As always you’ve corrected me haha. Late night writing bites you occasionally. Regardless I found it a rather interesting photo showing off some old Victorian humour.
Remember the Rainbow Redux: An Alternate Royal Canadian Navy
My editing services are always available... probably because they've become reflexive at some point... ah well.
You've done a cracking job covering the attack and its immediate aftermath (I'm assuming you've already written how the Germans manage, or don't, to get away after the party), I'm curious if you'll have a significant time skip to the next major event in Canada's naval development.
You've done a cracking job covering the attack and its immediate aftermath (I'm assuming you've already written how the Germans manage, or don't, to get away after the party), I'm curious if you'll have a significant time skip to the next major event in Canada's naval development.
My plans at this point is to closely follow the ongoing events on the west coast as however they unfold, they will be incredibly influential on the RCN and Canada as a whole moving forward. I don’t plan on doing a major timeskip as there is many untouched and very interesting occurrences ongoing on the east coast as well that I plan on exploring however, those events won’t be as closely covered as some of the events here.
The RCN is going to atleast see some attempts at major development as butterflies from the west coast events, so we aren’t leaving WWI for a bit.
Yeah I see this as a "strike while the iron is hot" type moment. By the time the war ends, with the mass casualties, trenches, submarines, et al, it becomes easier for the government to minimize any changes based upon war weariness and "getting back to normal". If so inclined they could probably parlay some new coastal artillery and fortifications into sufficient action. However if fundamental changes have been put in place early in the war and become the "new normal", it becomes that much easier to build upon and that much more difficult to change or reverse them.
Raise Anchor!
It is a widely known fact that people who make their living near or on the sea tend to be a superstitious bunch and the people of coastal British Columbia were no different in that regard. Many of the men who constantly braved the treacherous western coast of North America often say how fate is a cruel and unusual mistress, the events that unfolded on that dreadful Sunday all those years ago in August of 1914 seem to provide credence to such a claim. Morale had been at an all time low when the news of the torpedo shipment made it’s way to Esquimalt, the atmosphere quickly turned to that of ecstatic celebration among the submarine crews and base personnel. It was not long though before that flame of hope ignited in their bellies was quickly tempered as the difficult reality of their situation set in, counting one's chickens before they hatched would be bad form especially as an errant fox lurked inside the henhouse. Commander Trousdale seemed to have been completely aware that how the Royal Canadian Navy conducted itself within the next few hours could very well result in them turning the tide of battle against the Germans and therefore, went to work almost immediately assembling a proper plan going forward. In order to do so effectively, Trousdale arranged a meeting of relevant personnel in the small room below his office which was being utilized as Esquimalt’s intelligence processing facility. Lieutenant Adrian Keyes, Chief Engine Room Artificer Reginald Wood and Barney Leitch Johnson all assembled alongside Trousdale and his Chief Intel Officer with haste in order to weigh their limited options moving forward. Keyes was a career submariner and overall officer in command of the two boat flotilla in Esquimalt, Wood was the de facto head engineer of Esquimalt naval base and finally, Johnson was the second in command of Boat No.2 alongside being a certified local Master Mariner with more than a few decades of sea experience.
This group wasted little time diving head long into addressing the myriad of pressing issues at hand. The main problem which hung over their heads was getting access to the torpedoes in the first place as at that point in history, the only way to bring large cargo shipments from mainland British Columbia to Vancouver Island was by transiting the Strait of Georgia. Railway carts would traditionally be placed aboard specially produced ferries or more commonly, loaded onto barges and hauled by tug back and forth. As one could imagine, such an option would provide a massive potential target for the still nearby Germans as it meandered slowly towards Esquimalt holding their only way of striking back against the enemy. Even that idea itself ran into many questions; the still ongoing attack meant that organizing an effective cargo run from the Vancouver area all the way over to Esquimalt would be time consuming and difficult. The state of the port infrastructure in Port Moody and Vancouver harbor was unknown at the time, damage to rail tracks and the clogging of piers by sunken vessels could make the docking and loading process even more tedious. It was fortunate that word of the attack had reached the express train before it pulled into Vancouver or Port Moody, the possibility of Leipzig sending this potentially battle altering shipment up in a cloud of fiery shrapnel while it was waiting on the tracks was a worrying reality. It sat in relative safety far inland at Port Coquitlam but would have to be shipped by rail to a portside area in order to be transferred aboard a transport.
View of Boat No.2 at sea with her crew up on deck alongside an insert portrait of the rather chiseled looking Barney Leitch Johnson, sporting rather fitting but rare bit of naval attire.
