The following series of bulletins was sent by Carla Morse, then the Director of Development
for Friends of HMCS HAIDA. The intent was to keep everyone informed of the progress on HAIDA's movement from Ontario Place.BULLETIN #1
Wed, 13 Nov 2002 - As those of you in the Toronto area may have read in today's newspapers
or saw on last nights television newscasts, yesterday the Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps hosted a ceremony at HAIDA to announce the formal transfer of ownership of the ship from the Provincial government to the Federal government. HMCS HAIDA is now owned by Parks Canada.Work to remove the ship from her basin at Ontario Place has begun. In fact, I was at the ship this afternoon and already crews have removed the small grove of trees on the causeway that is to be dredged to allow for the removal of the ship. It really looks like something is finally happening!
Many of you have asked if a date has been set for the actual removal of the ship and we will probably not know this date until the very last minute. Dredging is estimated to take 2 weeks and then they will wait for the best conditions of wind and weather before the ship will be towed to Port Weller for dry docking.
Mon, 18 Nov 2002 - Things are moving at a brisk pace now that the contracts have been awarded.BULLETIN #2 *The dredging contractors have broken ground and work has commenced. This is the way it looked ar 12:00 on Nov 16/02.
*It was reported at the recent AGM of Friends of HMCS HAIDA that the dredging work is expected to take approximately 2 weeks.
*Once the channel has been created, the actual move of the ship will take somewhere from 12-20 hours so there will be lots of opportunity for spectators to view HAIDA's departure from Ontario Place.
*The trip across the lake to Port Weller dry dock will take approximately 6 hours.
*Weather is a concern and we have been assured that the ship will not be put into jeopardy. If the weather changes for the worse after the length of time it takes to get the ship out of Ontario Place, the ship will be moored temporarily until weather conditions improve.
*The St. Lawrence seaway operators have been contacted and have agreed to keep the lock above the dry dock open until HAIDA gets there.
The following report is from volunteer Jerry Proc:Sun Nov 24 - Just got back from HAIDA.
The excavation is proceeding like clockwork and the scene which greeted me was nothing like the one in my mind's eye.
Between Lake Ontario and the Ontario Place lagoon, there is now an enormous pit which is filling with water. The job site manager apprised me of the work. From very early this morning, the contractor ran a huge pump which lowered the water level about 2 meters. The sloping trench will be 40 meters wide at the top and 20 meters at the bottom. The intent is to make the channel wide enough to fit HAIDA and two tugs on either side. The length of the trench was unknown but it looked like it was 75 to 100 meters long.
Engineers originally expected that most of it would be a dry dig and that two of the Ontario Place parking lots would be sufficient to contain the dirt being excavated based. They were targetting to store
the dirt to a height of 2 meters. In reality, what is now being excavated is pure muck therefore it cannot be piled as high as dry dirt. As a result, a third parking lot at Ontario Place will have to be used
as a storage area.
 |
| The channel deepens. (Photo by Jim Brewer) |
BULLETIN #4
Hello Everyone,Fri, 29 Nov 2002 - The work on digging the channel for HAIDA's exit from Ontario Place has been pretty much completed. It has not been opened to the harbour as this would impede the dredging operation that will now take place. The attached photo shows the area that has been dug in preparation for the move.
Throughout her time at the Ontario Place berth, HAIDA has had a draught of about 10 feet floating approximately 4 feet from the bottom depending on the rise and fall of the lake level. Obviously, a deeper channel must be provided for the ship to move smoothly and over the next week the dredging of the basin in which HAIDA floats will take place.
As we've told you, the move will be very dependent on good weather conditions but we do know that the move might be planned for sometime during the WEEK OF DECEMBER 9th or as early as the weekend of of Dec 7/8. We will do our best to let you know exactly when during that week the ship will start to move.
Yours aye,
Carla Morse
Hello Everyone,Wed, 04 Dec 2002 - The major break through has been made! The causeway at Ontario Place
was opened to the harbour on Monday and dredging is almost complete. HAIDA now has a clear path to follow into the lake. On Sunday, a diver did an underwater inspection and has indicated that the bottom is very soft.
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| The causeway to Lake Ontario has just been cut open on 1 Dec, 2002. It would take another 11 days to completely dredge this channel. (Photo by Jerry Proc) |
The ships underwater bubble harbour, cathodic protection system and telephone lines have been removed and last minute preparations are being made for the removal of the ship next week.
