Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound · Canada · Wreck
HMCS Annapolis
A whole Annapolis-class destroyer sitting upright in a sheltered bay
HMCS Annapolis is a Canadian Navy destroyer scuttled as an artificial reef in Halkett Bay Marine Provincial Park, off Gambier Island in Howe Sound. The 112 m (366 ft) hull sits upright on the sea floor, with much of its structure in recreational range and plenty of openings through the hull and decks.
Also known as Annapolis, HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265).
Where it is and how deep
49.4492° N, 123.3308° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Divers go down one of three buoyed descent lines to the destroyer, which rests upright on the sea floor at 32 m (105 ft), with the top of the ship at 10.5 m (34 ft). Much of the structure lies between 15 and 24 m (50–80 ft), and it takes many tanks to explore the wreck from bow to stern. Everything was prepared for diver safety: there are no entanglement hazards, and the hull and decks have numerous entry and exit holes. The dive ends back up one of the buoyed lines.
The wreck
- Vessel
- HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265)
- Type
- Annapolis-class destroyer
- Length
- 112 m (367 ft)
- Sunk
- 2015
- Cause
- Scuttled as an artificial reef by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia
- Lies
- Upright on the sea floor at 32 m (105 ft), top at 10.5 m (34 ft), much of the structure between 15 and 24 m
Annapolis served as an Annapolis-class destroyer in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. After some years of legal disputes over environmental concerns, she was sunk as an artificial reef and long-term marine habitat in Halkett Bay Provincial Park on 4 April 2015, going down in under two minutes. She was the eighth ship in the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia's ships-to-reefs program.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Horseshoe Bay & Howe Sound: Dived year-round; the water is clearest in late fall and winter, while spring and summer plankton blooms can cut visibility.
Dive videos
HMCS Annapolis, Pacific Northwest Diving · ARSBC - Artificial Reef Society of BC on YouTube
Sources
- Howe Sound — Divers Alert Network
- HMCS Annapolis (DDH 265) — Wikipedia
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