Chebucto Head, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Chebucto Head is a Canadian
headland on Nova Scotia
's Chebucto Peninsula
located within the community of Duncan's Cove, Nova Scotia
.
Chebucto Head forms the most easterly point on the peninsula and is used to define the southwestern limit of Halifax Harbour
; historically known to the Mi'kmaq Nation as "Jipugtug", (anglicised as "Chebucto") meaning "the biggest harbour", or simply, "the big harbour". A line drawn northeast from Chebucto Head to Pennant Point
defines the southern geographic limit of the harbour. The actual legal limit of the harbour is located further inland to the north of this line.
cancelled the lease of the tenants who lived in and looked after the house. The plight of the lighthouse helped to inspire the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
to push for the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, a campaign that was launched at the Chebucto Head lighthouse on March 11, 1999.The house was destroyed by a suspicious fire on March 25, 2004. The Chebucto Head Lighthouse Society, a group formed to try and save the lighthouse continues to work to keep the site preserved and open to the public.
Chebucto Head was used by the CCG as the control centre for the Vessel Traffic Service
or VTS that controlled vessel movements in Halifax Harbour until the 1980s when a new control centre was opened at Shannon Hill, above the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
in Dartmouth
. It continues as a Remote Aids to Navigation Station.
, Halifax Harbour was the primary fast convoy departure and arrival point in eastern North America. The Royal Canadian Artillery operated a searchlight and coastal gun battery at Chebucto Head as part of "Fortress Halifax" as a means of providing an integrated defense for the port. The Chebucto Head battery was the key outer battery of the Western side of harbour defending it from possible attacks by Nazi U-boats or surface raiders. The fortified battery was armed with three Elswick 6 inch naval gun
s with associated searchlight, director tower, generators, a long-range optical rangefinder and by 1943 a radar artillery control unit. The battery was decommissioned in the early 1950s but many bunkers remain, now privately owned.
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...
headland on Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
's Chebucto Peninsula
Chebucto Peninsula
The Chebucto Peninsula is a Canadian peninsula located in central Nova Scotia entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality on the Atlantic coast....
located within the community of Duncan's Cove, Nova Scotia
Duncan's Cove, Nova Scotia
Duncan's Cove is a small rural community on the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on the Ketch Harbour Road , 19 kilometers from Halifax. The community is located beside Chebucto Head, the prominent coastal headland.-History:Duncan's Cove...
.
Chebucto Head forms the most easterly point on the peninsula and is used to define the southwestern limit of Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...
; historically known to the Mi'kmaq Nation as "Jipugtug", (anglicised as "Chebucto") meaning "the biggest harbour", or simply, "the big harbour". A line drawn northeast from Chebucto Head to Pennant Point
Pennant Point, Nova Scotia
Pennant Point is a rural community located at the head of Pennant Harbour near Sambro on the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality Nova Scotia on Route 349 .-Communications:*Telephone exchange 902 - 868...
defines the southern geographic limit of the harbour. The actual legal limit of the harbour is located further inland to the north of this line.
Lighthouse
The first lighthouse at Chebucto Head was built in 1872 with a steam foghorn just below it. It was replaced by a second tower in 1928. This tower was demolished in 1940 and a new lighthouse and combined keeper's dwelling was built several hundred metres to the north to make way for a gun battery. In 1967 the light was moved from the house to the a new concrete tower which still stands today. The house remained the keeper's dwelling until the light was destaffed in the 1990s. The house fell prey to repeated vandalism after the Canadian Coast GuardCanadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
cancelled the lease of the tenants who lived in and looked after the house. The plight of the lighthouse helped to inspire the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society is a non profit charitable organization that works to save lighthouses in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the largest and oldest lighthouse heritage organization in Canada...
to push for the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, a campaign that was launched at the Chebucto Head lighthouse on March 11, 1999.The house was destroyed by a suspicious fire on March 25, 2004. The Chebucto Head Lighthouse Society, a group formed to try and save the lighthouse continues to work to keep the site preserved and open to the public.
Chebucto Head was used by the CCG as the control centre for the Vessel Traffic Service
Vessel Traffic Service
A vessel traffic service is a marine traffic monitoring system established by harbour or port authorities, similar to air traffic control for aircraft...
or VTS that controlled vessel movements in Halifax Harbour until the 1980s when a new control centre was opened at Shannon Hill, above the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Bedford Institute of Oceanography
The Bedford Institute of Oceanography is a major Canadian government ocean research facility located in Dartmouth in the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia. The Bedford Institute of Oceanography is the largest ocean research station in Canada...
in Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
. It continues as a Remote Aids to Navigation Station.
Gun Battery
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Halifax Harbour was the primary fast convoy departure and arrival point in eastern North America. The Royal Canadian Artillery operated a searchlight and coastal gun battery at Chebucto Head as part of "Fortress Halifax" as a means of providing an integrated defense for the port. The Chebucto Head battery was the key outer battery of the Western side of harbour defending it from possible attacks by Nazi U-boats or surface raiders. The fortified battery was armed with three Elswick 6 inch naval gun
Elswick 6 inch naval gun
The QF 6 inch 40 calibre naval gun was used by many United Kingdom-built warships around the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century.In UK service it was known as the QF 6 inch Mk I, II, III guns....
s with associated searchlight, director tower, generators, a long-range optical rangefinder and by 1943 a radar artillery control unit. The battery was decommissioned in the early 1950s but many bunkers remain, now privately owned.