Canadian Hydrographic Service
| Service hydrographique du Canada | |
Canadian Hydrographic Service crest
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1883 |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Fisheries and Oceans Canada Science Sector |
| Website | http://www.charts.gc.ca |
The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is Canada's hydrographic office, responsible to gather, manage, transform and dessiminate bathymetric, hydrographic and nautical information into paper and electronic nautical charts and publications including Notices to Shipping and/or Notices to Mariners for safe and efficient navigation in Canadian waters including performing hydrographic surveys. CHS also represents Canada in the International Hydrographic Organization.
Prior to Confederation, responsibilities for hydrographic survey and chart production in British North America rested with the Royal Navy.
In 1882, the loss of the steamship SS Asia on an uncharted shoal in Georgian Bay resulted in 150 fatalities and was Canada's worst maritime disaster at the time. On August 13, 1883, the Dominion government established the Georgian Bay Survey which was empowered by legislation with the responsibility to survey and chart navigable waters of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.
Surveying and charting was extended to Canada's Pacific coast in 1891, tidal and current metering nationwide began in 1893, surveying and charting extended to the Maritimes by 1905, and water level gauging of the Great Lakes began in 1912.
In 1904, a Privy Council order renamed the Georgian Bay Survey to the Hydrographic Survey of Canada with some modified responsibilities. In 1913 one of Canada's most famous hydrographic survey vessels, CSS Acadia was commissioned for use on the Atlantic coast. In 1928, the organization was renamed to the current name Canadian Hydrographic Service. Responsibility was extended on March 31, 1949 with the entry of Newfoundland into Confederation, with CHS taking over surveys and charting around the island of Newfoundland and the coast of Labrador from the Royal Navy.
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