ABANDONED GHOST SHIP | HMCS Cowichan Cold War Canadian Navy Ship | Exploring Abandoned Places in BC
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- Опубліковано 17 тра 2022
- #AbandonedGhostShip #HMCSCowichan #AbandonedPlacesBC
The HMCS Cowichan (MCB 162) was a bay class minesweeper that served in the royal Canadian navy during the Cold War. Used primarily as a training vessel on the west coast of Canada, she served from 1957-1997 and was sold for conversion to a yacht in 1999. Since then, she’s sat stagnant and rotting. She’s constructed mainly of wood planking and aluminum framing, is 46m (152ft) long and weighs over 390 tons.
Well friends, that’s all for today’s video exploring this forgotten Cold War Navy ship. The HMCS Cowichan sure was a beauty in her prime and despite being left to rot for over 25 years, she was very cool to explore. Word has it she’ll be scrapped for parts in the near future, so I’m glad I got to check her out before she’s gone forever.
1:10 Entering the ship
2:04 HMCS Cowichan information
3:46 Crew quarters
4:58 Captains quarters
5:33 Engine room
6:33 The bridge
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On today’s explore, I’m joined by Brent from Abandoned Urbex Canada - he specializes in exploring off-the-grid abandoned places. His videos are awesome, so check out his UA-cam channel and give him follow!
Explore with Brent 👇🏼
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I was an RCN Officer Cadet 1967-1969 and trained aboard Cowichan. I remember rounding Cape Flattery and feeling very queasy, standing a wheel watch during the night going down the Washington coast with a substantial quartering swell, and crossing the Columbia River bar. I know nothing lasts forever, but I still felt a pang seeing this.
Hi Randy - thanks for sharing! Sounds like quite an experience. Not sure my stomach could handle such sweet. I've heard stories from a few people who worked on this ship - I can see why it would be a bit sad to see her in this condition. Memories now!
I was part of the crew of one of her sisters which was called the HMCS Fundy, for a time. At the time we were training officer cadets. We were called by those on what were called the heavies such as the Restigouches, Mackenzies and such, as Woody Wood Peckers or McHale's Navy. The later as we were stationed in what was referred to as Calwood accross from HMCS Esquimalt in Esquimalt Harbour. We were allowed to call the officer cadets anything we liked as long as it ended in Sir. A mark of respect as one day they would become officers. We referred to them as snots. We were allowed much leeway as long as we did the work well and it was an honour to be requested by your XO to extend your stay.
Cowichan and her sisters were used to train navy officers for decades.
I remember them well while stationed at CFB Esquimalt long ago.
Too bad she has been left to rot.
Wow, thanks for this information! What were you stationed there for? It is sad to see her rot away... wish someone had restored her!
Excellent video! 👏🏻
Thanks to the headlamp 😉
What a cool thing to get to see. Especially before they do dismantle it for scrap!
That engine room would have been hella loud!!!!
Loud as all heck I'm sure!
This was a great explore. I also saw it with Brent. That’s how I got turned on to your channel. No regrets either. Love your channel. Thanks for the adventure.
🙏
@@DameUntamed >>> Same here: Found your channel after watching the beginning of Brent's video.
The naval terms you missed on were galley, head and shitter. It was often an adventure to find one with a roll of TP.
How could I forget the shitter 😂
@@DameUntamed Well played young lady!
Bay Class Minesweepers ... made of wood to evade magnetic mines.
They trained a couple of generations of "Shads" ... Naval Reservists from the CFB Esquimalt "Yacht Club" during the Cold War era. On the "Right Coast" (Halifax) Reserves were trained on another type of vessel that also had mine sweeping capabilities ... the "Porte Class" Gate vessels. They were steel and of a trawler design, also used on the West Coast.They were quite seaworthy if a little ugly and they did yeoman's duty for generations.
Hi Abraham - thanks for sharing this information! You certainly are knowledgeable. Were you part of the Navy?
@@DameUntamed I served in MARCOM (Maritime Command Canadian Armed Forces) in the 1970s as an Engineer ... "Stoker" in the parlance of the Canadian Navy.
@@abrahamdozer6273 Wow, wonderful! Thank you for your service ☺️.
@@DameUntamed It was my pleasure.
Era: Cold War to three years after 1st Gulf War.
A long time ago, I did my sea phase of MARS III (Maritime Surface) course onboard her sister ship HMCS Mirimichi and part of my NavO training onboard HMCS Thunder. Regulars and reserves were occasionally on the same ship. Regulars also did MARS III on the old sweeps, before continuing on to classroom time and sea time on the steamers (DDE/DDHs). There were five sweeps (sweep gear removed) in service at any one time with another undergoing maintenance, as well, Canada had had more than those, some ships of the class were sold to France and Turkey during the Cold War. Eventually, three of five Porte Class Gate vessels (AKA Pigboats - they wallowed when at sea in any rough weather) were sent to the west coast (HMCS Esquimalt) as the navigation training opportunities were better and Canada's MARCOM took hand me downs in the East from the RCMP: HMCS Forte Steele, the 'R' boats (PB Rapid and PB Rally) for punishing the sailors with small ships ill-suited for the North Atlantic. lol. The 'shads' were given little hope for having their own ships beyond the Pigboats, the Steele, and the R boats. Berths on destroyers were rare and those who found one were often treated poorly.
Then the government saw a cheap way of reviving minesweeping training and mapping the littoral waters as a first step in getting back into mine warfare. That was when Canada was buying 50 EH-101 Merlins (cancelation cost ~1 billion...total cost for 50 helos was 4.5 billion, bad move Libs!) and looking for nuclear-powered subs (Canadians were led to believe they'd be armed with nukes)...with this political football in play, Liberals won the election and the Armed Forces had most contracts reviewed, many canceled. Industry was suffering so they announced 12 MCDVs (Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels) for the reserves! And 12 CFPs (Canadian Patrol Frigates) to replace the Iroquois class destroyers (real ships!), the DDEs, and the DDHs. And the helicopter hunting saga began.