We now know that the ship will be removed anytime between Dec 10th-12th and as more information about the weather becomes available we will get more precise information about the timing of the move.Once a date has been chosen, tugs will come in the night before and hook up their lines and the ship will move at first daylight, probably around 7:00am.
Yours aye,
Carla Morse
Greetings!As of this Monday (Dec 9) afternoon, the date for the move of HMCS HAIDA has been set for Wednesday, December 11th. Please note: this date is weather dependent and a delay may occur if conditions are not favourable for the move. Provided the conditions are right, the move will begin at first light or approximately 7:00am.
PARKING
For those of you who wish to come down and see the move, Ontario Place is providing free parking in their parking lot 2. The map outlines the location of this lot - it is the large lot in front of the
ship. SPECTATORS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE HAIDA COMPOUND OR JETTY
AREA FOR SAFETY REASONS. Please keep this area clear.The roadway in front of the ship is called Remembrance Drive and extends east along the waterfront to Coronation Park. The eastern part of the road from Ontario Place Blvd to Strachan Ave is closed to vehicular traffic but open for pedestrians. This will probably be the best spot from which to watch the move as it is at the mouth of the channel that has been cut and the most open to the water. The south side of Remembrance Drive along the trail and breakwall area will not be accessible for viewing. Please keep this area clear.
THE MOVE
The ship will not be moving quickly as great care must be taken to ease the ship from her berth through the dredged channel so there will be lots of time for photos and seeing her off. Should new information
arise, we will do our best to let you know.Yours aye,
Carla Morse
Tue, 10 Dec 2002 14:17 - Just a quick note to say that I have learned that the removal of HAIDA may be as quick as half an hour (pending no problems or delays) so it is probably best to arrive at or before 7:00am/first light to see the move of the ship just in case all goes extremely smoothly and the ship gets out of her basin. They hope to arrive in Port Weller sometime between 12 noon and 2:00pm, if all goes well!Carla Morse
BULLETIN #8
Hello Everyone,
As mentioned previously, there is always some risk of delay in moving HAIDA from her current berthing. I have just been informed by Cdr., Bob Willson, Friends of HAIDA that there will be a slight postponement in the departure time. Originally, HAIDA was to move out for 07:00 am, Wed Dec 11. There will be an approximate 1 to 2 hour delay because the channel needs to be swept to ensure that there are no rocks or obstructions as a result of Monday's windy conditions.
Regards,
Jerry ProcGood morning, BULLETIN #9
Plans are still underway to move the ship this morning and we hope to see the ship move sometime between 10am and 12 noon. Final sweeps have been made and a small amount of dredging is underway.
Carla
This bulletin consists of reports from four locales: the Toronto jetty, from the lake escort, aboard HAIDA and the welcome at Port Weller.
HMCS HAIDA HAS LEFT THE CITY!
By Carla MorseAfter waiting in the cold for many hours, approximately 100 or more very patient spectators got to see the HAIDA slip from her berth backwards out to the harbour and watched her as she began her journey to Port Weller dry dock. There were considerable delays due to a need for some last minute dredging and at approximately 1:30 pm she slowly started moving.
Members of the HAIDA Association and a group of reservists from HMCS YORK and regular forces piped her as the white ensign hanging from the quarterdeck mast went by and the veterans and Friends of HAIDA offered three cheers for HAIDA at the top of their voices. It was a moving site and one that took very little time - by about 1:45 pm, the ship was well on her way across the lake.
This was the moment that everyone was waiting for. HAIDA is now free of the lagoon and coming through the channel. (Photo by Daniel Salisbury) I then travelled to St. Catharines to see her come into Lock 1 just before being towed into drydock. Some people had been waiting there since 2:00pm and by 8:00pm when we got our first glimpse of her at the end of the pier docks, there were many more people lining the lift bridge and the fence line of Lock 1. It was dark but HAIDA still shone brightly lit up by the flashes of many cameras as she glided into the Lock. The Lock filled with water very slowly as HAIDA rose gently yet proudly. Once filled, the lift bridge alarm sounded, the lock gates opened and the tugs silently pulled her through to Port Weller. It was raining and the glimmer of the rain along the port side hull lit up by the reflection of the lights made her look so shiny and majestic.
Members of the damage control crew aboard were watching from the bow taking pictures of us taking pictures of them. It was a problem free journey with HAIDA now safely secured in her new berth in dry dock.
