HMCS Huron To Be Sunk

[cplcaldwell]

From CBC.ca . Shared Under the Fair Dealings Provision of the Copyright Act, RSC.

Navy ship to be sunk during target practice exercise
Last Updated: Thursday, November 16, 2006 | 11:16 AM PT
CBC News

A Canadian warship that has been tied up at the dock at CFB Esquimalt since 2001 will be towed out to sea off the west coast of Vancouver Island next year and used for target practice.

HMCS Huron was commissioned in 1972 and saw service in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War.

If it gets environmental approval, the navy will tow the decommissioned destroyer to a firing range 100 kilometres out in the Pacific Ocean next May. There the Canadian and U.S. navies will open fire and send the 34-year-old ship to the bottom, Cmdr. Stan Bates says.

"We're currently planning a surface-to-surface missile firing, using a missile fired from one of our frigates as well as strafing runs by aircraft and possibly a submarine firing as well."

The navy says this will be the first time it has used one of its ships for target practice. In the past, it's sold old vessels for scrap or turned them into artificial reefs for divers.

Rob Huebert, a military historian at the University of Calgary, says a lack of parts and too few sailors sealed Huron's fate.

"We did not have enough personnel to properly man her, so that ultimately her systems deteriorated to such a point that economically it made more sense to get rid of her rather than keeping her on as one of the four destroyers."

Huron was officially retired from service last year.

 

[JDnav]

hha... Wouldnt it serve better purpose if it was salvaged for steel and parts rather than sunk for practice

 

[Sheerin]

I'm assuming most of the parts that would be of any value will have been stripped prior to the sinking.

 

[navymich]

I'm assuming most of the parts that would be of any value will have been stripped prior to the sinking.

Yep, posted most of the sailors elsewhere already.  I think they left some MARS officers though.  It's that whole training-to-be-a-CO thing and going down with the ship.  ;D

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

hha... Wouldnt it serve better purpose if it was salvaged for steel and parts rather than sunk for practice

And what of the training opportunity this presents for the US and Canadian Navies? Its not everyday you get to see the effect of your weapons on an actual ship. The training opportunity this provides far outweighs the value of some scrap metal and questionable parts.

Yep, posted most of the sailors elsewhere already.  I think they left some MARS officers though.  It's that whole training-to-be-a-CO thing and going down with the ship.  ;D

I know of a few they could put onboard from the east coast. LOL

 

[rmacqueen]

I will remember her fondly, well, at least the mess. :cheers:

 

[jollyjacktar]

I am sure there will be lots of usefull data that will be collected from this shoot.  I agree it will be good for the morale to see the effects of our current weapons against a real target.  It may also be frighenting to see how fast and messy she goes down too, especially for the 280 guys on this coast.  But part of me feels bad for her to go out in this manner too, she would make a good home for the assorted beasties in the sea if she was sunk for a reef.  I imagine there will be conflicting feelings for former members of the ship's company.  

I hope it is a good show.  I was on the Athabee for a surface standard missle shoot against a hulk target off Rosey Roads in 98.  The missle failed during launch and was a washout.  They did not try for a second shot as it was felt that the dollar factor was too great shoud a second launch bugger up.  From what was explained this was something that had not been successfully attempted before.  There was a great amount of work that went into the planning and preparation.  Needless to say there were many in that world who were upset with the outcome.  For me being my first time at sea, it was a good show with lots of smoke and noise.

 

[drunknsubmrnr]

You were lucky. The previous time we tried on Atha-B we were only saved from a Blue-on-Blue by a missile failure.

It's too bad about Huron, but she never worked right out of TRUMP anyway. She was the last one to get out of refit, and got all of the kit the other units rejected.

 

[fear-acfhuinn luinge]

There goes my first ship.

 

[tasop_999]

She served well, belched fire from her stack, and broke down alot, but she was a Canadian ship.  Time to lob some Harpoons into her and call her a flaming datum.  SAWS Shoot!

 

[Torlyn]

I think they left some MARS officers though.

Hmm...  Maybe that's what they meant by "first command training sail" last week at Venture...  ;D

 

[Navy_Blue]

If this gets the go ahead maybe we can get approval to right off the two old steamers at NED in Dartmouth.  It think at least one of the O boats hasn't been spoken for too.  The east coast could benefit from an ex like this too.  It would be nice to put some holes in them with the different guns (.50, 57mm and 76mm) and take pics of interior damage.  Our people at the DC schools could have more recent info than the Falklands and the Gulf.  Keep your shots above the water line and this could be possible.  I imagine they would have the Huron closed up to condition Zulu to get the most out of the exercise too.  Put some shoring up and flood a space below and prove our shoring procedures.  Set up one of the spaces to show the kids why secure for sea\battle.  Take it a step further and get Discovery involved (add some $$$) and you could have a pretty good documentary on modern naval warfare.  Ultimately they will become fish habitat just smaller pieces of fish habitat  ;D.

 

[Crown-Loyal]

Wow, that would be interesting to see the navy go at her. I will pay someone to smuggle me aboard a ship to watch it happen  ;D Or maybe I will row my 12 foot aluminum harbour craft fishing boat out into the ocean and lob some molitov cocktails at her. But i would prefer to watch from a warship.  here is to the Huron, from a civvie who understands that sometimes when navies can't fight other navies they have to fire on their own. just kiding.

 

[flames9]

Late 90's while I was on the ALG or VAN we participated down south in a similar event. Was rather boring to be honest. The ship that was the target was stripped of everything including fuel (duh) thus there was no huge explosions or anything.  Took quite awhile before she sunk.

 

[NCRCrow]

Great post...Navy Blue

SAWS SASS

 

[Sheerin]

umm, what exactly is Condition Zulu?

 

[284_226]

umm, what exactly is Condition Zulu?

The highest condition of watertight integrity.  Hatches and doors are marked as to their importance to keeping the ship afloat, and if condition Zulu is announced, all watertight doors/hatches marked X-ray, Yankee and Zulu are closed immediately.  Ships normally steam in condition Yankee, and are in condition X-ray while alongside.

 

[CrazyCanuck]

Surface to suface, strafing and shot at by a sub, isn't that a bit of overkill? I know all that's good for training but can that old ship actually take that much punishment? Her back won't break after the first Harpoon and leave nothing for the plane and sub?

 

[eurowing]

I like the idea of a gallant ship going to serve one final time.  Don't you think it is a more noble end than being cut up into razor blades?

The only thing better IMHO would be to turn her into an artificial reef, but I can settle for a few good explosions.  Wish I could be there.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Surface to suface, strafing and shot at by a sub, isn't that a bit of overkill? I know all that's good for training but can that old ship actually take that much punishment? Her back won't break after the first Harpoon and leave nothing for the plane and sub?

Again....why would it be overkill. The chances for a ship to actually practice what they are trained to do are few and far between. The training this would provide, not to mention the morale boost would do wonders.