Even though Barney Johnson was not a commissioned officer and by all aspects still a civilian, his loan from the British Columbia Pilotage Authority for the month of August had provided the Navy with a wealth of local knowledge. Johnson pointed out that even if they could secure an intact loading point alongside a vessel to carry the weapons, the time it would take to offload the weapons onto a ship, deliver them across the strait into Esquimalt and have them modified in order to properly arm the submarines would take the better part of the day to complete. Chief Artificer Wood agreed, the modifications to the submarines themselves had been completed to accommodate the different model of torpedo however, each torpedo had to have various external guide rods and studs taken off in order to be fired from the submarines. Once all of these things had been completed, the Canadian submarines would be just ready to put to sea while the Germans in all likelihood would have already flattened everything in sight and fled either northward or back out into the Pacific via their original route. A proposal was leveled where instructions on how to remove the studs and guide rods from the torpedoes would be sent to a gang of workers who would do the operation on site before the transport ship arrived, but Chief Wood protested at this idea profusely. There had been exactly enough torpedoes sent to arm both submarines fully and nothing more. The potential for unskilled and unsupervised workers to damage the torpedoes before they could arrive would scuttle the operation before it was even started. Lieutenant Keyes would be the one to eventually put all of the pieces together and suggested a modified version of the plan in which they would cut out the role of the transport ship and Esquimalt all together. If the pair of submarines would sail together from Esquimalt to a suitable pier on the mainland, they could save time by modifying and loading the torpedoes directly from the train cars ashore into their boats. The submarines could simply slip by any Germans they found on their way and safely move towards their destination, being able to be vectored directly into combat once their armaments had been loaded. An auxiliary crew of engineers and their equipment from Esquimalt would be transported aboard the submarines towards their destination where they would properly modify the weapons as they were loaded. This plan had its own set of risks, they would be unable to properly test if the torpedoes in their modified form would function properly from the submarine tubes. The jury was out when it came to the potential performance of the old second hand torpedoes but even with those doubts aside, they would be unaware of their effectiveness until they were launching them directly against the enemy. It was a risk that would have to be taken.
Both Vancouver proper and Port Moody were quickly removed from the list of suitable loading locations due to the as mentioned state of their port infrastructure and their exposed positions to attack. The possibility of navigating the submarines directly up the Fraser River and loading the torpedoes right off the waiting train cart was also raised; however, it was fairly quickly discounted due to the inherent risks of sailing their only operational warships up through congested fresh waters alongside the uncertainty of having proper loading infrastructure. With a general lack of suitable locations to pick from, it was soon decided that False Creek would be the ideal area to put their plan into action. False Creek was a small inlet partially wrapping around the southern side of Vancouver from Burrard Inlet, it was heavily connected to the larger British Columbia railway system and featured a sizable portside infrastructure for the navy’s needs. While very close to Vancouver proper, False Creek had avoided attack at the hands of the Germans due to the fact that it was a congested, dead end inlet with very little space to maneuver. Such an area would be very low on the priority list for any sensible raider and therefore would make just about the best location possible for a successful operation.
Map of the railway infrastructure of the greater Vancouver area throughout the years. False Creek can be spotted as the small inlet below the main entrance to Vancouver Harbor itself.
With the basic plan set in stone, all hands departed the cramped office space with due haste to each put their piece of the puzzle into motion. Esquimalt Dockyard had rapidly evolved from its former depressing hulk to an incredibly lively and rather hectic affair. Trousdale was kept more than busy in his attempts to direct the train itself alongside informing the coastal batteries of the outgoing boats. Engineering staff ran to and fro with tools in hand, preparing to squeeze aboard the questionable metal tubes alongside their sailing brethren. Barney Johnson had quickly gone to work planning the most efficient route from Esquimalt to False Creek while Lieutenant Keyes returned to the pair of boats to inform his fellow Lieutenant Jones and the men of the upcoming scheme. Boat No.1's diesel engine received the finishing touches to complete her reassembly and soon enough, everything was set to depart. Due to the increased weight and space taken up aboard by extra crew members, equipment and the torpedoes they soon hoped to have, both vessels loaded only the bare minimum in regard to provisions and other creature comforts. Lieutenant Keyes famously jettisoned multiple enlisted sailors sea bags up out of his boats conning tower and onto the pier in order to save weight and preserve what little stability the troublesome vessels possessed. All of this was done in remarkable time and shortly after 1000 hours that morning, both Boat No.1 and No.2 let loose their moorings and throttled up their diesel engines as they departed the safety of Esquimalt.
The race against time had begun as the booming symphony of Leipzig’s guns to the north picked up where the guns of Algerine had left off only a few minutes prior. Soon Vancouver would find themselves devoid of much of their electrical power as the raider set about divesting them of their nearby power stations.
This group wasted little time diving head long into addressing the myriad of pressing issues at hand. The main problem which hung over their heads was getting access to the torpedoes in the first place as at that point in history, the only way to bring large cargo shipments from mainland British Columbia to Vancouver Island was by transiting the Strait of Georgia. Railway carts would traditionally be placed aboard specially produced ferries or more commonly, loaded onto barges and hauled by tug back and forth. As one could imagine, such an option would provide a massive potential target for the still nearby Germans as it meandered slowly towards Esquimalt holding their only way of striking back against the enemy. Even that idea itself ran into many questions; the still ongoing attack meant that organizing an effective cargo run from the Vancouver area all the way over to Esquimalt would be time consuming and difficult. The state of the port infrastructure in Port Moody and Vancouver harbor was unknown at the time, damage to rail tracks and the clogging of piers by sunken vessels could make the docking and loading process even more tedious. It was fortunate that word of the attack had reached the express train before it pulled into Vancouver or Port Moody, the possibility of Leipzig sending this potentially battle altering shipment up in a cloud of fiery shrapnel while it was waiting on the tracks was a worrying reality. It sat in relative safety far inland at Port Coquitlam but would have to be shipped by rail to a portside area in order to be transferred aboard a transport.
View of Boat No.2 at sea with her crew up on deck alongside an insert portrait of the rather chiseled looking Barney Leitch Johnson, sporting rather fitting but rare bit of naval attire.