Thanks to all of you who support this great ship. Now that Phase 1 has been completed, we look forward to the next chapter in this incredible story of restoration and survival.
**********
ESCORTING HAIDA INTO LAKE ONTARIO
by Jerry ProcHi Folks,
Wed, 11 Dec 2002. 20:22 - By now, many of you had an opportunity to view the evening news and
know that HAIDA made it safely into Lake Ontario.I was fortunate to have an opportunity to observe the day's proceedings from a civilian tug chartered by the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. Arriving in Oakville, Ontario at 05:30 this morning, I met up with Cdr Bob Willson, James Elliott, reporter for the Hamilton Spectator and John Rennison, photographer for the Hamilton Spectator. The tug PASCOL, left the 16 Mile Creek Harbour at approximately 06:30 bound for Toronto. Lake Ontario looked like a sheet of glass at this time of the day and we were able to see the bottom for nearly a mile before picking up speed. With a predicted high of 4C, no one could have expected a better day in December.
Our master was Brian Busby. His wife Brenda extended her hospitality to all of us for the entire day and were most thankful for that . The vessel, originally built in 1946, was a harbour tug for the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company Ltd and was named as a contraction of the company name. (Port Arthur and Fort William eventually became Thunder Bay, Ont). The tug was purchased by Brian in 1999 and was completely rebuilt, adding living quarters behind the wheel house. Powered by a 250 hp diesel engine, it can reach 8 knots with a fuel consumption around 5 gallons per hour.
After a 2 hour trip, we arrived in Toronto's Western Gap only to find that the additional dredging was not completed by the time we got there and there would be an additional delay. The tug was then berthed in the Western Gap across from Toronto's Island airport while we waited patiently for the dredging to be completed. Finally, somewhere around 13:30, I heard the call that HAIDA was clear of the breakwater. In my excitement , I forgot to note the exact time. In what seemed an abnormally short time frame, HAIDA was out in Lake Ontario - free of the lagoon in which she was berthed for 31 years.
As a volunteer for the last 10 years, my dream about seeing her in Lake Ontario came to pass as a result of the efforts of Friends of HAIDA. In my minds' eye I was able to exclude both tugs and actually envisioned the ship on the lake as if she was sailing under her own power. The feeling of seeing the only surviving Tribal class destroyer in her natural medium is difficult to put into words.
This is how I wanted HAIDA to look in my mind - seaworthy and under her own power. (Illusion by Jerry Proc) Because of the delay, the lake conditions changed as the wind picked up speed. I continued working the video, SLR and digital cameras until such time as a big wave came crashing over the bow and drenched me and my camera equipment. It was also getting impossible to continue photography due to the rolling so I dried my equipment and stowed it away. The captain then decided it would be best if we returned to Oakville rather than shadow the ship to Port Weller, and return in darkness. With the lake turning choppy, we all agreed this was the best plan. Mid-afternoon, we parted our parallel course with HAIDA. Slowly she faded into the distance. As her silhouette became smaller and smaller, I could not help but think that at least in theory, this could be done again in the future.
Unofficially, we can now add a new battle honour to the ship titled "Battle of the Lagoon". It has been won !
Other photos by Jerry Proc:
Coming Out of the Channel
Under Way - Just look at the beauty of her design.**********
HAIDA HAS MOVED
by Jim BrewerGood Morning,
Thursday, 12 Dec 2002 08:39 - The Haida finally got the green light at 13.10 on Dec 11 2002 to move out of the basin that has been her home for many years. The first couple of hundred yards were the most critical since it was through a dredged channel. After that, it was clear sailing as far as water depth was concerned. At first, we were escorted by a couple of small tugs, a fire boat and three police boats from Metro. A small craft from HMCS York caught up a little later. About two miles out, the fire boat set back followed by the three police boats and the York boat. Two units from Mississauga turned up for a short while then they, and the two tugs headed off for home leaving Haida and her two tugs to face the up coming wind and rain storm.
We started the crossing at a speed of 5 knots but dropped to 3 while we were going through the windy part of the storm. We had a couple of people aboard with a GPS unit and they bet a coffee on what time we would reach Port Weller. I am glad they are not navigators as they were both wrong. It took about 6
hours to reach the entrance of the canal. She got a little stubborn in the lock and did not want to stay against the lock wall but with some heavy persuasion from the two tugs, she behaved and rode up the wall. After clearing the lock she was swung around and put in to the dry dock stern first with no problem The part was completed about 22:30. The gate was closed and the water level was lowered about 7 feet. She will be set on to the blocks this morning and the balance of the water removed.
