The Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia (ARSBC) said today it has at last received full approval to turn a former-Canadian Navy warship into an artificial reef. The HMCS Annapolis will be sunk to create a reef for marine life at Gambier Island.
The ship currently sits in off the coast of Gambier, which is tucked in behind Bowen Island, in an area known as Lions Bay (Port Graves). It will be sunk in Gambier's nearby Halkett Bay Marine Provincial Park. The 110-metre ship (366 feet), which carried helicopters, has been there since being sold to the ARSBC by the federal government in 2008.
It will be towed from its present location to the nearby waters of its new home on January 13 and then final preparations for the January 17 sinking will occur. "The sinking is expected to take place in the late morning, and as it is a weather-dependent event we advise watching our web site for updates," the ARSBC said in a statement.
The ARSBC says the ship will be not only the largest reef in waters surrounding the Greater Vancouver area, but also the cleanest vessel ever to be sunk as a reef.
The ARSBC said that since its purchase the ship has been cleaned of all hazardous materials by upwards of 1,000 volunteers and that about 250 tons of material was taken off, much of it recycled. Howie Robins, president of the ARSBC said that all federal regulations have been strictly followed, and met, and all systems are go on the sinking.
The HMCS Annapolis was launched in 1963, commissioned in 1964 and decommissioned in 1996. Along the way she served with the Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) and with Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC).
She spent time as a training ship and also managed a couple of firsts: the Annapolis was the first warship fitted with a towed array sonar system and in 1990 she became the first Canadian Navy ship to sail with a mixed-gender crew.
In addition to its new assignment as an artificial reef for marine life, the ship will also be available for divers to explore.
PHOTO: The HMCS will take on a new assignment as an artificial reef near Gambier Island off the coast of B.C.
CREDIT: Marcus Hondro.