Even though Barney Johnson was not a commissioned officer and by all aspects still a civilian, his loan from the British Columbia Pilotage Authority for the month of August had provided the Navy with a wealth of local knowledge. Johnson pointed out that even if they could secure an intact loading point alongside a vessel to carry the weapons, the time it would take to offload the weapons onto a ship, deliver them across the strait into Esquimalt and have them modified in order to properly arm the submarines would take the better part of the day to complete. Chief Artificer Wood agreed, the modifications to the submarines themselves had been completed to accommodate the different model of torpedo however, each torpedo had to have various external guide rods and studs taken off in order to be fired from the submarines. Once all of these things had been completed, the Canadian submarines would be just ready to put to sea while the Germans in all likelihood would have already flattened everything in sight and fled either northward or back out into the Pacific via their original route. A proposal was leveled where instructions on how to remove the studs and guide rods from the torpedoes would be sent to a gang of workers who would do the operation on site before the transport ship arrived, but Chief Wood protested at this idea profusely. There had been exactly enough torpedoes sent to arm both submarines fully and nothing more. The potential for unskilled and unsupervised workers to damage the torpedoes before they could arrive would scuttle the operation before it was even started. Lieutenant Keyes would be the one to eventually put all of the pieces together and suggested a modified version of the plan in which they would cut out the role of the transport ship and Esquimalt all together. If the pair of submarines would sail together from Esquimalt to a suitable pier on the mainland, they could save time by modifying and loading the torpedoes directly from the train cars ashore into their boats. The submarines could simply slip by any Germans they found on their way and safely move towards their destination, being able to be vectored directly into combat once their armaments had been loaded. An auxiliary crew of engineers and their equipment from Esquimalt would be transported aboard the submarines towards their destination where they would properly modify the weapons as they were loaded. This plan had its own set of risks, they would be unable to properly test if the torpedoes in their modified form would function properly from the submarine tubes. The jury was out when it came to the potential performance of the old second hand torpedoes but even with those doubts aside, they would be unaware of their effectiveness until they were launching them directly against the enemy. It was a risk that would have to be taken.
Both Vancouver proper and Port Moody were quickly removed from the list of suitable loading locations due to the as mentioned state of their port infrastructure and their exposed positions to attack. The possibility of navigating the submarines directly up the Fraser River and loading the torpedoes right off the waiting train cart was also raised; however, it was fairly quickly discounted due to the inherent risks of sailing their only operational warships up through congested fresh waters alongside the uncertainty of having proper loading infrastructure. With a general lack of suitable locations to pick from, it was soon decided that False Creek would be the ideal area to put their plan into action. False Creek was a small inlet partially wrapping around the southern side of Vancouver from Burrard Inlet, it was heavily connected to the larger British Columbia railway system and featured a sizable portside infrastructure for the navy’s needs. While very close to Vancouver proper, False Creek had avoided attack at the hands of the Germans due to the fact that it was a congested, dead end inlet with very little space to maneuver. Such an area would be very low on the priority list for any sensible raider and therefore would make just about the best location possible for a successful operation.
Map of the railway infrastructure of the greater Vancouver area throughout the years. False Creek can be spotted as the small inlet below the main entrance to Vancouver Harbor itself.
With the basic plan set in stone, all hands departed the cramped office space with due haste to each put their piece of the puzzle into motion. Esquimalt Dockyard had rapidly evolved from its former depressing hulk to an incredibly lively and rather hectic affair. Trousdale was kept more than busy in his attempts to direct the train itself alongside informing the coastal batteries of the outgoing boats. Engineering staff ran to and fro with tools in hand, preparing to squeeze aboard the questionable metal tubes alongside their sailing brethren. Barney Johnson had quickly gone to work planning the most efficient route from Esquimalt to False Creek while Lieutenant Keyes returned to the pair of boats to inform his fellow Lieutenant Jones and the men of the upcoming scheme. Boat No.1's diesel engine received the finishing touches to complete her reassembly and soon enough, everything was set to depart. Due to the increased weight and space taken up aboard by extra crew members, equipment and the torpedoes they soon hoped to have, both vessels loaded only the bare minimum in regard to provisions and other creature comforts. Lieutenant Keyes famously jettisoned multiple enlisted sailors sea bags up out of his boats conning tower and onto the pier in order to save weight and preserve what little stability the troublesome vessels possessed. All of this was done in remarkable time and shortly after 1000 hours that morning, both Boat No.1 and No.2 let loose their moorings and throttled up their diesel engines as they departed the safety of Esquimalt.
The race against time had begun as the booming symphony of Leipzig’s guns to the north picked up where the guns of Algerine had left off only a few minutes prior. Soon Vancouver would find themselves devoid of much of their electrical power as the raider set about divesting them of their nearby power stations.
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Next chapter should be up this coming weekend, thanks to everybody who's stuck with the story up until this point!
another good chapter, it would have been very interesting to have submarines sail up a river in order to get at their weapons but i can also guess why they were hesitant to do so. i had actualley never seen a 'sea bag' before and found some very cool nautical art that sailors would put on their bags likely to pass the long amounts of time they were at sea for.
A bit unrelated to the story itself but I thought some of you might get a kick out of this. I just found out today that Canadian Maritime Engineering Ltd in Port Alberni, BC is offering to give away a 20ft long model of HMCS Rainbow as they can no longer keep it around. Perhaps @YYJ can come to the rescue of Rainbow this time 
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EDIT: An hour and twenty three minutes after the original post went up, it seems that the Ladysmith Maritime Society had agreed to take this model on to add to their collection. It seems that YYJ will not be needed after all, that was definitely quick!
