CSS Acadia at sunrise

The blog has been on a bit of a hiatus for the summer with everything else I had going on, but now that we are back into autumn and reduced travel, I can get this started again.

After heading back to the office a few days a week, I get to enjoy my morning ferry and waterfront commute again, at least for a while. With sunrise well timed for my walk past the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic this morning, I was rewarded with these views of retired survey vessel CSS Acadia on the waterfront with the rising sun behind her.

The winter cover has been reinstated, allowing the rising sun to provide a nice glow over the deck. At the same time, the smooth water allows for a nice silhouette of the ship's reflection.

The images can be found here: https://smcclearn.smugmug.com/Nautical/Ships/

Hopefully the nice weather continues well into fall, to keep my morning walk as pleasant as possible.

Salvage of the Maurienne

On the 7th of February in 1942, the master of the 3,259 GRT freighter Maurienne was dealing with some frozen pipes in one of the holds. He subsequently directed a worker to use an acetylene torch to thaw said pipes, and a fire later erupted in that same location. When conventional efforts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, the master ordered the scuttling of his vessel, which in turn resulted in the almost total loss of the cargo after she capsized at the pier (as noted on page 21 of International Maritime Conventions: Volume 1, which also details a legal action brought against the shipping firm by the owners of three crates and one drum of shoe leather). 

Built in Denmark in 1938 as a refrigerated vessel to transport bananas, and only taken over by the Canadian Government at the beginning of the war, Maurienne was a new vessel . Coupled with the fact that the 324-foot vessel was also blocking the use of a portion of Pier 27/28 in the wartime Port of Halifax, her salvage would presumably have been a priority, and therefore she was subsequently salvaged by Foundation Maritime. 

The capsized freighter Maurienne.

Another view of the capsized ship, with the superstructure facing the pier. I'm assuming these photos were taken right after the sinking, such that reserve air in the hull was keeping the hull barely afloat, as later images suggest the hull was farther below the surface during the salvage work, and these photos do not appear to me to have been taken at low tide.

The salvage of the Maurienne was undertaken by Foundation Maritime in two main phases: righting, and then refloating. To begin, at least two cofferdams were constructed on the side of the ship to allow work to continue in the dry - two righting masts had to be attached to the side of the ship.

By June 24, 1942, Cofferdam #2 was ready to accept the righting mast. The two legs of the righting mast will go into the two openings marked with an "X". The "No.1" in the corner of the image refers to the image number, and not that of the cofferdam (which I got from the image caption).

A pontoon supports a diving platform alongside Cofferdam #2 - the platform seems to be slung from the two arms. At least two divers sit in their suits on the platform. 

Cofferdam #1 (background, with mast installed) and Cofferdam #2 (foreground). A support pontoon lies alongside each cofferdam, presumably carrying the pumps to keep each cofferdam dry. Foundation Scarboro, without her shear legs installed, is to the left of the image.

Foundation Scarboro starting to lift the righting mast into place in Cofferdam #2.

The righting mast being installed in Cofferdam #2.

Workers help drop the righting mast into place within Cofferdam #2, as seen from atop the rotating crane cab on Foundation Scarboro.

Cofferdam #1 with the righting mast installed. A bridge (without railings!) extends back to the Pier at the right of the photo. So much for Health and Safety.

Righting masts installed, but with cofferdams removed, to show how the masts are attached to the side of the ship.

By July 26, 1942, the ship was ready to be righted. Tension was taken up on the cables attached to the two righting masts, and the ship was slowly righted. Presumably the hull was anchored to the bottom in some manner to ensure the hull rotated, and was not simply pulled away from the pier. 

Note: Mac Mackay of Shipfax was kind enough to tell me that this type of salvage is properly referred to as "parbuckle salvage", or "parbuckling". The "righting masts" as I call them above are properly called "bents".

Righting the Maurienne.

Just past 45 degrees.

Once righted, there was a release of air trapped in the ship.

Righted, but not yet refloated.

