CFS Carp
Encyclopedia
Canadian Forces Station Carp (also CFS Carp) is a former Canadian
military facility located in the rural farming community of Carp
, Ontario
, approximately 30 km west of Ottawa.
In 1958, at the height of the Cold War
and the infancy of the ICBM
threat, Carp was selected as the site for one of the Emergency Government Headquarters
(also known as Diefenbunkers) complexes being constructed across Canada. The Carp facility would be the largest of such facilities, and the only one in the immediate Ottawa area. Construction began in 1959 in an abandoned gravel pit outside Carp. The original site, some six miles west of Almonte
(45 15'06.66" N x 76 19'31.05 W) was abandoned when ground water proved impossible to remove.
The underground 4-storey bunker was capable of withstanding a near-hit from a nuclear explosion. It had massive blast doors at the surface, as well as extensive air filters to prevent radiation infiltration. Underground storage was built for food, fuel, fresh water, and other supplies for the facility which was capable of supporting several hundred people for weeks. A vault was also constructed on the lowest level to hold the gold reserves of the Bank of Canada
.
These facilities were administered by the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
(later the Communications and Electronics Branch
). A decentralized transmitter site was located further to the west where an antenna farm was built just outside of Almonte (approx 45 16'00.70 N x 76 08'22.58 W).
The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1994. On April 12, 2006, the City of Ottawa
designated the entire site as a property of cultural heritage value under the Ontario Heritage Act
. The site has been recognized as a heritage property by the federal government since 1994.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
military facility located in the rural farming community of Carp
Carp, Ontario
Carp is a large village west of urban Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.The village takes its name from the Carp River which runs through the village.The main street was formerly a section of the Trans-Canada Highway and carried much of the traffic coming from the west into Ottawa...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, approximately 30 km west of Ottawa.
In 1958, at the height of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the infancy of the ICBM
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
threat, Carp was selected as the site for one of the Emergency Government Headquarters
Diefenbunker
Emergency Government Headquarters are nuclear fallout bunkers built by the Government of Canada at the height of the Cold War during the infancy of the ICBM threat...
(also known as Diefenbunkers) complexes being constructed across Canada. The Carp facility would be the largest of such facilities, and the only one in the immediate Ottawa area. Construction began in 1959 in an abandoned gravel pit outside Carp. The original site, some six miles west of Almonte
Almonte, Ontario
Almonte is a Canadian exurb and former mill town located in Lanark County, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. Formerly a separate municipality, Almonte is now a ward of the town of Mississippi Mills, which was created on January 1, 1998 by the merging of Almonte with Ramsay and...
(45 15'06.66" N x 76 19'31.05 W) was abandoned when ground water proved impossible to remove.
The underground 4-storey bunker was capable of withstanding a near-hit from a nuclear explosion. It had massive blast doors at the surface, as well as extensive air filters to prevent radiation infiltration. Underground storage was built for food, fuel, fresh water, and other supplies for the facility which was capable of supporting several hundred people for weeks. A vault was also constructed on the lowest level to hold the gold reserves of the Bank of Canada
Bank of Canada
The Bank of Canada is Canada's central bank and "lender of last resort". The Bank was created by an Act of Parliament on July 3, 1934 as a privately owned corporation. In 1938, the Bank became a Crown corporation belonging to the Government of Canada...
.
These facilities were administered by the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals was a corps of the Canadian Army. Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers established the corps in 1903, making it the first independent Signal Corps in the British Empire...
(later the Communications and Electronics Branch
Communications and Electronics Branch
The Communications and Electronics Branch is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces .-History:Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers was the founder of the Canadian Signalling Corps, forerunner of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and the Communications and Electronics Branch of the...
). A decentralized transmitter site was located further to the west where an antenna farm was built just outside of Almonte (approx 45 16'00.70 N x 76 08'22.58 W).
The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1994. On April 12, 2006, the City of Ottawa
City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws...
designated the entire site as a property of cultural heritage value under the Ontario Heritage Act
Ontario Heritage Act
The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage value or interest....
. The site has been recognized as a heritage property by the federal government since 1994.