Down in a blaze of glory

The sinking of HMCS Cape Breton is another in a long line of artificial reef projects in British Columbia. Charles Hood witnesses the creation of an underwater marine-life haven …

The roar of four turbo propeller engines suddenly broke the relatively quiet buzz of banter coming from the camera crew aboard the press boat. To start proceedings, the Canadian Air Force 407 Patrol Squadron made several aerial passes over the anchored former ‘Victory’ ship HMCS Cape Breton. On the last pass the pyrotechnics could finally begin.

Two of British Columbia’s political bigwigs – the minister of transportation and the mayor of Nanaimo – pushed the button to detonate the cutting charges placed just below the ship’s waterline. At two-second intervals the charges, burning at some 5,000ºC, cut 15 perfectly circular holes the size of large dinner plates in the ship’s hull. Moments later, huge explosions erupted on the vessel’s deck. They burned with such ferocity that I could feel the heat from the flames 100m away. For a moment, I could imagine the terror of what it must have been like to have been on a crewed ship under attack in the Second World War. Throughout the next three minutes and 37 seconds, the holds billowed smoke and the steel super-structure hissed and creaked as the Cape Breton slipped slowly below the surface of the green waters of Nanaimo Bay, Vancouver Island. The Cape Breton’s new life had just begun as the world’s largest artificial reef and tourist attraction for divers.

Service History
The Cape Breton was built in 1944 in the Burrard dry dock in North Vancouver, British Columbia. She was one of 402 ships that were constructed as part of a massive shipbuilding effort to supply a convoy system to break through Hitler’s U-boat campaign against Allied supply routes. Originally commissioned as the HMS Flamborough Head, she was put into the service of the British Royal Navy. In 1951 she was then returned to Canada and the Canadian Navy, given an extensive refit, and renamed HMCS Cape Breton. She then acted as a technical apprentice training base in Halifax, Nova Scotia until 1958. After being converted again, she reappeared as a maintenance support vessel for anti-submarine escorts and minesweepers. From 1964 she was used as an accommodation and fleet maintenance support ship until being retired from naval service in 1994.

Economic impact
It is estimated that more than 55,000 dives have been carried out on the HMCS Saskatchewan. A conservative estimate claims at least four million Canadian dollars have been directly contributed to the local community as a result. With the sinking of the Cape Breton this figure is predicted to rise to six million by 2004.

Creating an ecosystem
Since her retirement in 1994, the fate of HMCS Cape Breton was in the balance. Would she become razor blades, as Jay Straith, president of the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia (ARSBC) once quipped about her potential future? Or, would there be a way for her to still have some use without being completely destroyed. The answer finally came when, shortly after the Cape Breton’s decommission, the ARSBC showed up at the offices of the Canadian Crown Assets Disposal department with a cheque for C$20,000. Her fate was sealed. She would be cleaned up and sunk to the bottom of the ocean in the waters of her maiden voyage.

In the months that followed, volunteers spent thousands of days were spent removing any possible contaminants. All wiring and other objects that could potentially ensnare a diver were also taken away. Environment Canada (Canada’s equivalent to the UK’s Environment Agency) also insisted that all loose paint chips be removed – no mean feat when dealing with a vessel of such size and condition. Further safety measures included welding shut small compartments, removing doors and opening holes in her hull to render her safe for divers. Once sunk, the Cape Breton would provide an ideal habitat for marine life. It was not certain as to whether or not all these preparations could be done in time. In fact, it was only at 6pm two days before the proposed sinking date that the team finally received all the necessary paperwork from Environment Canada, granting permission for the sinking to go ahead.

The day prior to the sinking belonged to the explosive guys of Alpha Blasting and Drilling. Under police guard they wired the Cape Breton with precision. Their aim was to ensure that she was sunk the right way up.

On 20 October 2001 the Nanaimo Dive Association and ARSBC gathered to produce the world’s largest artificial reef (specifically prepared for divers) by sinking the HMCS Cape Breton. The pyrotechnics were spectacular. Flames leaped 20m into the air. Smoke filled the skies and she slowly sank further in the water. Finally, listing slightly to starboard, she disappeared from sight, coming to rest at Snake Island, 3km east of Departure Bay at Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. Witnessing the sinking was a humbling experience and it was clear that a tremendous amount of effort had been put into the project.

The next day we dived the wreck. The ship did sink upright and now sits in about 42m of water. Her deck is at 28m, with the crow’s nest being the highest point at 15m. Visibility was a gloomy 7m, but a week later I was told it was more than double that.

The future’s bright
To get an idea of what the Cape Breton would be like in the years to come, I dived the wreck of the HMCS Saskatchewan. Sunk in June 1997 and with its bow acting as the anchoring point for the Cape Breton, this was like going forward in ecological time.

The emerald-coloured water was a chilly 11ºC, and arriving at the forward guns I could easily appreciate why more than 100 species of marine life have so far been catalogued on its superstructure – the wreck is covered in life. The first noticeable feature was the huge metre-high plumose anemones. Various species of diver-friendly rock cod swam along the gantries and in the holds there were massive pink anemones and orange sea pens. At the stern I found an exquisitely coloured nudibranch the size of a large soup bowl. Similar to a Red Sea Spanish dancer, it swam with amazing grace only to settle once again a few metres away.

Occasionally, seals visit the wreck and nip the fins of divers, but I wasn’t fortunate enough to see any. It’s a great dive and when the Cape Breton starts to look like this it has to be worth a visit.

Harlequin Worldwide Travel offers a seven-day wreck-dive tour package out of Nanaimo, including scheduled BA flights, local car hire and room-only accommodation, prices start from £1,233. Alternatively Harlequin can tailor-make trips to your individual requirements. Contact Harlequin on 01708 850 330 or see the web site www.harlequin-holidays.co.uk.

Six of the best
Along with HMCS Cape Breton, the Strait of Georgia has five other purposely-placed projects by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia (ARSBC). Collectively, these reefs contribute large revenues to the tourism industry. The projects are HMCS Chaudière near Sechelt; HMCS Columbia near Campbell River; HMCS Mackenzie and GB Church both near Sidney; and the Saskatchewan in Nanaimo.