Friday, October 29, 2010

More Black and White

The Flamborough Head Victory Ship

"HMCS Cape Breton (ARE 100) was a RCN Cape-class escort maintenance ship. Originally built for the Royal Navy as HMS Flamborough Head in 1944 she was transferred in 1952.

"Flamborough Head (pennant F88) was one of the 21 Beachy Head class repair ships.^[1] It was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1952 and served till 1975. It was used as a floating machine shop until the late 1990s. Except for a short section of the stern and her engines, which will comprise a significant portion of the Maritime Museum in North Vancouver BC, it was sunk in the waters of British Columbia in 2001 by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia after extensive cleaning to meet Environment Canada requirements. It now lies near Snake Island in Nanaimo harbour and is a popular scuba diving site.

HMS  Flamborough in Erection Shop 2001

"The Christening Bells Project at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum includes information from the ship's bell of HMCS Cape Breton (2nd) 1959 - 1993, which was used for baptism of babies onboard ship 1959 - 1971. The bell is currently held by the CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum, Esquimalt, BC." (See Link.)

Number 5 Ferry and HMS Flamborough docked at foot of Lonsdale 2001



The "HMCS Cape Breton, ex HMS  Flamborough was towed home to Burrard's former Dry Dock, (BDD where it was built) in North Vancouver in April 1999..." (Reference.) Here it was docked at The Pier, between Lonsdale Avenue and St. Georges Avenue.  The stern was cut off in 2001 and moved to various places on the old BDD grounds including a stint in the Erection Shop at the water end of St. George's Avenue.  It presently sits wrapped in a white protective shell on the BDD grounds south east of the new Pinnacle Hotel. 

Reference: Launching History, Francis Mansbridge, page 85.
Demolition/Sinking: Removal of the stern in 2001.  Sinking near Snake Island off Vancouver Island in 2001.
Photos: Taken at The Pier area in North Vancouver, B.C. in 2001 as part of the Demolition and Construction Project, Roll #2 and 4 on file at the North Vancouver Museum and Archives.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Cape_Breton_(ARE_100)