SYDNEY — The scrapping
of the Cape Ann III will begin Monday, bringing an end to the infamous history
of the vessel.
 |
| Ken Jardine, left, and John Aylward of the Cape Ann III Artificial Reef Society gather round the beached hull of the Cape Ann III on Thursday. Greg McNeil - Cape Breton Post |
The 175-foot trawler had been
partially submerged and rusting in Sydney harbour for more than five years
until a Canadian-American military operation raised it as part of a training
exercise.
“We originally wanted to use it as a
dive reef but for environmental and some community reasons, we chose not to go
that route,” said John Aylward of the Cape Ann III Artificial Reef Society,
which acquired the vessel from its previous owner.
“It is going to be recycled, which is
what we wanted. We wanted to see a problem become something positive.”
Terra Mac Construction will handle
most of the demolition after some site preparation is completed this weekend.
Permits give the company until the end
of June send the ship to the scrap heap — something many thought they would
never see.
“We’ve told each other it wouldn’t
happen from time to time but never on the same day,” said Ken Jardine, who
worked closely with Aylward on the project.
“John and I have had it since Day 1
that this had to be good for the economy, the environment and the community. If
we could hit all three of those, which we are, this was a good thing to do.”
Jardine’s childhood friend, Bob
Edwards of Sydney Mines, thought the ship would make an interesting aspect of
the recent Frontier Sentinel 12 military training exercise.
“Bob was home on leave last summer
visiting his mother and called me up,” said Jardine.
“Even then we weren’t sure because we
had been down so many different rabbit holes that just ended.”
Although most in the community will be
happy when the ship is a distant memory, members of the reef society are
working on several projects to ensure it is not forgotten.
Through the Facebook site, Raising
Cape Ann III, they are encouraging people to send their photos of the ship to
be included in a pictorial record.
And they will give $100 to the best
song written about the story of the ship.
The Cape Ann III Artificial Reef
Society will also keep a couple of small pieces of the ship to use as part of a
heritage site.
The cost of raising and beaching the
vessel was covered by the military, while the recycled metal obtained during
scrapping is expected to cover most of that expense.
Source:
By Greg McNeil (gmcneil@cbpost.com). 31
May 2012
http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2012-05-31/article-2993332/Ship-out%3A-Cape-Ann-III-scrapping-to-start-Monday/1
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