Foundation Maritime: Salvaging HMCS QUINTE

Commissioned on August 30, 1941, the Bangor-class minesweeper HMCS QUINTE was essentially brand new and had undergone a recent refit in Lunenburg in late 1942 when she ran aground and had to be "beached" - at some point she seems to have additionally capsized and sunk in the St. Peter's Canal. Foundation Maritime deployed to salvage the wreck, but winter apparently set in and the canal froze over before work could begin in earnest.

QUINTE lies on her side in the frozen waters of the St. Peter's Canal. The salvage operation has begun, and righting masts with block and tackle have been set up on the pier to begin righting the ship. This photo looks to the south.

The salvage operation began with the ship up against the sea wall on the east side of the canal entrance. The ship was lying on her port side with the bow pointed to the north, up into the canal.

Looking to the north, a man stands on a gangway rigged from the pier to the wreck. Tackle rigged to the righting masts is already connected to the ship.

The ship is sitting on the bottom in these photos, and her exposed sides and deck would have been subject to the rise and fall of the tides - with all the ice present, this probably contributed to scouring paint from the hull.

QUINTE still on her side, with her starboard lifeboat davits pointing up into the air. The ground is still covered in snow in this image.

The tug that supported the operation at this stage was the Saint-class Ocean Eagle - a Canadian Government asset at this time, and formerly Royal Navy tug St. Arvans, she had been placed under the operational control of Foundation Maritime during the war.

Though ice remains in the canal, snow cover on the ground itself is receding, and Foundation Maritime has managed to maneuver the crane barge Foundation Scarboro into position alongside the now-righted wreck. Operated during the war by Foundation Maritime, the government tug Ocean Eagle can be seen to the right of the image. Foundation Scarboro's shear legs are in the stowed position in this photo - folded down onto the deck on the right side of the barge.

The masts and tackle are still in position after righting the wreck, though she has not yet been refloated. If is hard to tell if the wreck has already been relocated, or if some of the photos have been reversed, because she is now port side-to the pier as opposed to starboard side-to in the previous photos. I am assuming they would not have relocated the righting masts, so I believe this photo is mirrored - the opposite side of the canal in this photo should be the west side.

Once QUINTE was back on a more or less even keel, she was refloated. Presumably Foundation Scarboro's participation would have been critical to this state of the operation.

Now refloated, QUINTE is rafted outside Foundation Scarboro on the west side of the canal entrance, the latter with her shear legs now deployed. Ocean Eagle can be seen in the background. The righting masts can still be seen erected on the east (near) side of the canal.

Apart from the removal of a minesweeper wreck, this end of the St. Peter's Canal hasn't changed that much over the years - the sea wall is still there, and you can see the knuckles in the edge in these Google Map Streetview images to locate the action all those years ago. In fact, the house in the background appearing between the shear legs on Foundation Scarboro still appears in the Streetview image here. 

QUINTE alongside Foundation Scarboro on the west side of the canal. The house in the background right of the image still exists and can be seen in the Google Streetview link above.

A close-up of the now-refloated QUINTE, looking rather the worse for wear after her ordeal. This is the starboard side of the ship, which would have been exposed to tidal action and ice, and presumably the paint has been partially scoured off - although I am unable to immediately find a photo of QUINTE taken before her sinking, so I don't know what her paint scheme would have been - but the camouflage applied during the war tended to consist of lighter colours in order to blend in on the horizon.

After completing the salvage operation in 1943, QUINTE was towed to the Foundation Maritime-operated Pictou Shipyard, where she was repaired by 1944, and then she spent the rest of the war as a training ship attached to the HMCS CORNWALLIS training base in Digby, NS. Although the Bangors had been built with enclosed bridges, it would appear that QUINTE's new training role demanded an open bridge modeled along the lines of the Flower-class corvette, and she appears to have received a new armament outfit as well, at least as compared to her contemporary sisterships.

