In addition to hundreds of homes for families, CFB Esquimalt has 1,227 beds in the barracks, which are dorm rooms where members stay, mostly when they're completing a training session.
Nelles Block and Bernays Barracks, both located in Naden, have about 400 and 250 beds, respectively, where the most junior ranks stay. There, they can bunk up to three a room.
"When I first joined it was six to eight to a room ... so most people now are satisfied with what they get," says base accommodations supervisor Petty Officer 2nd Class Wes Derhak. But men and women are still subject to room inspections and have to follow rules such as no alcohol and no "fraternization" between males and females.
Derhak says while conditions in the barracks have improved, they're still designed to help new recruits adapt to living with the bare basics.
"You've got to get used to it because when you go on a ship you can't say 'I need a better place to sleep' because that's not going to cut it."
Leading Seaman Ben Quinn, a reservist, is currently staying in a single room in Bernays Barracks during a three-month posting to CFB Esquimalt.
"I'm kind of worried I'll be inspected here, so I keep my room pretty neat."
But Quinn says as he moves up in the reserves, he's no longer held to the stringent rules, such as folding his underwear four inches by four inches and T-shirts six by six.
Officers training at the base stay in ward rooms, either the 134 rooms at Signal Hill or the 400 to 500 beds at Work Point near the Naval Officers Training Centre. There are also beds in the Chiefs and Petty Officers' Mess.
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THE SERIES
As the navy celebrates its 100th anniversary this year with the promise to "bring the navy to Canadians," Times Colonist reporter Katie DeRosa and photographer Debra Brash bring the people, places and objects of CFB Esquimalt base to life.
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SATURDAY, MAY 29
Welcome to the base: About the 6,000 people who work there, and what they do.
SUNDAY
Workers on the base: Jobs for military personnel on the base run the gamut.
YESTERDAY
History of the base: As with all heritage sites, ghost stories lurk around.
TODAY
Life on the base: The base's communities pull together when loved ones are at sea.
THURSDAY
Civilians on the base: About one-third of the employees on the base are civilians who work in jobs as diverse as rope-making and museum curating.
FRIDAY
Business of the base: The base pumps more than half a billion dollars a year into the region's economy.
SATURDAY, JUNE 5
Ships at the base: CFB Esquimalt is home to the navy's Pacific fleet. Find out what life is like on the ships.