Double EDIT: It seems that the 'War Dungeon' private museum in the general BC area was the one to take possession and will be either looking to display it themselves or move it on to a more suitable home later down the line.
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EDIT: An hour and twenty three minutes after the original post went up, it seems that the Ladysmith Maritime Society had agreed to take this model on to add to their collection. It seems that YYJ will not be needed after all, that was definitely quick!
Double EDIT: It seems that the 'War Dungeon' private museum in the general BC area was the one to take possession and will be either looking to display it themselves or move it on to a more suitable home later down the line.
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Good on them. I don’t think my house is big enough. And If I recall correctly, they already have one of Rainbow’s boats.A bit unrelated to the story itself but I thought some of you might get a kick out of this. I just found out today that Canadian Maritime Engineering Ltd in Port Alberni, BC is offering to give away a 20ft long model of HMCS Rainbow as they can no longer keep it around. Perhaps @YYJ can come to the rescue of Rainbow this time
EDIT: An hour and twenty three minutes after the original post went up, it seems that the Ladysmith Maritime Society had agreed to take this model on to add to their collection. It seems that YYJ will not be needed after all, that was definitely quick!
I wouldn’t mind having it myself but I’d rather not think about cross country shipping on a 20ft long package
. It’s good to see somewhere that can properly share and enjoy such a thing to take ownership. Yes they do in fact, there will be an upcoming chapter in the future telling the story of that skiff as I think it’s a rather interesting little tale, perhaps even more so with some in universe spicing up.Very nice to see artwork by sailors and military service members in general as it's always a bit of a treat for me. It's a really small but interesting look into their lives abroad and how they spent their free time.another good chapter, it would have been very interesting to have submarines sail up a river in order to get at their weapons but i can also guess why they were hesitant to do so. i had actualley never seen a 'sea bag' before and found some very cool nautical art that sailors would put on their bags likely to pass the long amounts of time they were at sea for.
Rock Down to Hydroelectric Avenue
As the turn of the 20th century came and passed, the city of Vancouver had found itself in a similar predicament to many other developing ‘frontier’ cities of the period. Technology had been advancing at a rather steady pace while local infrastructure had been slow to keep up with demand. Vancouver for example had adopted electrically powered street lighting as early as 1887 but as they were laboriously powered by local conventional steam power plants which were both expensive to run and maintain, many citizens viewed them as expensive novelties that frivolously wasted taxpayers dollars. One Vancouver archivist has famously stated, “The lighting within Vancouver required such constant maintenance and was generally so dim that many individuals of the period joked that one needed a candle to find an electric light.” All of this changed when the British Columbia Electric Railway Company came onto the local scene in 1897. While this company’s main board of directors and shareholders remained in England, a Danish-born Canadian immigrant named Johannes Buntzen was placed in overall supervisory capacity within North America. As early as 1901, BCERC and Buntzen had finalized plans to bring reliable and plentiful power to the Vancouver area utilizing “white coal” or more commonly known as hydropower. A hydroelectric power plant was to be constructed on Indian Arm which was projected to take only around two years to build and would supply around 1,500 kW of power. This plan entailed digging a drainage tunnel through 13,000 feet of the solid granite connecting the larger Lake Coquitlam to the smaller Lake Beautiful, water would flow to the smaller lake where it would impact against a 19 foot dam after which it would be piped down over the cliffs of the inlet and into the powerhouse to run the machinery. There was major opposition to this plan by local fishermen, environmentalists and the nearby towns of Coquitlam and New Westminster who both relied on water from the lake to sustain themselves but in period appropriate shows of corruption, such concerns would be in vain. The frankly ludicrous amount of funds the BCERC had at its disposal simply allowed them to ‘buy’ their access to the water and issue shallow promises that there would be minimal effects to both communities water supply. The tunnel, dam and powerhouse had all been finished in record time as of June 1905 but at a terrible cost in human life. Work was often incredibly dangerous and men were worked blasting away cliffsides, tunneling deep underground and working around fast flowing water systems sometimes for days on end with minimal rest in order to keep with schedule. The death toll is unknown but thought to be severe even for such a project in this period, men simply kept working on with minimal effort to improve safety after the loss of fellow workers. With the eventual opening of the plant, Lake Beautiful was renamed to Buntzen Lake and things seemed successful at least for a short period.
Frontal view of the Buntzen #1 Powerhouse and the surrounding structures from a short distance off shore in Indian Arm.
By 1908 and 1909, the dam itself was leaking heavily and taking a large toll on the local ecosystem. BCERC staff frequently were sent out with small boats and pitchforks in order to remove the remains of thousands of rotting Salmon which regularly would build up around the dam. The legality of the entire operation had been in question from the start as federal law mandated that any water taken for use from a water system had to be returned to its original source, something the newly constructed powerhouse and it’s associated system blatantly did not follow. The demand for power within the Vancouver area steadily grew to the point where additional generating equipment was regularly installed in the powerhouse but eventually the need outweighed the amount of power output. BCERC had been making such sizable profits to this point that any digging into the legality of their facility was quickly swatted down by bribed officials; however as of 1912, the company was ready to make its next move. It unveiled plans to raise the dam to 98 feet and construct a second powerhouse in order to more than triple the amount of water flowing from the lakes down into the power generating systems. Once it was publicly revealed, the cities of Coquitlam and New Westminster were absolutely horrified. Such a massive dam failing could cause untold damage to the surrounding area and would put their water supply at the complete mercy of a foreign company thousands of miles across the ocean. City councils, public protests and even the local Justice Department became involved however, BCERC was completely invested in having their new infrastructure and would stop at nothing to do so. They resorted to buying off local newspapers to both slander opposition and keep their voices out of the public eye, further bribing local officials and even taking their lobbying directly to the federal government through former politicians. Such bribery and politician corruption went as far as to paying off the Canadian Federal Interior Minister who provided the company with confidential government documents when the City of New Westminster launched a challenge to the issue in the Supreme Court. In the end, the worst would come to pass as federal lobbying would completely remove the clause in regard to returning water to its original source and both above mentioned cities would have their water licenses completely revoked, essentially handing full control of the water in both lakes to the BCERC. The second powerhouse and its accompanying infrastructure was completed in 1914 before the outbreak of war and would by itself provide more than 26,700 kW of additional power to the greater Vancouver area. Such corruption and neglect for the local environment is something found throughout human history even to this day however in a humorous twist of fate, it would be the Germans who would put a temporary end to such a farce.
