Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax was a Royal Navy base in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the western shore of Halifax Harbour just north of Citadel Hill. Seasonal naval work began there in 1749, but permanent land and buildings were bought in 1758 and the yard was officially opened in 1759. It served as the North American Station’s headquarters for about sixty years, through the Seven Years’ War, the American Revolution, the French Revolutionary Wars and the War of 1812.
The yard’s main jobs were to refit ships and, after timber shortages in the colonies, to collect and store masts and spars for ships across the Royal Navy. It also built some warships. A dry dock did not exist at Halifax until 1887; a graving dock and other facilities were added between 1881 and 1897.
The station closed in 1905 and Canada purchased the yard in 1907, turning it into His Majesty’s Canadian Dockyard, a function it continues to serve today as part of CFB Halifax.
Halifax Naval facilities were protected by forts and defenses around the harbour, including nearby Citadel Hill. The site has been recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada since 1923.
Much of the original yard was damaged or removed after the 1917 Halifax Explosion and during World War II rebuilds. Today, only the Admiral’s Residence (built in 1816) remains as a building from the original yard and is now the Maritime Command Museum. The yard’s clock has been restored and placed at the Halifax Ferry Terminal, and the original yard bell is kept at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which features a diorama of the yard in 1813.
Today the area is part of CFB Halifax and includes the Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Scott, continuing the Halifax Dockyard’s long naval role.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:57 (CET).