander C.T. Beard, RCN

(Commander 1 November, 1922)3 Sep 192231 Jan 1925

Commander F.H. Brabant, RN 1 Feb 1925 30 Nov 1925

Commander P.W. Nelles, RCN 1 Dec 1925 22 Jan 1929

Commander L.W. Murray, RCN 23 Jan 1929 23 Jun 1931

Commander R.I. Agnew, RCN 24 Jun 1931 26 May 1932

Commander V.G. Brodeur, RCN 27 May 1932 31 Jan 1934

Commander W.J.R. Beech, RCN 1 Feb 1934 14 May 1934

Commander G.C. Jones, RCN 15 May 1934 31 Aug 1936

Commander J.E.W. Oland, DSC, RCN 1 Sep 1936 3 Nov 1938

Commander R.I. Agnew, OBE, RCN 4 Nov 1938 19 Jul 1940

Commander W.B.L. Holms, RCN

(Acting Captain 1 Jan 1940)20 Jul 19402 Jul 1942

Captain F.G. Hart, RCN 3 Jul 1942 31 Dec 1943

Commander R. Jackson, RCNR 1 Jan 1944 21 Mar 1944

Commander G.F. McCrimmon, RCNVR 22 Mar 1944 14 Feb 1945

Commander T.G. Fuller, DSC and 

Two Bars, RCNVR 15 Feb 1945 31 Oct 1945

Captain R.I. Agnew, OBE, RCN 1 Nov 1945 10 Mar 1945

Captain J.C.I. Edwards, CBE, RCN

(Commodore 13 Mar 1946) 11 Mar 1946 12 Feb 1950

The following notes, provided by Constructor Lieutenant H.E.N. Ockenden, RCN – a native of Esquimalt as well as an officer of many years – shed an interesting light on the history of NADEN.

“The original area consisted of about 3½ acres of land, which was expanded in 1936 by about 1½ acres, to give space for a drill hall (gymnasium) and larger parade ground, to include a new entries’ block (Grenville).

In 1939 it was again expanded by appropriation of private properties, of which only one house remains, in the area – the Command Medical Officer’s Office.

The present large parking area was part of the Convalescent Home grounds and used by inmates for gardening hobbies.  Later land surrounding Lang Cove was also included in the area, which includes Moresby House, Wren Block, so that to-day, NADEN in property consists of the land around Lang Cove from Esquimalt Dry-dock to Yarrows Ltd. Shipyard.

It has been said by people who were living in Esquimalt in its early days, that the materials, bricks, slates, door frames, windows and frames, Jalousie shutters, etc., were shipped by sailing ship around Cape Horn, the masons and bricklayers being sent along to erect the buildings.  When the buildings were completed some of the men remained in and around Victoria, and the descendants are here to the present day.

These buildings were designed and constructed to the code of the time, and similar buildings can still be seen in England.  There was one large ward with two small rooms each side of the entrance, one was used for a sitting room and the other for Nurses’ station.

The heating of these buildings consisted of fire-places in the ward, two large chimneys were erected with a fire-place back to back, and another at the west end, the bases of which can be seen under the buildings.

Of course, these buildings were not suitable for housing Naval Personnel, so alterations were made during 1923 to make accommodation space for the men.  The small sitting rooms and nurses’ station were fitted out with lockers which had an elaborate system of sash type sliding doors to give the greatest number of locker space in the smallest space available.  The buildings were allocated #35 RCN Dorm., #39 RCNVR Dorm.  Many a man of the former “Wavy Navy”, as it was then known, can remember the big barn of a room with the rows of double deck beds, the heat (?).  Men were issued with extra blankets to keep warm; although heating plants had been installed during the reconstruction period they were inadequate for the areas.

It will be noted that the window frames are double-fitted.  The writer did not see the storm windows fitted and in use, but the jalousie shutters were fitted on the outside and were removed during the period of years 1923-1930, because they were being broken up with the winds.

Later, these blocks were fitted out with hammock bars, to give the men experience in the slinging of hammocks, lockers were erected along the centre line of the dormitory and messes were organized exactly as they would be in a ship, i.e. tables and stools, bread barges, a type of cone-shaped oak barrel with lid, mess trap shelves and kettles, these items are disappearing out of the Navy.

Scars may be seen around the outer walls of the buildings where the copper catch basins were fitted from the eaves-troughing, and the down pipes were 3 inch lead piping, supported by lead brackets.  This, of course has all been replaced through time by sheet metal piping, the lead and copper being too expensive to replace.

It will be noted that the operating theatre space still retains the sky-light on the roof.  The verandahs have been modified in cement, but the supporting posts are still of the original design.  The area that is now a parking area, was formerly a bowling green, with grassy banks, which were replaced by rock wall and fill by working parties of NADEN in later years, after gutters had been laid and tarmac top had been completed.  This parade ground was used for all training until 1936 or 37, when the barracks expanded to build the Drill Hall, and later a retaining wall was constructed to level up the area west of Drill Hall, this, incidentally was the first major expansion programme in the Old Hospital area.

Nelles Block and the new Stores Building are a far cry from the accommodation of the olden days.”