As word of the Germans attack had spread throughout British Columbia that morning, many men and women simply fled their vulnerable shoreside jobs and returned home to their families, not wishing to be caught in the vicious jaws of the Hun. The workers inside both Buntzen Lake powerhouses had remained at their posts regardless of such concerns, the Vancouver area relied upon the power they generated to properly function and the three foot thick masonry walls of their buildings would surely protect them. In any other situation such a thought would likely be correct however as Leipzig approached Powerhouse #2, it would seem the resolve of the men inside was not as strong as the walls they hid behind. The sight of the battered German cruiser appearing a few hundred yards off their station with a wailing siren followed by a peppering of 3.7cm cannon fire into the water very soon sent the staff members of the plant running for the hills or whatever cover could be found nearby. The impressively handsome architecture work of the powerhouse itself would have put up a fair fight against even close range 4.1” shell fire but unfortunately for the Canadians, the choice to implement numerous large windows throughout the otherwise sturdy structure came back to bite them. Shells dove headfirst into structures protective walls and produced geysers of pulverized rock as the building put up a gallant fight for a time but after the first salvo from only a few hundred yards distance, German gunners had begun to place shells directly inside the plant through the large windows. It was not particularly long before the shelling had produced results, the rumbling of internal explosions from either high explosive shells or failing machinery rocked the building. The third salvo had just ended as a tremendous crashing noise rang out over even the sound of gunfire, errant water from inside the plant slammed out through the ground floor windows of the building and flowed back out to meet the waters of the inlet in a miniature tidal wave. The mixture of explosions, gunfire and water ingress had played havoc on the various turbines, electrical switchboards and generators within the building. Demolishing the structure itself would be an incredibly time consuming and wasteful process so as such, the Germans contented themselves with targeting the water flow pipes as they moved onwards. The metal tubing running down over the cliffside proved little match for high explosive shelling as a brilliant spectacle of white water tumbled downwards and violently met the facilities exterior fittings. As the control equipment was destroyed in the attack, it would take some time for the large diameter pipes themselves to be sealed, flushing thousands of liters of water out of the lakes feeding it in the meantime and making recovery efforts within the plant itself rather difficult. Only 700 yards to the North up the inlet was Powerhouse #1 alongside a piece of recent infrastructure which the Canadian government had gone to quite extensive lengths to keep secretive.
View of Buntzen Lake Powerhouse #2 with it's much more ornate design, water inflow pipes can be seen stretching down over the rear cliff.
After the second powerhouse had been opened, the two facilities found themselves with a sizable surplus of electrical power and little to do with it. One of the answers to this was the construction of a nitrate factory directly beside the plant. This factory would utilize that excess electricity to filter nitrogen from the surrounding air and would eventually process it into nitric acid, a main ingredient in many explosives and a vital war resource. The remote nature of the plant itself alongside government enforced media blackouts regarding its existence helped protect it from the enemy and itself if there was ever an accident however, it would seem that German agents within Canada had sniffed out the factory regardless of any efforts. Even considering the extreme fire hazard found next door, Powerhouse #1 looked to be a far tougher nut to crack at least externally. While there were windows present along the 156 foot long walls of the structure, they were far more diminutive in size and number compared to those of the building's newer sister. A repetition of the ship's siren accompanied by gunfire hardly seemed necessary as by the time the Germans had arrived, the structures were already in the midst of evacuating themselves. After a short period to allow civilians to flee the danger zone, the raider continued her destruction of the local infrastructure. The thick walls of the building provided adequate protection for a time but soon the chink in the buildings armor so to speak was discovered, it’s exposed peaked roof. As they worked their guns down across the long structure, an errant shell had plowed into the top of the building and caused a small section of the roofing to collapse inwards, causing the German gunners to shift their fire after a few salvos in an attempt to bring the building down from above. Such a gamble would prove wise as a few minutes later under a cloud of construction material and dust, the majority of the peaked room had tumbled inwards to a satisfying cacophony of destruction. The newly added section at the end of the powerhouse held on for a few more minutes under the continued bombardment but after a shell impacted inside the second story through a shattered window, the dull orange hue of a fire beginning to take hold sealed it’s fate. Some shells had been fired over top of the ruined powerhouse and into the similarly constructed stone building above, high explosives blasting chunks of granite away from its walls as the fire inside the building below intensified. The cruiser's fire shifted quickly to the simple timber framed buildings of the nitrate factory and its surrounding buildings, quickly reducing the large glass windowed structures to a spray of wooden splinters and glass shards. It was only a matter of time before one of the German shells found its way into the large holding tank of nitric acid on site which much to the amusement of the destruction happy German gunners, quickly dispensed it’s dangerous contents down throughout the ruins of the property. Such a large amount of fuel was rapidly transformed into a massive fireball as more high explosive shells landed amidst the general area, the fire quickly catching on anything it could and further adding to the chaos.
