This past April the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia successfully sank the HMCS Annapolis in Halkett Bay off Gambier Island, British Columbia, creating a new wreck site for local divers.

The 366-foot former Royal Canadian Navy warship went down "like an elevator" and square on its heels via charges planted on several parts of the ship, says Howard Robins, president of the ARSBC.

"This was absolutely the best project one could hope for," he says. "The thought process and engineering that went into sinking the ship was very in-depth. It was carried out by great people."

He adds that the sinking benefited from innovations ARSBC developed, including a safety decompression station made from aluminum that sits above the main float.

About 1,000 volunteers put in over 17,000 man-hours to remove all doors and hatches, as well as creating numerous vertical and horizontal diver-access holes throughout the ship's interior. Several openings have been cut into the hull for safe penetration as well.

Although the Save Halkett Bay Marine Park Society had filed an injunction, citing environmental concerns, the sinking proceeded after court hearings deterined that the ship posed no threat to the marine environment.

More than 200 boats dotted the water near the site, and 4,300 computers tuned in to the webcast of the event. The Annapolis now rests at 100 feet, the hull already thick with mussels.

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