The Second World war brought a renaissance for the once important ex-Royal Navy Dockyard at Esquimalt, British Columbia.

For a time during the interwar period, it had only supported one Canadian destroyer and a few trawlers. During the war, Esquimalt became an important shipbuilding centre and naval base. In this October 1943 Rowley Murphy painting, a half dozen frigates, including HMCS Beacon Hill and Port Colborne, appear in various phases of completion (right background). HMCS Vancouver, the corvette tied up to the quay (centre), served on two occasions with the United States Navy in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands campaign.

HMCS Vancouver Alongside, Esquimalt
Painted by Rowley Murphy in 1943
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19710261-2400