Believe it or not, this appears to have been the easy part of the salvage. Maurienne was still sitting on the bottom of Halifax Harbour, and needed to be refloated. Foundation Maritime elected to build a new, larger, cofferdam around the majority of the ship's deck. The cofferdam extended above the surface of the water at high tide (you can see the stains from the tidal cycles on the side of the cofferdam) so that the interior of the ship could be pumped out. 

Construction of the new cofferdam proceeds around a forward mast, ahead of the bridge which appears to the left of the image.

The view from inside the cofferdam, taken looking forward from aft of the funnel. To the right is a wooden frame that appears to be used to handle a couple of pumps. This may have been positioned over one of the ship's holds. 

The view from the deck of the ship itself, within the cofferdam.

Two of the Jaeger engines used during the salvage - I'm assuming these were diesel engines used to power centrifugal pumps.

The pumping operation is underway, and a deckhouse at the stern has just broken the surface.

Pumps running from inside a cofferdam to bring Maurienne to the surface.

Pumping continues. Taken on the port side this time, the ship's nameboards can be seen displaying "Maurienne". 

The cofferdam support framework on the starboard side next to the funnel, with the pumps running.

Some of the array of pumps that was used to bring Maurienne back to the surface. 

In conjunction with the pumping operation, barges with shear legs also appear to have been lifting at the bow, ahead of the cofferdam. These may have helped to keep the ship on an even keel during the refloating operation.

Pumps running from the cofferdam, with the bow gunwale appearing to the right. The barges with shear legs can also been seen lifting here. 

Returning to the surface, though still with a list to starboard.

With pumps still running, Maurienne arriving at the surface. The deckhouse from Image #120 above can be seen here, just behind the cofferdam.

In November of 1942, while Maurienne was once again afloat, work was ongoing and the ship still looked much the worse for wear.

The refloated Maurienne. What I assume are the remains of the attachments for Righting Mast #1 can be seen just above the waterline just forward of the bridge.

Maurienne from aft.

After the war ended, Maurienne was returned to her original owners and refitted once against for refrigerated cargo. She was sold several times after 1953 (and renamed), and suffered another fire in 1963 in Hong Kong that led to her scrapping.

The entire gallery of photos of the salvage operation can be seen here:

https://smcclearn.smugmug.com/Nautical/Foundation-Maritime-storage/4064-Maurienne/n-xh3bMC/i-4WGpSCS/A

Some of the photos appearing here came with captions explaining the procedure, but most did not, and I have interpreted (e.g. guessed) them to the best of my ability.

Bibliography & Acknowledgements:

Berlingieri, Francesco. (2014). "International Maritime Conventions: Volume 1 - The Carriage of Goods and Passengers by Sea". Informa Law, New York.

Bertke, Donald A; Smith, Gordon; Kindell, Don. (2013). "World War II Sea War - Volume 5". Bertke Publications, Dayton, Ohio, USA. Viewed online.

Nova Scotia Marine Heritage Wreck Database

Wrecksite.eu https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?35482

Photos from the AECON collection.

A Flight in a CH-148 Cyclone

Last year, as a local contributor for Warships IFR magazine, I was exceptionally fortunate to fly in one of the RCAF's new CH-148 Cyclone helicopters out to HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC so that I could prepare a piece on the Cutlass Fury naval exercise off the coast of Nova Scotia (see the January 2020 edition, Page 14). 

That trip has been constantly on my mind since the tragic accident this past week in the Ionian Sea, involving a Cyclone (tail number 148822) flying from HMCS FREDERICTON (FFH 337). The body of one sailor has been found, and the remaining sailor and four aviators onboard are now presumed lost as well. From the RCAF website, the deceased are: Sub-Lieutenant Abbigail Cowbrough, a Marine Systems Engineering Officer; Captain Brenden Ian MacDonald, Pilot; Captain Kevin Hagen, Pilot; Captain Maxime Miron-Morin, Air Combat Systems Officer; Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Pyke, Naval Warfare Officer; and Master Corporal Matthew Cousins, Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator (AESOP). My condolences to the families and friends of the crash victims.

