"Dog" boat found.

Hi Pioneer,

OK, thought they had been in touch but obviously not, quite understand, will get onto them,

Johnk

Hi all,

Great to hear from Nicholas, very interesting to read of the details regarding preservation of Canadian vessels, what a pity they plan to sink Fraser, that seems to be a new trend in the world, we of course sank the Sylla a while back and have heard of further plans elsewhere in the country. I am glad you are still keen to get hold of 486 and hope wider coverage on the links page will help. Such a pity such little support, something we know about here of course. Although just heard on the radio about more funds for the Mary Rose and Cutty Sark, OK, well known vessels but Oh for a small slice for other parts of our marine heritage. 

Johnk

Hi Tramontana,

Our level of interest in our history is quite disappointing.  Unfortunately, there is a myth in Canada that we have a dull history and that, combined with how new our country is, means we really don’t have anything worth saving.  Hence, the dismally few laws to protect out architectural heritage, not to mention military history. 

St. Laurent was actually very similar to the RN’s Whitby and Leander class frigates (don’t know why we called them destroyer escorts – probably just to placate the Americans), which also had the rounded bows.  And like the Whitbys and Leanders, the purpose was ensure that the spray washdown of the vessel to remove radiation after steaming through a fallout area streamed off the ship and did not pool in the scuppers.  I remember doing nuclear fallout drills in the “citadel” of HMCS Gatineau while we were doing workups with our sister Terra Nova, which had a new captain – quite a creepy experience.  The St. Laurents actually used the same engines and boilers as the Whitbys, if I remember correctly.  St. Laurent was the first to go to the knackers yard back in the ‘80s, but she foundered on her way to the US, which may have sparked the idea of using many of the others as diving wrecks (better than being scrapped, at least).

Funny about Sackville being saved.  I recently read a book by William H. Pugsley called Sailor Remember.  He was an officer who resigned his commission so he could live with and write about the lower deck (Saints, Devils and Ordinary Seamen).  He consequently was frequently posted during to the war to different kinds of vessels so he could write about life in each, and then was given his commission back after the war.  He then wrote Sailor Remember in which he observed how the navy was changing after the war.  He deplored the fact that the Canadian government was not going to preserve any corvettes and he believed that we should save “at least one” of these small ships as a memorial to men who fought in them.  Too bad he didn’t live to see Sackville saved.   The only reason they could save Sackville was because she was still in service with the government at the time they (a private group, not the government, nor the navy) were looking, and the two “modified” Flowers in the Dominican Republic had just been wrecked by a hurricane.  Lots of work had to be done to restore Sackville back to her WWII configuration, but luckily, she still has her original engines and a Royal Canadian Legion branch were able to supply the gun off another Canadian Flower. 

Any news about HMSs Whimprel and Zenith?  I know a group in the UK want to save the former as the RN Battle of the Atlantic memorial (which is what Sackville is for us), but I suspect that time is running out for Zenith, which is too bad as apparently she and Whimprel are in virtually 100% original WWII configuration.  Very few museum ships can make that boast as they usually survive by being updated and rebuilt (such as Belfast, Haida, Cavalier, etc).

Nicholas, 

Lt(N) Nicholas CM Armstrong, CF

Hello Chaps,

I was chatting with of my fellow officers who also happens to be a marine surveyor, and she indicated to me that taking a wooden boat that has spend her life in salt or brackish water into fresh water is a death sentence - the rots sets in fast.  Has anybody heard of this happening as well?  If so, it would change our plans dramatically as we could not bring 486 to Toronto, on Lake Ontario.  Fortunately, my family are moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia in a few years, so that would make a good hoem port for her, if she can be made operational.  Hopefully, we can find local volunteers to help out in the new location then.

Also, we would like to get a marine survey done of MTB 486's hull and we wondering if anybody could recommend someone.  It would have to be superficial, as she cannot be hauled up on a slip until we actually buy her, but we need some indication of how sound (or rotten - God forbid) her hull is, and we would of course need insurance if she were to be shifted from her present berth.

Many thanks for any assistance that can be provided.

Cheers,

Nicholas, 

Lt(N) Nicholas CM Armstrong, CF