In 1946, she briefly operated with the Naval Research Establishment in Halifax, but paid off by October 25th of that year. All this might seem like a lot of work for little return, as QUINTE was scrapped in Sydney, NS, in 1947. But then, salt water has a bad effect on electrical wiring, and perhaps problems were beginning to surface - certainly, if her history was known, she would not have been among the first to be purchased by other navies after the war.

The entire incident seems to have been relatively unknown, to the extent that at least one RCN ship historian wasn't even sure that it had occurred - until I was able to produce the photos. And the only reason I myself had the photos was because I was able to access the archives of the Foundation Company of Canada in Toronto, thanks to the kind assistance of Harold Beswick, who combed the archives, collected anything he found of interest and couriered it to me in Nova Scotia, and then received it back when I was finished scanning it. I learned just last week that Harold passed away on April 10th, at the age of 87. So if you've read this and enjoyed it, please say a little thank-you to Harold.

Return of HMC Ships HALIFAX and ATHABASKAN.

The first RCN ship I saw this morning (November 20) was HMCS KINGSTON, which I assume has just returned from a refit elsewhere, based on the way the towing gear was rigged and the emergency tow line running down the port side with the float trailing aft.

HMCS KINGSTON and CFAV Glenbrook.

HMC Ships HALIFAX and ATHABASKAN, and ATHABASKAN's two embarked (I assume) Sea Kings, also returned to Halifax this grey and blustery morning. Both ships, along with other RCN assets (a submarine and minesweepers), departed around September 8 to participate in the NATO Joint Warrior (UK waters) and Trident Juncture (off the coast of Spain and Portugal) exercises. Excited family members were waiting at HMC Dockyard for their homecoming. One person I spoke with on the waterfront was waiting for a sailor on HALIFAX who had previously deployed on FREDERICTON, and had spent most of the past year at sea away from home. 

The two ships represent two RCN extremes: although 20+ years old, HALIFAX is newly refitted with the latest in sensors and weapons, while ATHABASKAN is 40+ years old and principally filling the role of a training platform at the moment. The RCAF Sea Kings are older than both.

HALIFAX was already on her way in when I got my first photos, with the small general cargo ship Dinkeldiep in the foreground.

An RCAF CH-124 Sea King also soon appeared.

CH-124 Sea King, airframe #429

I'm pretty sure the crew hanging out the door waved, but my hands were full with the camera and I didn't manage to return the wave. ATHABASKAN carried two Sea Kings, which is somewhat unusual these days, as the second hangar is often used as a gym. 

CH-124 Sea King, airframe #419

CH-124 Sea King, airframe #429

CH-124 Sea King, airframe #429

#429 did two full circuits of the lower harbour, while #419 did one, before returning to Shearwater.

HALIFAX rounding George's Island.

Sea King #419 flies past HALIFAX.

A ferry passes HALIFAX.

The wind was fairly blustery, and blowing up the harbour, as illustrated by the spray being kicked up by the ferry. HALIFAX maintained this station for some time until two tugs came out to greet her. 

ATHABASKAN passing the light on McNab's Island.

When I first checked the Marine Traffic website this morning, HALIFAX was in the lead doing 15 knots with ATHABASKAN some way behind. By the time I arrived on the Halifax waterfront, ATHABASKAN was doing 20 knots, which increased to 25 knots for a while, before slowing back to 15 knots or so when the above photo was taken. Her exhaust plume was visible over the horizon before she was.

ATHABASKAN.

ATHABASKAN passing the light on George's Island.

The old warrior showing her age.

As mentioned in previous posts, ATHABASKAN is the last of her class in service (and to be serviceable at all, for that matter), and presumably doesn't have that much time left. It will be interesting to see if she remains in commission long enough to see the return of the last of the frigates from their FELEX refits, or if she will pay off before then. 

All the while I was waiting between HALIFAX's arrival and ATHABASKAN's appearance, a large contingent of sailors ran and walked past me on the boardwalk, for what I later discovered was a Navy 5k run along the waterfront. It seemed like the entirety of the east coast fleet personnel were running past.

Note: Updated on 29 November 2015.