While I intend to try and provide some minor context to Cyclone flight operations, I will preface this post with a disclaimer: I do not have any special knowledge or perspective on Cyclone flight operations, or indeed flight operations involving any maritime helicopter, and am merely writing this post to describe my one personal experience flying in one of these helicopters. 

September 17, 2019:

We (myself, and a CTV video journalist) joined our Cyclone (tail number 148817) at 12 Wing Shearwater. After meeting in a briefing room and being provided with some basic instruction, we were suited up and led out to the aircraft. The water temperature was cold enough that day that we were provided with orange immersion suits to keep us warm if we needed to ditch on the ocean. The suits are not themselves inherently buoyant, so we were also provided with life jackets. We also needed to wear hearing and eye protection. Add in my camera bag, and I was walking to the helicopter like a mummy.

Cyclone on the ground at 12 Wing Shearwater.

Keep your head down!

The Cyclone is a state-of-the-art maritime patrol helicopter - as one would hope, seeing as they are brand new and still being delivered to the Air Force. That said, they are far from luxurious inside, and in fact the cabin is rather utilitarian. 

Cabin looking forward, with the cockpit in the background. The white plastic knobs on the rail (top right) are intended to point you to the nearest emergency exit in the event of an emergency when visibility is curtailed - in other words, at night or underwater. The orange-suited guy to the left is standing in front of the tactical console, from which the helicopter's surface and sub-surface sensors are operated - this is where the AESOP would be seated. We were encouraged to NOT take photos of this console, so I didn't.

Another view looking forward, this time with the AESOP sitting at the tactical console to the left.

Helicopters are loud and sound insulation is heavy - so we were instead provided with hearing protection. Passenger seating is basic, and folds up when not in use. We were joined by two foreign naval officers on this trip, one of whom is pictured here, with his green inflatable life-jacket worn over his orange immersion suit..

While strapped into my seat, my movement restrained by my immersion suit and life jacket plus the two cameras handing from my neck, I replayed our safety briefing in my head, and hoped fervently that none of that instruction would prove to be pertinent within the next few hours. In the event of the helicopter ditching, we were told (among many other things) not to inflate our life-jackets until after exiting the aircraft, otherwise we might be too bulky to fit through the emergency exit. The Cyclone predecessor, the Sea King, was designed to land on, float on, and take off from the surface of the water - in calm conditions at least. The Cyclone, like most helicopters, is not designed in this way, and will tend to capsize (flip over) even during a gentle landing on water - helicopters are very top heavy, with the gas turbine engines mounted above the cabin.

The view from the cockpit.

The Cyclone is designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare and, in addition to the impressive sensor suite intended to locate surface and undersea objects, is fitted with large windows to allow crew and passengers a good view outside. There is some video taken during our flight here.

The view out a starboard side window. I lost the toss for the jump seat beside the open door on the way out to VILLE DE QUEBEC, and so had to content myself with this window beside my seat.

The irony is that with the crash of 148822 from FREDERICTON last week, probably the most capable platform with which to immediately search for the missing crew members was already lost. 

A room with a view!

On our way out to VILLE DE QUEBEC ("VdQ"), we flew over FREDERICTON ("Freddie") carrying out boarding drills.

A rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) from FREDERICTON approaches Leeway Odyssey during a boarding exercise. At the bow, out of site from the RHIB, are two "armed" men. FREDERICTON and NATO warships will be expected to be proficient in this sort of boarding operation. 

On the approach to VdQ, with the ship visible out the window.

We left Freddie, and headed to VdQ. Conditions were good and relatively smooth in the air, but landing on a ship sometimes requires sharp maneuvering - my stomach was in for a bit of a treat, with some banking back and forth on our approach. There is a video of this maneuver here.

Cyclone #817 approaching the ship on a flight subsequent to ours. This image is taken from the Landing Safety Officer (LSO) hut on the flight deck, from which the Beartrap hauldown equipment is operated.