View of the Nitrate Factory from the rear, looking out into Indian Arm proper. Powerhouse #1 is found just to the left side of this photo, notice the large windows and wooden construction of the facilities and large storage container covered by scaffolding.
The German gunnery officer quickly ordered his men to stand down as they prepared to target the pipes that still carried water down over the hill towards the burning power plant property. They would allow the area to burn out of control as the cruiser promptly circled back around and made its way down the inlet, destroying the pipes now would do little but hamper the helpful fire they had worked so hard to set. Leipzig’s journey back down the inlet itself was an uneventful 40 minutes as overworked lookouts kept their eyes glued on every little cove and gully that a submarine could use as a refuge. The equally weary gunners returned from their short lunch of canned meats to man the guns as the cruiser plowed back into Vancouver harbor through the Second Narrows, their gazes glued on the city they had devastated only a few hours previously. The murky black oil slick from the sunken tanker had dispersed out across the harbor in a ugly black smear, providing some appropriate framing for the dark smoke which still rose skywards from both sides of the harbor. Wallace Shipyard was little more than a smoldering pile of twisted metal and charred wood as local firefighters still worked to fight the fire which thankfully had not been allowed to spread into the nearby residential areas. The gaggle of vessels Leipzig had so meticulously worked over earlier were nothing more than a collection of capsized, listed and half aflame wrecks in various states of disrepair along Vancouver's vital piers. Jagged metal and bent masts stuck out in very direction, Captain Haun felt satisfaction at the damage he had wrought to his enemy. The SS Prince Rupert was still burning vigorously pier side as few scant firefighters attempted to battle the flames still burning within her buckled hull. As Captain Haun directed his ship back out towards open waters and a rendezvous with Algerine, they took a short detour back alongside the previously almost untouched railyard which had been obstructed by the now sunk local shipping. Leipzig soon put to work dismantling the packed railyard with 4.1” high explosive shells and smaller rounds from her 3.7cm guns as she sailed on by, throwing the yard into total disarray. Boxcars were dismounted from their tracks as packed down mud was thrown skywards, their cargos roughly spilling out all over the yard. One boxcar which was unfortunate enough to be hit was carrying a shipment of 13pdr shells for the local Militia units and while it did not catch into an immense explosion, the resulting detonation and fires caused by cordite, shrapnel shells and high explosives tore nearby cars into splinters. Such fires would spread for a time largely unchecked, engulfing many valuable cargo shipments and contributing to the clogged nature of the railyard for days after. Warped metal shards from a nearby locomotive were carried across the yard by a shell blast, imbedding themselves in and around waiting cargo.
Eventually as Leipzig moved out of effective gun range on her course to leave the harbor, gunfire petered out in order to save ammunition. Accelerating to full speed in order to more effectively evade submarine and coastal battery attack as she went, the cruiser completed its assault on the greater Vancouver areas as it crossed through the First Narrows at 1135.
Frontal view of the Buntzen #1 Powerhouse and the surrounding structures from a short distance off shore in Indian Arm.
As word of the Germans attack had spread throughout British Columbia that morning, many men and women simply fled their vulnerable shoreside jobs and returned home to their families, not wishing to be caught in the vicious jaws of the Hun. The workers inside both Buntzen Lake powerhouses had remained at their posts regardless of such concerns, the Vancouver area relied upon the power they generated to properly function and the three foot thick masonry walls of their buildings would surely protect them. In any other situation such a thought would likely be correct however as Leipzig approached Powerhouse #2, it would seem the resolve of the men inside was not as strong as the walls they hid behind. The sight of the battered German cruiser appearing a few hundred yards off their station with a wailing siren followed by a peppering of 3.7cm cannon fire into the water very soon sent the staff members of the plant running for the hills or whatever cover could be found nearby. The impressively handsome architecture work of the powerhouse itself would have put up a fair fight against even close range 4.1” shell fire but unfortunately for the Canadians, the choice to implement numerous large windows throughout the otherwise sturdy structure came back to bite them. Shells dove headfirst into structures protective walls and produced geysers of pulverized rock as the building put up a gallant fight for a time but after the first salvo from only a few hundred yards distance, German gunners had begun to place shells directly inside the plant through the large windows. It was not particularly long before the shelling had produced results, the rumbling of internal explosions from either high explosive shells or failing machinery rocked the building. The third salvo had just ended as a tremendous crashing noise rang out over even the sound of gunfire, errant water from inside the plant slammed out through the ground floor windows of the building and flowed back out to meet the waters of the inlet in a miniature tidal wave. The mixture of explosions, gunfire and water ingress had played havoc on the various turbines, electrical switchboards and generators within the building. Demolishing the structure itself would be an incredibly time consuming and wasteful process so as such, the Germans contented themselves with targeting the water flow pipes as they moved onwards. The metal tubing running down over the cliffside proved little match for high explosive shelling as a brilliant spectacle of white water tumbled downwards and violently met the facilities exterior fittings. As the control equipment was destroyed in the attack, it would take some time for the large diameter pipes themselves to be sealed, flushing thousands of liters of water out of the lakes feeding it in the meantime and making recovery efforts within the plant itself rather difficult. Only 700 yards to the North up the inlet was Powerhouse #1 alongside a piece of recent infrastructure which the Canadian government had gone to quite extensive lengths to keep secretive.
