Farewell to Athabaskan

After paying off during the winter of 2017, the former HMCS ATHABASKAN has been alongside in HMC Dockyard having various equipment removed and being prepared for breaking up. I covered her final week in commission and her paying off ceremony here.

With all the preparations complete, Athabaskan was schedule to leave first at 1000 on Wednesday March 28, which was then delayed until 1700 that day, but she instead finally left Halifax on March 29 under tow for Sydney, NS, where she will be broken up. The later timing worked much better for me, as I would otherwise have missed it. 

I rode the Halifax-Dartmouth ferry back and forth from 0800 until 0915 or so to get these images, and was fortunate that the ferry was able to pass ahead of the tow on her final Dartmouth-bound crossing - which is exactly what I was hoping for! 

Atlantic Larch was alongside the jetty hooking up the towline when I arrived at the ferry, and she was shortly joined by the Navy tugs Glenside and Listerville to help ease Athabaskan out into the stream.

Athabaskan shortly after the tow began, with Atlantic Larch in the lead and Glenside still with a line to the quarterdeck. A backup towline is rigged at deck level along the starboard side - to be used if the primary tow line breaks during the tow.

Other ships have been towed via a bridle connected to the two anchor chains, however, Athabaskan only has the one anchor chain on her starboard side, so the tug is connected to a line threaded through the bullnose. Another line hangs from the starboard bow, possible one of her mooring lines improperly stowed.

This is the specific shot I was hoping for - a portrait image of Athabaskan and her tugs.

My final sight of Athabaskan - the obligatory shot of her with the George's Island lighthouse in the foreground.

When she was paid off, Athabaskan was the only destroyer in commission with the Royal Canadian Navy, and it is unclear whether the RCN will ever have another - it is quite possible that the proposed Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC), the class of 15 ships slated to replace the IROQUOIS and HALIFAX classes, will be classified as frigates. Regardless of whether new ships are classified as frigates or destroyers, the IROQUOIS class, and Athabaskan as the final representative of that class, was probably the last destroyer (for a while at least) entirely designed and built in Canada, as the RCN is currently looking at foreign designs for CSC.

Farewell, Athabaskan!