HAIDA's damage control crew. This photo is reminiscent of the 18 volunteer sailors who originally brought the ship from Sorel Quebec to Toronto in 1964. (Photo via Marg Mathers)
1 - John Harding, the Port Weller project manager did not make the trip. He was only aboard to
supervise the departure, then headed back to Port Weller to ensure all went well on HAIDA's
arrival.
2 - LCdr (Ret'd) Peter Greenwood, Lansdowne Technologies, Damage Control Specialist.
3 - Gary Cook, Marine Architect.
4 - Ian Cameron, Tow Master, Port Weller Drydock.
5 - Capt(N) (Ret'd) Howard Smith, Lansdowne Technologies, Damage Control Specialist.
6 - Cdr (Ret'd) Peter Johnston, Lansdowne Technologies, Damage Control Specialist.
7 - LCdr (Ret'd) Gerry Lanigan, Lansdowne Technologies, Damage Control Specialist.
8, 10 - Mechanical personnel from Canal Marine.
9 - Maurice Camilleri, Welder.
11 - George Dugas, Lead Hand, Canal Marine, a subsidiary of Port Weller Drydock.
12 - Margaret Mathers, HMCS HAIDA Volunteer.
13 - Jim Brewer , HMCS HAIDA Volunteer.
14 - Jim Piper, Electrician.With all the equipment for damage control aboard, we only had to use some rags and duct tape to seal up a few fresh water lines that had not been properly drained for winter and burst because of freezing. Other than that all is well. As far as the personnel were concerned, you could not have wanted a better team From the tow master down, they were great. Every body chipped in. I even saw an ex-navy captain handling lines in the lock.
The ships welder was the only one who had a bad crossing. When the ship started pitching a couple of feet he had to get his head down for a while.
**********
THE END OF THE TRIP
By Tom SpowartI had the privilege to watch Haida slowly make her entrance into the Welland Canal and Lock #1. It also seemed Haida was steaming under her own power as the towing line was not visible in the darkness until she was moving directly past. And I also was drenched, not from a wave crashing over the concrete bank of the canal, but from the buckets of water that teemed down from the sky above.
When I received an e-mail at 5:15 PM that Haida had left Toronto and was expected to arrive at the Welland Canal between 6 and 7 PM, I told my wife to put my dinner "on hold" and jumped in the car and headed to Port Weller from Welland. I had a number of impulses to head back home as the torrents of rain mixed with a slushy snow made visibility next to nil and driving a white knuckle event. But after waiting so long for this moment, I pressed on. ( I later learned that the arrival times had been changed to 8 or 9 PM)
As time passed more and more people arrived (they knew from local radio broadcasts of the new times). I would not venture to estimate the number of people (several hundreds ?) but parking spots at the end of Government Road were at a premium. There were young and old, male and female, families and groups and individuals like me. As Haida passed the cheering started from the throng, silencing only as Haida headed for Lock #1 and a mass exodus of people and vehicles moved to a new vantage point. They stood along the mesh fence along the lock and on the bridge.
Another exodus to new locations as Haida cleared the lock and another round of cheering and honking of car horns sounded through the darkness and rain. There were no dampened spirits here. More flashes from cameras.. I'm not sure how my 16 photos will turn out because of the rain and darkness.
As Haida was crossing the canal to Port Weller Drydock I wandered back to my car wet and cold
but with the warmest feeling in my heart. What a wonderful day. Haida is safe!
Final preparations are being made to secure HAIDA after being eased into Port Weller's smaller drydock, stern first. (Photo by Chris Anderson)
HAIDA is entering Lock#1. (Photo by Martin Johnson, Kastle Archives) Martin goes on to say, "After the tugs got the Haida in to the lock, I made my way to the upper level across from the drydocks and resumed my photography as the ship exited the lock. As the great warrior drew alongside the crowd of 40-50 people gathered around, someone in the crowd shouted out, "Thanks for bringing her home safely!" - and then the entire group of people, huddled in the cold and rain - burst in to a spontaneous round of applause! It was one of those moments I'll never forget. I stopped taking photos for a few moments and just stood there in awe of this incredible display of patriotism".