View of Buntzen Lake Powerhouse #2 with it's much more ornate design, water inflow pipes can be seen stretching down over the rear cliff.
After the second powerhouse had been opened, the two facilities found themselves with a sizable surplus of electrical power and little to do with it. One of the answers to this was the construction of a nitrate factory directly beside the plant. This factory would utilize that excess electricity to filter nitrogen from the surrounding air and would eventually process it into nitric acid, a main ingredient in many explosives and a vital war resource. The remote nature of the plant itself alongside government enforced media blackouts regarding its existence helped protect it from the enemy and itself if there was ever an accident however, it would seem that German agents within Canada had sniffed out the factory regardless of any efforts. Even considering the extreme fire hazard found next door, Powerhouse #1 looked to be a far tougher nut to crack at least externally. While there were windows present along the 156 foot long walls of the structure, they were far more diminutive in size and number compared to those of the building's newer sister. A repetition of the ship's siren accompanied by gunfire hardly seemed necessary as by the time the Germans had arrived, the structures were already in the midst of evacuating themselves. After a short period to allow civilians to flee the danger zone, the raider continued her destruction of the local infrastructure. The thick walls of the building provided adequate protection for a time but soon the chink in the buildings armor so to speak was discovered, it’s exposed peaked roof. As they worked their guns down across the long structure, an errant shell had plowed into the top of the building and caused a small section of the roofing to collapse inwards, causing the German gunners to shift their fire after a few salvos in an attempt to bring the building down from above. Such a gamble would prove wise as a few minutes later under a cloud of construction material and dust, the majority of the peaked room had tumbled inwards to a satisfying cacophony of destruction. The newly added section at the end of the powerhouse held on for a few more minutes under the continued bombardment but after a shell impacted inside the second story through a shattered window, the dull orange hue of a fire beginning to take hold sealed it’s fate. Some shells had been fired over top of the ruined powerhouse and into the similarly constructed stone building above, high explosives blasting chunks of granite away from its walls as the fire inside the building below intensified. The cruiser's fire shifted quickly to the simple timber framed buildings of the nitrate factory and its surrounding buildings, quickly reducing the large glass windowed structures to a spray of wooden splinters and glass shards. It was only a matter of time before one of the German shells found its way into the large holding tank of nitric acid on site which much to the amusement of the destruction happy German gunners, quickly dispensed it’s dangerous contents down throughout the ruins of the property. Such a large amount of fuel was rapidly transformed into a massive fireball as more high explosive shells landed amidst the general area, the fire quickly catching on anything it could and further adding to the chaos.
View of the Nitrate Factory from the rear, looking out into Indian Arm proper. Powerhouse #1 is found just to the left side of this photo, notice the large windows and wooden construction of the facilities and large storage container covered by scaffolding.
The German gunnery officer quickly ordered his men to stand down as they prepared to target the pipes that still carried water down over the hill towards the burning power plant property. They would allow the area to burn out of control as the cruiser promptly circled back around and made its way down the inlet, destroying the pipes now would do little but hamper the helpful fire they had worked so hard to set. Leipzig’s journey back down the inlet itself was an uneventful 40 minutes as overworked lookouts kept their eyes glued on every little cove and gully that a submarine could use as a refuge. The equally weary gunners returned from their short lunch of canned meats to man the guns as the cruiser plowed back into Vancouver harbor through the Second Narrows, their gazes glued on the city they had devastated only a few hours previously. The murky black oil slick from the sunken tanker had dispersed out across the harbor in a ugly black smear, providing some appropriate framing for the dark smoke which still rose skywards from both sides of the harbor. Wallace Shipyard was little more than a smoldering pile of twisted metal and charred wood as local firefighters still worked to fight the fire which thankfully had not been allowed to spread into the nearby residential areas. The gaggle of vessels Leipzig had so meticulously worked over earlier were nothing more than a collection of capsized, listed and half aflame wrecks in various states of disrepair along Vancouver's vital piers. Jagged metal and bent masts stuck out in very direction, Captain Haun felt satisfaction at the damage he had wrought to his enemy. The SS Prince Rupert was still burning vigorously pier side as few scant firefighters attempted to battle the flames still burning within her buckled hull. As Captain Haun directed his ship back out towards open waters and a rendezvous with Algerine, they took a short detour back alongside the previously almost untouched railyard which had been obstructed by the now sunk local shipping. Leipzig soon put to work dismantling the packed railyard with 4.1” high explosive shells and smaller rounds from her 3.7cm guns as she sailed on by, throwing the yard into total disarray. Boxcars were dismounted from their tracks as packed down mud was thrown skywards, their cargos roughly spilling out all over the yard. One boxcar which was unfortunate enough to be hit was carrying a shipment of 13pdr shells for the local Militia units and while it did not catch into an immense explosion, the resulting detonation and fires caused by cordite, shrapnel shells and high explosives tore nearby cars into splinters. Such fires would spread for a time largely unchecked, engulfing many valuable cargo shipments and contributing to the clogged nature of the railyard for days after. Warped metal shards from a nearby locomotive were carried across the yard by a shell blast, imbedding themselves in and around waiting cargo.
