Here’s why you might hear loud gunfire in Esquimalt and View Royal this week

With the arrival of the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, this week, there will be numerous celebrations happening in and around Greater Victoria. 

At one of these celebrations in Esquimalt, the Princess Royal will be honoured by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with an old naval tradition.

At around 10:30 a.m. on May 4th, a 21-gun salute will be fired in honour of Princess Anne in the area of Duntze Head, which is located in Her Majesty’s Canadian Dockyard at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.

This honour will be bestowed upon the Princess Royal as she arrives for her three-day royal visit to Greater Victoria on the HMCS Max Bernays.

For this ceremony, artillery cannons will be used, but they will be firing blank rounds. 

The RCN says there is no danger to the public whatsoever.

Related:

• Princess Royal’s full itinerary for Victoria visit released by Lieutenant Governor
• Princess Royal will visit two Victoria non-profit organizations while in Canada

In addition to the 21-gun salute on May 4th, a rehearsal will be conducted on May 1st around 10 a.m. in the same area. The RCN says this practice may take up to two hours. 

“Residents may hear the firing on the gun during the specified times,” said an RCN spokesperson. 

“Due to a variety of environmental factors including temperature, humidity, and wind direction, it may be possible that the firing of the guns be heard in neighbouring areas.”

The neighbouring areas most likely to hear the cannonfire will be View Royal and Esquimalt. 

The RCN says that for those who are interested in watching the salute, it will be visible from Fort Rodd Hill and the Esquimalt Lagoon.