cfenton
Contributor
I live on Vancouver Island and regularly dive in an area called Barkley Sound. Barkley Sound is well known for its marine life, and especially for its wreck diving. One of the nicest wrecks is the HMCS Thiepval which lies on its port side in about 35 of water. The Thiepval was a 130 Fisheries Patrol Vessel that stuck an uncharted rock in the 1930s and sunk. The wreck has been a popular sport diving site practically since the invention of scuba. Today the Thiepval is not much more than a hull covered in plumose anemones.
In March of 2009 our team made a trip out to Barkley Sound and dived the Thiepval. Here is the video from the dive HMCS Thiepval - 1930 on Vimeo. On that dive we did a very small penetration into the hull and found a pile of ammunition. Most of the ammunition looked to be rifle ammo and flares although Im by no means an expert. There were also some shells presumed to be from the 3 bow mounted gun. It was a great dive with exceptional visibility for the area (called Thiepval Channel). Early in 2010 we returned to the Thiepval on a charter with the Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia (UASBC). We relocated the ammunition. I wrote a short trip report for the UASBCs newsletter, The Foghorn.
In May of 2010 I received an email from a man named Timothy M. Flath (Lieutenant Commander (Retired), Environmental Program Manager). Mr. Flath asked if I would be willing to mark up a site diagram with the location of the ammunition, as he was in charge of the unexploded ordnance program in Canada. I did. Mr. Flath invited me to his office to talk shipwrecks (he was aware of my keen interest in wreck diving), and while unfortunately I never made it I very much appreciated the offer.
I quickly forgot about the Thiepval, being more interested in wrecks that still needed locating. Then in December of 2010 I receive an email from someone in Mr. Flaths office: I was wondering if you would be willing to grant the program permission to attach the photos in an Appendix to a Statement of Work that will be posted in the New Year that would inform potential bidders about the underwater environment and potential UXO present on the HMCS THIEPVAL? The Statement of Work and the photos would be posted on MERX (government online procurement website). My answer was of course, or something along those lines. Seemed like a dumb question, but I understand that red tape is inevitable.
Again I forgot about the Thiepval. Then in July of this year I received an email through my association with the UASBC in which Canadian Seabed Research in Nova Scotia was looking for a Masters Level 1 (minimum requirement) Archaeologist with marine experience for a job checking for ordinance on the Thiepval. Hmmm...
Then three weeks ago I received an email from Riel Lazarus (Research, Pixcom Productions), who worked for a company producing a show called Bomb Hunters. He asked if Id be willing to speak with the dive team and tv crew about the wreck and what we found. No problem. We set up a date and time (Thanksgiving Sunday at 1pm, no less!). Shortly after 12pm that day I receive a phone call saying they cant make it, because they forgot that they had to pick up the dive crew at the airport, and could we reschedule for next Sunday. To be honest Im getting a little tired of talking about the Thiepval at this point (and Ive had the unfortunately experience of dealing with tv producers in the past) and ask them what is going on. The field producer blames the mix up on the idiots at the office while the guys at the office tell me that the field crew lost track of times. I sent then an email declining to reschedule (in which I may have used the words idiots and clowns more than once...) Clearly that would be the last I hear of it...right?
Today I receive a phone call from the charter operator that is driving the Bomb Hunters to the Thiepval. She tells me that they are having problems with one of the divers sucking through air to fast, and would I be willing to ship them down a set of doubles that he can use! The dive operators are solid people that Ive known for years, and I recommend them highly. That said I couldnt believe what I was hearing! I asked in disbelief if I was hearing this right: the dive team that I presume we, the taxpayer, paid to travel 5,500km to remove the 3 shells from this wreck could not stay down in 30 long enough to perform his job? It turns out he hadnt been in the water for 2 years and was not a dive expert, just a bomb expert...
My last question: what bombs?? I can only imagine what this cost the Canadian people. What a fiasco. I regret ever mentioning these shells to anyone. There is a part of me that wishes I would have taken the 10min to load them into a goodie bag and drop them in deep water. I dont really mean that, but...
In March of 2009 our team made a trip out to Barkley Sound and dived the Thiepval. Here is the video from the dive HMCS Thiepval - 1930 on Vimeo. On that dive we did a very small penetration into the hull and found a pile of ammunition. Most of the ammunition looked to be rifle ammo and flares although Im by no means an expert. There were also some shells presumed to be from the 3 bow mounted gun. It was a great dive with exceptional visibility for the area (called Thiepval Channel). Early in 2010 we returned to the Thiepval on a charter with the Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia (UASBC). We relocated the ammunition. I wrote a short trip report for the UASBCs newsletter, The Foghorn.
In May of 2010 I received an email from a man named Timothy M. Flath (Lieutenant Commander (Retired), Environmental Program Manager). Mr. Flath asked if I would be willing to mark up a site diagram with the location of the ammunition, as he was in charge of the unexploded ordnance program in Canada. I did. Mr. Flath invited me to his office to talk shipwrecks (he was aware of my keen interest in wreck diving), and while unfortunately I never made it I very much appreciated the offer.
I quickly forgot about the Thiepval, being more interested in wrecks that still needed locating. Then in December of 2010 I receive an email from someone in Mr. Flaths office: I was wondering if you would be willing to grant the program permission to attach the photos in an Appendix to a Statement of Work that will be posted in the New Year that would inform potential bidders about the underwater environment and potential UXO present on the HMCS THIEPVAL? The Statement of Work and the photos would be posted on MERX (government online procurement website). My answer was of course, or something along those lines. Seemed like a dumb question, but I understand that red tape is inevitable.
Again I forgot about the Thiepval. Then in July of this year I received an email through my association with the UASBC in which Canadian Seabed Research in Nova Scotia was looking for a Masters Level 1 (minimum requirement) Archaeologist with marine experience for a job checking for ordinance on the Thiepval. Hmmm...
Then three weeks ago I received an email from Riel Lazarus (Research, Pixcom Productions), who worked for a company producing a show called Bomb Hunters. He asked if Id be willing to speak with the dive team and tv crew about the wreck and what we found. No problem. We set up a date and time (Thanksgiving Sunday at 1pm, no less!). Shortly after 12pm that day I receive a phone call saying they cant make it, because they forgot that they had to pick up the dive crew at the airport, and could we reschedule for next Sunday. To be honest Im getting a little tired of talking about the Thiepval at this point (and Ive had the unfortunately experience of dealing with tv producers in the past) and ask them what is going on. The field producer blames the mix up on the idiots at the office while the guys at the office tell me that the field crew lost track of times. I sent then an email declining to reschedule (in which I may have used the words idiots and clowns more than once...) Clearly that would be the last I hear of it...right?
Today I receive a phone call from the charter operator that is driving the Bomb Hunters to the Thiepval. She tells me that they are having problems with one of the divers sucking through air to fast, and would I be willing to ship them down a set of doubles that he can use! The dive operators are solid people that Ive known for years, and I recommend them highly. That said I couldnt believe what I was hearing! I asked in disbelief if I was hearing this right: the dive team that I presume we, the taxpayer, paid to travel 5,500km to remove the 3 shells from this wreck could not stay down in 30 long enough to perform his job? It turns out he hadnt been in the water for 2 years and was not a dive expert, just a bomb expert...
My last question: what bombs?? I can only imagine what this cost the Canadian people. What a fiasco. I regret ever mentioning these shells to anyone. There is a part of me that wishes I would have taken the 10min to load them into a goodie bag and drop them in deep water. I dont really mean that, but...
