The invaluable service of Duncan native and First World War hero Lieutenant William McKinstry Maitland-Dougall are now engraved into history at Esquimalt.
On Aug. 2, the Canadian Submarine Force commemorated Lt. McKinstry Maitland-Dougall at His Majesty's Canadian Dockyard in Esquimalt with the renaming of building D85 in his honour. D85 is one of the primary Canadian Submarine Force buildings in the HMC Dockyard for submariners.
During the ceremony that had 60 invited guests and military personnel in attendance, a commemorative plaque was unveiled by Captain Alex Kooiman, commander with the Canadian Submarine Force, and Rear-Admiral Christopher Robinson, commander with Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific. They were joined by members of Maitland-Dougall’s family, as well as the mayor of Esquimalt Barb Desjardins.
The celebration came just days before the marking of the 110-year anniversary of Canada obtaining its first two submarines when the then-BC Premier Richard McBride bought them from a Seattle shipyard at the outbreak of the First World War on Aug. 5, 1914. His Majesty’s Canadian Submarines CC 1, and CC 2 were originally built for the Chilean Navy.
Maitland-Dougall, a graduate of the Royal Naval College of Canada, who served with the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve was the first Canadian to command a British submarine and at only 22 years old, he was the youngest to ever earn a command. He was the commanding officer of Royal Navy Submarine D3 and was killed in active service along with his crew of 29 off Le Havre, France on March 15, 1918 when a French dirigible mistook the D3 to be a U-boat and fired upon it — Lt. McKinstry Maitland-Dougall was only 23. During the span of both world wars, 34 Canadians served in Royal Navy submarines, and 15 of those were commanding officers. To this day, Maitland-Dougall is the only Canadian submarine commanding officer to be lost in action.
“Naming this building in honour of Lieutenant William McKinstry Maitland-Dougall recognizes the impact he’s had on Canadian Submarine Service history," said Kooiman. "It is fitting that we do this today as we approach the significant milestone of celebrating 110 years of Canadian Submarine Service. This plaque is a reminder of the importance of carrying our history with us as we look forward to an exciting future for Canada’s Submarine Force. I hope people left with a better appreciation for the sacrifices that were by made by Lt. Maitland-Dougall, and other Canadians in service of their country.
