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Fort Rodd Hill lower battery. Photo by Ymblanter.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site

Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site is a 19th-century coastal artillery fort on the Esquimalt Harbor side of Colwood, British Columbia (Greater Victoria/Victoria, BC Metropolitan Area).

The site is near the Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site, Canada’s first lighthouse on the West Coast. Parks Canada manages and presents the fort and lighthouse to the public.

In 1958, the fort was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. On June 28, 1985, Canada Post issued ‘Fort Rodd Hill, British Columbia,’ one of 20 stamps in the “Forts Across Canada Series”. The stamps are perforated and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited based on Rolf P. Harder’s designs.

1. Fort Rodd Hill was named after John Rashleigh Rodd

Rodd Hill was named after John Rashleigh Rodd, a 1st Lieutenant on the HMS Fisgard under Captain John A. Duntze. John Rashleigh Rodd rose through the ranks to become rear admiral in 1877, vice admiral in 1884, and admiral in 1888. He passed away in 1892.

2. Fort Rodd Hill attracted troops to train

In 1899, the Royal Marine Artillery garrison was replaced by a larger garrison of Royal Garrison Artillery personnel, as well as a detachment of Royal Engineers, one of whom was specially trained in submarine mining.

The local Canadian artillery militia continued to receive gunnery instruction and practice, and they became extremely skilled, winning several national competitions. Annual training schemes involved both Imperial and Colonial troops in phony battles and drills, including a full-scale night assault on Fort Rodd Hill and the Esquimalt naval base in 1902.

3. Guns at Fort Rodd Hill almost fired on two submarines

Upper Battery. Photo by Veepea.

The guns at Fort Rodd Hill’s Lower Battery almost fired on two submarines that appeared under cover of darkness on August 4, 1914. These were submarines purchased (illegally) by British Columbia Premier Richard McBride, who felt the federal government was not doing enough to protect Canada’s west coast.

McBride purchased the submarines on his own initiative from the manufacturer in Seattle, where the submarines were being built for the Chilean Navy. In violating US neutrality and spending over a million dollars of provincial taxpayers’ money, this was a huge risk.

The gunners at Rodd Hill were informed at the last possible moment, right before the guns were fired, and a disaster was averted. McBride successfully persuaded Prime Minister Robert Borden to purchase the subs for the newly formed Royal Canadian Navy, and the province was reimbursed for their unconventional purchase.

4. Fort Rodd Hill was never attacked

The Canadian government spent a lot of money and mobilized a lot of military personnel to prepare Fort Rodd Hill for an attack that never happened.

5. Fort Rodd Hill has three batteries

Fort Rodd Hill has three batteries: the Upper Battery, which towers above the fort’s other structures, the Lower Battery, which is located in the heart of the site, and the towering Belmont Battery. These three batteries, built at strategic vantage points, tell the story of how technology at the fort has changed and evolved during the World Wars and beyond.

The upper battery was built at a critical vantage point for coastal defense, not just for aesthetic purposes. The guardhouse, water tank, and underground magazine complex are all located within the battery.

Many people have commented on the strange, elbow-shaped growth formations of the trees near this battery. This is because trees were topped to provide soldiers with a clear line of sight when firing their weapons.

The lower battery, located in the center of Fort Rodd Hill, is where the Canadian Red Ensign flag can be seen flying. Within its walls are the case mate barracks, which were built between 1895 and 1898 and could house 18 or 19 men per room during wartime.

The defensible wall of the battery has loopholes through which soldiers can aim and shoot. Off-duty soldiers congregated outside at the Canteen, where a cold brew was welcomed.

Belmont’s design distinguishes it from the other batteries as the only one that has undergone significant changes since its original construction. Belmont, which was completed in 1900, was outfitted with two quick-firing guns that allowed it to target faster ships. During WWII, the concrete tower was used as a navigation station, and the guns were replaced with the more powerful Twin 6-pounder.

6. Fort Rodd Hill had big guns

Artillery gun at Fort Rodd Hill. Photo by Ymblanter.

Disappearing 6-inch guns were cutting-edge weapons at the time the Fort was built. They raised the barrel above the parapet to fire, then lowered it to safety below to be breech-loaded.

The mechanical ‘guts’ of these guns are no longer present, but one of the barrels can still be seen at the upper battery.

The Belmont Battery’s twin-barreled 6-pounder gun is a light coastal defense gun that was used in forts. They were designed to be mobile and quick enough to deal with fast-moving E-boats (Schneeboot in German), which could sink convoys and vanish into the darkness.

On their best day, teams of seven highly trained soldiers plus members of the ammunition train could fire up to 72 rounds per minute; quite impressive given the 12-pounder quick-firing gun that the Twin 6 replaced’s average rate of 15 rounds per minute.

7. Fort Rodd Hill was constructed by European laborers

In 1894, the Royal Marine Artillery garrison arrived, consisting of specialists with two years of training. Supervision of the construction of the  permanent defenses, was done by officers and men from the Royal Engineers.

The original construction plan called for Chinese labor, but local newspapers lobbied against it, and more expensive European day laborers were hired instead.

8. Fort Rodd Hill was renovated in 2015

Belmont Battery. Photo by Ymblanter.

The restoration was part of a $3 billion federal project that began in 2015 to renovate heritage structures in time for Canada’s 150th anniversary. Fort Rodd Hill received $2.4 million of the $3 billion.

Local renovations of the lower and upper batteries began in 2015. Repairing concrete and upgrading woodwork and drainage were among the tasks completed in 2016.

9. Fort Rodd Hill had a switchboard

Fort Rodd Hill fortress plotting room. Photo by Properpostman.

During the early years of World War II (1940-1941), a Fortress Plotting Room was built into the Lower Battery’s outer wall. This facility was built to provide target information to the Mary Hill Battery and Albert Head Battery’s long-range guns.

The plotting room had its own switchboard that received target data from the observation posts and sent it to the guns along with azmuth and range data. Computations were carried out on a half-ton Fortress Plotting Machine. The building was bomb and gas proof.

The plotting machine was rendered obsolete by the introduction of radar into harbor defense, and the room was converted into an anti-aircraft operations room in 1951.

10. Fort Rodd Hill has searchlights to date

Fisgard Lighthouse at Fort Rodd Hill. Photo by Sarena D.

Searchlights were first installed at Fort Rodd Hill around 1902 to illuminate targets at night. There were two lights installed. One on the west side of the point and the other near the lighthouse on the east side.

The first light had a narrow beam with a range of approximately 5000 yards. The second light had a wide beam with a range of approximately 2000 yards. During WWII, the searchlight system was updated with modern 60″ searchlights.

By the end of the war, the harbor was surrounded by 17 searchlight positions. Two of the Fort Rodd Hill searchlight shelters are still standing, one of which is disguised as a fisherman’s hut.