Model of navy helicopter to be added to artificial reef in B.C.
A group that transforms decommissioned ships into new marine habitats is hoping to expand one of its artificial reefs north of Vancouver.
The Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia has commissioned a full-scale model of a Sea King helicopter to be built and the lowered 70 feet below the ocean surface onto the flight deck of the HMCS Annapolis.
"It creates (a) vertical habitat as opposed to building stuff on the bottom," said Rick Wall, vice president of the Artificial Reef Society.
"It's creating, like, a cliff face so you get different species that colonize at different heights on the ship," he said.
The Annapolis, a former navy destroyer, was decommissioned in 1996. The Artificial Reef Society then arranged to have the ship submerged in Halkett Bay, B.C. in 2015.
Now the Annapolis is home to over 100 species of sea life, from algae to octopuses.
An interior portion of the artificial reef is shown: (Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia)
"(It can) re-establish the total marine environment so that you get a mix of species coming and you create the whole food chain from the bottom feeders right up to things like salmon and rockfish,” said Wall.
"Rockfish have been, in particular, a success story with what we’ve seen on Annapolis – as have the shrimp," he said. "There’s species of shrimp that they haven’t seen anywhere else in Halkett Bay, for instance."
The group chose the Sea King to accompany the Annapolis because it flew off the warship during its service years. The Annapolis was also the first destroyer on the west coast with an assigned helicopter.
The last Royal Canadian Air Force Sea King helicopters were decommissioned in 2018.
The Artificial Reef Society hopes to move ahead on this project in the spring, pending approval from BC Parks.
The Society started in 1991, and now has 9 vessels acting as artificial reefs in the Salish Sea.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.