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Projects
A Virtual Dive on HMCS Athabaskan Heritage Malta - AURORA Special Trust Project
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A Virtual Dive on HMCS Athabaskan BY MARK E. WARD In September 2005 Aurora sponsored an expedition to the wreck of HMCS Athabaskan, a Canadian WWII Tribal Class Destroyer, in quest to unravel the mysterious sinking of the most important warships Canada ever lost in battle. The search was a personal one for me since my grandfather, Leslie Ward, was among the 128 Canadian sailors who perished when their ship was sunk in a battle with two German destroyers, April 29, 1944. What remains of the so-called “Unlucky Lady” now lies on the sea floor, ten kilometers off the northwest coast of France in the English Channel. |
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In the summer of 2003, I Scuba dived on the wreck of Athabaskan with four others as part of a History Television-sponsored expedition. In three dives our team logged 45 minutes on the bottom and came up with about two hours of video from three cameras. The images were as haunting as they were enticing. We collected many more pieces of this undersea puzzle, but with limited time and only a five- to ten-meter field of view much of the ship eluded inspection. Most frustrating of all, we were unable to find the ship’s aft section, a 25- to 30-metre segment that was probably blown off during an explosion that ended the ship’s life. Officials of the day concluded the blast was caused by spreading fire from a German torpedo strike, but some Athabaskan survivors believe their ship was mistakenly targeted by a British Motorized Torpedo Boat. So we returned to the site of the Athabaskan’s grave like crime-scene investigators seeking and piecing together clues. Director, Craig Mullen took the lead for Aurora, acquiring the necessary equipment and operational personnel. I planned and coordinated other aspects of the investigation and shot high-definition video for use in a future documentary. Rounding out our trio was Lt.-Cmdr. Jocelyn Turgeon from the Canadian Navy, who joined our 2003 expedition as a naval architect and hull-structures specialist. We had three main goals; first, create a detailed map of the main wreck site; second, find the missing aft section or at least locate potential sites; and third, map possible debris to help plan a future dive expedition. All of these goals would be tackled using a vessel with sophisticated sonar equipment and the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system. As we passed over the Athabaskan’s coordinates, we could see the blue-colored lines (denoting flat bottom) suddenly shift to reddish ones indicating a sharp rise in bottom contour— Athabaskan was finally showing herself. We continued passing over the wreck filling in gaps in the data until a distinct shape was visible. For the first time, we could see the entire wreck in one glance. Then we expanded our search around the wreck showing clear outlines of rocky patches, flat expanses of sandy sea floor and several promising images of large objects, not far from the main wreckage. Could one of them be the missing aft section? We would need to wait for an answer because our multi-beaming work had delivered as much detail as it could. The next morning we returned with side-scan sonar, but unfortunately for us, conditions had deteriorated dramatically overnight. As a result, our side-scanning efforts proved a noble but frustrating exercise. In about five hours of gut- churning circles, we developed more nausea than data. As we headed back to port, we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that we could still mine our successful multi-beaming data for clues to the missing aft section. As further consolation, our local Athabaskan expert Jacques Ouchakoff shared a recent and revealing secret. Last year he had earned the favor of the French Navy, which resulted in their performing a single pass side scan of Athabaskan—a tantalizing glimpse of what our other images might reveal. And so we ended our second expedition to Athabaskan with a clear picture of her gravesite and enough new clues to justify a third, and hopefully definitive visit. |
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Heritage Malta - AURORA Special Trust Project AURORA Special Trust has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Heritage Malta, the national agency for the management of cultural heritage. The scope of this agreement is for the two entities to open up avenues of cooperation in the field of maritime archaeology. A number of projects have been identified and these will mainly consist of sonar surveys, data analysis and mapping of shipwrecks on the seabed, underwater heritage management and protection (including the monitoring of sensitive archaeological sites) and outreach programs aimed at the general public. A scientific committee that includes members from all entities involved has been set up and this will ensure that the project's activities are of the highest standards. The project office will be housed at the Malta Maritime Museum in the historic Three Cities area overlooking Dockyeard Creek. Part of the museum is being specially converted for this purpose by Heritage Malta. Besides the financial investment, the AURORA ST will contribute its expertise in the field of ocean exploration along with specialized equipment that will serve to achieve the goals set out for 2006. Fieldwork is already underway and it is envisaged that this is the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and productive relationship between Heritage Malta and AURORA ST. |
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