HMCS Protector

HMCS Protector
Part of The Royal Canadian Navy
Sydney Harbour
A view, facing east, of HMCS Protector, and Sydney Harbour, and the Dominion Steel and Coal Company's Sydney Steel Plant in 1943. Merchant vessels can be seen in the harbour before departure on an Atlantic convoy.
Site information
TypeNaval base
OwnerGovernment of Canada
Controlled byRoyal Canadian Navy
Location
HMCS Protector
Coordinates46°9′18″N 60°13′14″W / 46.15500°N 60.22056°W / 46.15500; -60.22056
Site history
Built1943 (1943)
Built byDominion Construction Corporation Limited of Toronto
In use1943—1964
Demolished1982
Battles/warsBattle of the St. Lawrence, Battle of the Atlantic
EventsSinking of SS Caribou, Cold War

Royal Canadian Navy base HMCS Protector, also known as the Point Edward Naval Base, was located next to Sydney Harbour, on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. It was founded in 1940 and used by the navy during the Second World War, mainly to provision, protect and repair merchant marine convoys to Quebec, Halifax, and the United Kingdom. It was a main combat zone during the Battle of the St. Lawrence and the more general Battle of the Atlantic. It continued to be used during the Cold War's early stages. In 1964, it was decommissioned and became the first facility to house the Canadian Coast Guard College. Today, the Sydport Industrial Park uses the base's former piers and land.