The MCDVs were built on the cheap and were not much better in seakeeping (they poured concrete ballast to correct the list), but they were new...sort of. In the long wait to define the ships (they were pathetically slow to copy other similar ships), MARCOM announced that two, much larger, 11-year-old offshore supply ships were to be converted into training ships. The two Anticosti class ships had long decks for adding extra accommodation and sweeping gear (WWII technology) and used side-scan sonar for finding anomalies on the ocean floor. They were used until the MCDVs (Kingston class) were brought into service. Of course, to keep these ships cheap, they were made of steel (to attract magnetic mines?!!) and were armed with Bofors 40mm LITERALLY from storage after the great extinction of the RCN after WWII. These were later removed as they were deemed dangerously old.
Now Canada spends even less on Defense (
Very cool!!! 🇨🇦
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Great stuff! 👍
Thanks! 👍
She looks very similar to the Coniston Class minesweepers used by the RN. She has the Trident badge on her bridge which was the Squadron Badge of the RN 3rd MCM Squadron at Rosyth. I was the Squadron Ops Officer from 1989-91.
Did this ship have main gun turret and machine gun sections.
@@amuxpatch2798 The Coniston Class had a 40mm bofors cannon and 2 x 7.62x51 GPMG's and sometimes 2 x LMGs.
@@csjrogerson2377 thank you, so it was open 40mm nest turret not control by the ships radar.
@@amuxpatch2798 Correct. An open mounting that was visually aimed and electro-hydraulically moved . There was no fire control radar. The navigation radar could be used to locate targets, but they would have to be verbally indicated to the gun crew. (I was a Gunnery Officer in a Ton Class from 1980-82)
@@amuxpatch2798 No, she had a 40 mm Bofors, removed in the 1970s, along with the sweep gear. Designed around magnetic mines, with the sweep gear having the "warp drive" engine (not sure if the remains are still on cow, I sailed Mir), and after that, a couple of GPMGs as mentioned below, along with several (24?) C7 rifles.
Hey , thought i recognized her , have been following Brent for a bit , very cool , he indicated she was off to be scrapped, sad , a lot of history there , loved tbe video, all the best from the yacht " Taurangi " Wellington, New Zealand 😁👍
Hey Steve, thanks for popping in! Yep, Brent and I exploring a few places together recently. It is sad she's off to be scrapped. Hard to believe it's taken so long to do so. She's sat in her current location for a very long time. Glad you enjoyed the video ☺.
@@DameUntamed Hi again , yeah im a boat nut and live on my yacht down here , and always find it sad to see this happen , all the best and hi to Brent when you see him next , take care :-)
@@DameUntamed Did this ship have main gun turret and machine gun sections.
Very interesting that it still floats and is not cut and used for scrap metal.
Right? Surprised it's stayed there so long. It was sold many years ago to be refurbished into a yacht, but I guess plans fell through. I do believe it's going to be scrapped soon, though!
@@DameUntamed I wish all the old things would be restored. But unfortunately, this is not the case most of the time. 😐
@@calatoruldac Agreed! Would be cool to see her in all her glory. Too bad.
hull is wooden , so non magnetic .
great video the fun fact is am trying to get this boat up and running again but i dont know if anythings still running her sister ships were scraped(one was sold to france) in 1998 those ships were HMCS Miramachi 163, HMCS Thunder 161 and Fundy 159 they were mine sweepers in the Bay Class Minesweepers
Oh no way, do you own her now?
@@DameUntamed i couldn't get it sadly I'm still hunting down the owner
FWIW: I watched the beginning of Brent's video on his channel {I plan on watching the rest of it later}. When he said this ship had an aluminum frame and wood hull, I guessed it was some type of mind sweeper.
Yep, you are correct!!
@@DameUntamed >>> 👍
Great video. I know one of the ship’s former Navy Captains. Where is it moored?
Just wondering, is this ship still owned? Or is it truly abandoned? Wondering because it could be a great restoration project for Naval historian groups.
I do believe there is ownership there... just not fully sure by whom. As far as I know it will be scrapped soon, but I agree... would definitely have been a great restoration project!
Even if she couldn’t be saved as complete. The equipment is worth saving. As far as I’m aware there isn’t a RCN museum ship on the West Coast. So the potential still stands.
I work for Seaspan and our job is to refit navy vessels. This would costs tens of millions or more to restore.
@@DameUntamedIt's owned by local logger and keeper of all of the broken things, Kevin Wenstob 😂
I'm surprised you only have 2,000 subscribers! 😮
Haha, I appreciate this 😊. Working hard to grow as much as I can! I believe in a bright future for my channel and appreciate you stopping by to check it out 🙏.
You are crazy for climbing that! Were those eggs in the nest??
It look more like garbage, unfortunately ☹
and bones !!
plans are approved from December 1952/January 1953, but the ship is from WW2....🤔
Thanks for the catch! Meant to change it to Cold War before I uploaded but got side tracked and completely forgot. Ship is definitely not from WWII, she’s a Cold War girl! Thanks again.
My dad served .Engineer
Appreciate him :)
As soon as I heard HMC rather than HMCS...
Had to stop watching.
Figured someone would have something to say about that. I didn’t realize my mistake until it was too late, and hoped by writing it on the screen and making sure it was correct everywhere else, it wouldn’t be too big of a deal. Did my best to correct the error 😊. Thanks for the feedback and have a great day.
Sorry.
I shouldn't have said anything at all.
My apologies.