HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261)
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HMCS Mackenzie was the lead ship of the Mackenzie-class of destroyer escorts (DDE) and served in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces.
She was built by Canadian Vickers Ltd. in Montreal and commissioned into the RCN on 6 October 1962.
She measured 366 ft in length and 42 ft in beam, displacing 2,880 tons fully loaded and carried 18 officers and 210 enlisted personnel. She spent her entire career on the Pacific coast, largely as a training ship.
She was decommissioned from Maritime Command on 3 August 1993.
[edit] Artificial reef
The hull was purchased by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia in March 1995. Following several months work to strip the hull of environmental contaminants, HMCS Mackenzie was scuttled on 16 September 1995 near Isle-de-Lis and Gooch Island, in the Georgia Strait off Sidney, British Columbia. She rests on clay and rock with a 20 degree list to port.
As a dive site, the location of HMCS Mackenzie experiences strong currents during large ebbs; diving during these conditions is not recommended by the ARSBC. The average visibility of 25 feet and a multitude of sea life in and around the ship offers a good dive. Above 60 feet, divers can explore the bow and deck guns, superstructure, radar mast, and exhaust stacks. Below 60 feet, divers can explore 5 decks with access portals cut into the ship at various levels. The sea floor meets the bow at 90-100 feet and the stern at 95-105 feet.
