Nanaimo & Gabriola Island · Canada · Wreck
HMCS Saskatchewan
An upright navy destroyer escort reached from its mid-ship buoy
HMCS Saskatchewan is a Mackenzie-class destroyer escort of the Royal Canadian Navy, sunk off Nanaimo in 1997 to become an artificial reef. It is one of the best-known wreck dives on the British Columbia coast, an upright warship dived from a mid-ship mooring buoy.
Also known as Saskatchewan, HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262).
Where it is and how deep
49.2160° N, 123.8845° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Most dives start at the mid-ship buoy, so divers can turn either way once they reach the hull. The ship sits upright in 30–36 m of water, its structure spanning roughly 24–40 m (80–130 ft), with a gentle bottom current along the wreck. Burma Road, an alleyway safe for divers, runs the entire length of the ship, the twin bow guns are covered in plumose anemones, and rockfish, lingcod and schools of shiner perch gather around the bridge and upper structures.
The wreck
- Vessel
- HMCS Saskatchewan
- Type
- Mackenzie-class destroyer escort
- Length
- 111.6 m (366 ft)
- Built
- 1961
- Sunk
- 1997
- Cause
- Scuttled as an artificial reef by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia
- Lies
- Upright, between about 24 m (80 ft) and 40 m (130 ft)
Launched in 1961, the Saskatchewan served with the Royal Canadian Navy for more than three decades as a Mackenzie-class destroyer escort, a 112 m (366 ft) warship. In June 1997 the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia sank it on purpose off Nanaimo, and the hull has since become a thriving artificial reef.
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 | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Nanaimo & Gabriola Island: Clearest water runs September to March; spring and summer blooms cloud the surface layer.
Know before you go
- Penetration hazards inside the destroyer add to the risks of its depth and size.
Dive videos
Exploring the HMCS Saskatchewan · Meagher Productions on YouTube
Diving Into HMCS Saskatchewan – A 7-Minute Run Through Burma Road · ScubaBC on YouTube
Sources
- HMCS Saskatchewan dive charter — Nanaimo Dive Outfitters
- HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262) — Wikipedia
- Dive Nanaimo — The Buccaneer Inn
Photo credits
- About fourteen grey, tan and dark brown seals rest on a dark gravel beach below a sloping grey rock bank, with one white gull among them. by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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