Canadian Tribal Destroyer HMCS Athabaskan Located off Brittany, France

Crest of Canadian Tribal Athabaskan.
Crest of Canadian Tribal Athabaskan.
The Divers Net on the 13th. of December 2002, reported locating the Canadian Tribal Class Destroyer HMCS Athabaskan in 90 metres of water off Batz Island, Brittany.

The French diver, Jaques Ouchakjoff found the wreck of this 2,000 ton Tribal.

This ship had been dubbed unlucky, she was bombed at Newcastle-on-Tyne during her construction, she endured hull damage in a storm, then collided with HMS Bargate off Scapa Flow, and when patrolling off the Spanish coast was hit by a glider bomb.

In April of 1944, this ship was escorting mine layers off the French coast, to be attacked by 2 German destroyers, and be hit by a torpedo. A second explosion happened in a further 10 minutes, killing her Captain and 128 crewmen, the ship was then abandoned and sank.

The diving team are hoping to conduct a survey, seeking clues as to the cause of the second explosion.

So yet another Naval ship sunk in WW2 is found.

Canadian Tribal Athabaskan
Canadian Tribal Athabaskan


    

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