ESQUIMALT, B.C. – After a barrage of naval gunnery from several Canadian and United States Navy ships, ex-HMCS Huron began listing to starboard and settling by the stern. CF-18 Hornets had just begun their strafing runs, when it all became too much for the proud old ship. Huron went vertical with the bow rising up 40 meters above the water, then paused for a moment as if to give one final salute, and slipped beneath the waves as three cheers of “hip-hip-hooray” went up from the crew of Huron’s sister ship HMCS Algonquin, whose guns had delivered the final salvo.
Other ships of the Exercise TRIDENT FURY Task Group which fired on Huron included HMC Ships Saskatoon, Ottawa and Regina, along with United States Ships Shoup, Ingraham and Curts.
Many of Algonquin’s crew had sailed in Huron, some for many years. When the sinking happened it was rather sudden, catching some of them by surprise. It was Monday, May 14th, 2007 at 13:24 local time.
There was some emotion as she disappeared from sight and they realized they still had a great deal of affection for their former ship. Even some of the crew who had never set foot on Huron were surprised by the emotion they felt seeing a Canadian warship go down at sea.
“In her final mission at sea, Huron completed her service by providing valuable training for the next generation of naval ships and sailors,” said Captain (Navy) Paul Hendry, Commanding Officer of HMCS Algonquin. “It was an honourable way to contribute one last time to the future of the navy.”
A highlight of Exercise TRIDENT FURY, Huron was sunk in the West Coast Firing Area, about 100 km off the coast of Vancouver Island, in 2,000 metres of water.
The Tribal-class destroyer was paid off 30 March 2005 after 34 years of service. Past warships that have come to the end of their service life have been sold for scrap or sunk as artificial reefs. However, given the operational tempo of the Navy in recent years, it was decided that using Huron as a target during a large-scale naval exercise would provide realistic and invaluable operational training for sailors.
Live fire exercises in an operational environment provide the most realistic training possible in peacetime. Sailors come to understand the effectiveness of and gain confidence in the employment of modern naval weapons. While much can be achieved through computer simulation, important elements such as personnel training and combat system performance can only be fully evaluated under live fire conditions controlled by range safety regulations. These tests ensure that ships are technically ready and crews well trained.
In normal configuration, a destroyer has transverse watertight bulkheads to divide the ship into sections, making it difficult to sink. As part of the sinking preparations, Huron’s doors and hatches were opened to ensure she would sink in the time allotted, and not become a floating hazard to navigation.
Preparing Huron to be used as a live fire target was a long process. Equipment, weapons and other military systems were removed and accounted for. Components such as chemical storage containers, flotation devices, radiation devices, all mercury gauges and heat sensors, refrigerant containers, fuel tanks and fuel lines were purged. Loose paint and flaking rust was also removed. Navy environmental staff worked closely with Environment Canada to ensure that the sinking of Huron met all applicable laws and regulations.
Lt (N) Paul Pendergast is with CFB Esquimalt Public Affairs.
