COUNTY - Ex-ownership of a decommissioned warship that spent a dozen years berthed on the eastern bank of the LaHave River says a decision to scrap the vessel shatters an agreement they had with Ottawa.

 Artificial Reef Society of Nova Scotia chairman Rick Welsford was shocked to hear a contract was awarded to Ontario-based Marine Recycling Company to dismantle the former HMCS Fraser.

 "I'm disappointed they chose to scrap it," Mr. Welsford said last week. "That breaks a deal that they have with us to give us the opportunity to artificial reef it."

 The last of the St. Laurent-class destroyers is in Shearwater where radar and vintage radio and communications equipment is being removed before it's towed to an Ontario shipyard, said an on-line story by allnovascotia.com. The story said a Quebec-based engineering firm awarded the deal to Marine Recycling Company.

 The former HMCS Fraser is expected to be moved in the coming days.

 Mr. Welsford said the Canadian Forces is aware of a proposal that shows economic benefits and other positive spinoffs if the vessel was sunk to be an artificial reef as opposed to dismantling it. He's saddened the ship wasn't able to be preserved.

 "I'm absolutely insulted that even now that they've chosen to scrap it, it's going outside of Atlantic Canada. There's so many contractors here that could have done the job," he said.

 What's the society's next move? It could involve legal manoeuvres as a result of their claim an agreement was breached.

 "Let's just say we're looking into it," Mr. Welsford indicated.

 If the vessel was offered back to them, Mr. Welsford said the possibility it would return to a Bridgewater berth is highly unlikely.

 "Ignoring the political aspects of that, it's an expensive tow upriver," he explained, noting the Fraser would likely "go to a wharf somewhere for a short visit for preparation and then out" to become an artificial reef given preservation seems impossible.

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 The society scooped up the former HMCS Fraser in the late 1990s with the intent of making it a floating museum when the ship was declared surplus by the Canadian Forces. The Fraser was berthed at the Port of Bridgewater, off LaHave Street.

 After years of backlash over the ship's appearance, the society and the federal government reached a deal in 2009 that would see the Fraser turned back over to Ottawa.

 "Despite the best intentions and best efforts of the [society], the significant scope of maintaining Fraser proved to be beyond the capacity of the society's resources. The vessel has been slowly deteriorating over the years," said a January 2009 National Defence news release.

 The statement went on to say National Defence "is evaluating a number of disposal options, including preservation of the vessel for heritage purposes, sinking it to create an artificial reef or disposal as scrap."

  Tugboats towed the vessel out of Bridgewater in the summer of 2009.

posted on 08/31/10