The helicopter approached VdQ from aft and off to one side, then slid sideways over the deck, and touched down. It was a calm day at sea, with minimal sea state, and the Cyclone was able to land without assistance. In more lively sea states, the ship and helicopter would make use of a Canadian invention called the Beartrap (or C-RAST) haul-down and traverse system, which assists in landing the helicopter and moving it in and out of the hangar and allows helicopter operations to continue in up to Sea State 6. 

Rotor wash is visible on the surface of the water as the Cyclone comes in for a landing. The white object near the bottom right of the image is one of the ship's railing stanchions. 

The Cyclone is now moving to port, over the deck.

Now touched down on the ship, crew will run out and put chocks under the wheels, and attach chains to the helicopter to hold it to the deck.

The pilots kept the engines running to push the helicopter down onto the ship's deck until the wheels were chocked and chains were attached. Non-essential personnel are kept away from this area of the ship during helicopter operations, to minimize the number of people who could be injured in an accident - we were even told we couldn't stay in the hangar while a helicopter was operating due to the risk of a rotor blade detaching from the helicopter and being thrown through the hangar doors.

Helicopter crew members stand at the starboard door while a ship's crewmember chocks the aft wheels.

Another photographer takes photos of us from the LSO hut. Presumably there is an unflattering photo of me in a large orange suit around somewhere - having seen him there gave me the idea to ask if I could take photos of the helicopter's return to the ship from that same location. 

Ship's crewmembers aid in the landing of the helicopter. As you can see from the blurred rotor tip in the top of the image, the rotors are still spinning at this point, and we were kept on deck beside the helicopter.

Anchor chains and wheel chocks are in place to hold the helicopter on deck.

The control cabin can be seen in the top left of the image.

While the Beartrap is controlled from the LSO's hut at deck level, helicopter operations are directed from the control cabin one deck higher.

The flight operations control cabin at the aft port corner of the hangar superstructure on VdQ, with USS JASON DUNHAM in the background.

After dropping us off onboard VdQ, the Cyclone spun up again and headed off to transfer personnel to another ship in the exercise.

Liftoff!

The Cyclone slid to port and took headed off.

The Cyclone was constantly active during our visit, and carried out several take-off and landing evolutions. I was able to watch a second takeoff from the starboard bridge wing, and I was fortunate that the helicopter headed off down VdQ's starboard side this time. I have to assume it was all just luck, but I definitely felt I was being catered to as a photographer.

The Cyclone takes off and moves off the deck to starboard.

Rotor wash is kicking up spray from the ocean's surface.

If you look closely, you can see tip trails extending from the rotor blades to the right of the image.

We were not the only visitors to fly out to the ship that day - ships at sea provide good resting spots for migrating birds, such as this Baltimore Oriole.

After being overcast for most of the day, the sun briefly broke through as we headed out onto deck to re-board the Cyclone.

The North Atlantic is hard on ships, and VdQ is showing some of the wear and tear.

VdQ at sea.

As with the flight out, our return to Shearwater was uneventful. Our approach took us in over Eastern Passage, and I took this photo of a car carrier tied up at the Autoport - a reminder that one of the purposes of exercises like Cutlass Fury is to keep open our sea lines of communication and the delivery of cars and other products upon which we depend.

Car carrier at the Autoport in Eastern Passage.

In October 2019, I was able to attend the memorial service held in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the HMCS KOOTENAY gearbox explosion. Seven RCN sailors died in that accident.

The 50th anniversary service for the KOOTENAY gearbox explosion at the HMCS BONAVENTURE Anchor Memorial in Point Pleasant Park.

Local sailors and aviators gathered at the HMCS BONAVENTURE Anchor Memorial in Point Pleasant Park. The service was accompanied by a flypast and wreath laying by Cyclone helicopter - which, coupled with an onshore breeze, ensured that everyone got wet with salt spray. This memorial, built around an anchor from HMCS BONAVENTURE, bears the names of sailors lost at sea during peacetime. Sadly, some new names will now be added to that memorial.

The Cyclone headed off, spraying Air Force personnel in the process.