Eventually as Leipzig moved out of effective gun range on her course to leave the harbor, gunfire petered out in order to save ammunition. Accelerating to full speed in order to more effectively evade submarine and coastal battery attack as she went, the cruiser completed its assault on the greater Vancouver areas as it crossed through the First Narrows at 1135.
HUNS IN POCKET OF LABOUR UNIONS
FACTORY DESTROYED AT BEHEST OF STRIKING WORKERS
- some sensationalist rag
given what ive seen in the last few chapters in regard to the government using the militia on strikers, that wouldnt be much of a surprise to me to see in a newspaper at the time. i know corruption and contemept for the enviornment and local people was pretty common back then but hearing about how the hydropower factories were put into place is pretty depressing. in all likelihood these destroyed plants will simply be repaired and keep on chugging asap.
From what I've gathered from history it was particularly bad in BC. You can look at a map of territory ceded by First Nations under treaty with the federal or provincial governments and there's a big blank spot covering most of BC where territory was just straight-up stolen from whoever lived there.
I suspect a good deal of the sentiment that had Washington and Oregon founded as 'whites only' states also applied to BC, visiting family in the Okanagan interior is almost distressingly white for me now that I'm accustomed to working in a multicultural city in Ontario.
All this, combined with the physical barrier of the mountains, no doubt created a real sense of security and 'just how we like it' for the folks in power. Getting punched in the face like this by Leipzig is going to be a huge blow to the status quo. I've also no doubt some of that shock is going to be felt in the US, which has a front-row seat to watching the German carnival of high explosives.
I suspect a good deal of the sentiment that had Washington and Oregon founded as 'whites only' states also applied to BC, visiting family in the Okanagan interior is almost distressingly white for me now that I'm accustomed to working in a multicultural city in Ontario.
All this, combined with the physical barrier of the mountains, no doubt created a real sense of security and 'just how we like it' for the folks in power. Getting punched in the face like this by Leipzig is going to be a huge blow to the status quo. I've also no doubt some of that shock is going to be felt in the US, which has a front-row seat to watching the German carnival of high explosives.
Very much so, British Columbia seems to be a fairly large hotbed for discrimination and large amounts of abuse towards the local environment. Leipzig's little journey will definitely work to shake up the collective mindset of Canada at large that they "are safe" from any foreign power, sadly I do not think such things would jar them away from the questionable policies of the period, atleast relating to the treatment of "less desirable peoples".
111th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy
Post retrieved from the Facebook page of the Royal Canadian Navy, May 4, 2021 at 3:35pm.
111 years of being ready to lead, ready to help, and ready to fight. These ideals were founded all those years ago when the Canadian government established the Naval Service of Canada on May 4, 1910. While this original title would be quickly changed to the iconic Royal Canadian Navy that many know today, the pillars on which this organization are based have largely remained the same. Alongside the brave Canadians which helped build the young organization into an effective fighting force, many volunteered from around the Commonwealth to mold the organization into what we are today, an inclusive culture of men and women helping others at home or abroad. With the Canadian born Rear Admiral Charles Kingsmill at the helm, the Royal Naval College of Canada was soon founded to raise a home grown officer corps alongside the acquisition of two of the Royal Canadian Navy's most well known vessels on August 6 and September 6 of 1910 respectively, HMCS Rainbow and HMCS Niobe. With this foundation laid, the Royal Canadian Navy has remained steadfast against any adversary. While the flag may have changed, we have always been Canada's first responder and will continue to uphold this vital duty far into the future.
From our darkest days at the Battle of the Farallon Islands and the Bombardment of British Columbia,
To the Battle of Jutland,
Through the Battles of the Atlantic,
Against the Axis on every ocean,
The Korean War,
The Suez Crisis,
The Cuban Missile Crisis,
The Gulf War,
And many other battles both large and small.
The Royal Canadian Navy is proud to have lent a helping hand at home and abroad, including assisting during natural disasters and times of strife, committing to reinforcing NATO’s collective defense, and operating in maritime environments around the world to improve peace and stability. We are proud to promote a culture of innovation and inclusivity within our ranks. We are no strangers to sacrifice and are always proud to serve Canada, alongside collaboration with our Allies and partners throughout the world. From all of those who have served, who are currently serving and who will serve in the future, Ready Aye Ready!
111 years of being ready to lead, ready to help, and ready to fight. These ideals were founded all those years ago when the Canadian government established the Naval Service of Canada on May 4, 1910. While this original title would be quickly changed to the iconic Royal Canadian Navy that many know today, the pillars on which this organization are based have largely remained the same. Alongside the brave Canadians which helped build the young organization into an effective fighting force, many volunteered from around the Commonwealth to mold the organization into what we are today, an inclusive culture of men and women helping others at home or abroad. With the Canadian born Rear Admiral Charles Kingsmill at the helm, the Royal Naval College of Canada was soon founded to raise a home grown officer corps alongside the acquisition of two of the Royal Canadian Navy's most well known vessels on August 6 and September 6 of 1910 respectively, HMCS Rainbow and HMCS Niobe. With this foundation laid, the Royal Canadian Navy has remained steadfast against any adversary. While the flag may have changed, we have always been Canada's first responder and will continue to uphold this vital duty far into the future.
From our darkest days at the Battle of the Farallon Islands and the Bombardment of British Columbia,
To the Battle of Jutland,
Through the Battles of the Atlantic,
Against the Axis on every ocean,
The Korean War,
The Suez Crisis,
The Cuban Missile Crisis,
The Gulf War,
And many other battles both large and small.
The Royal Canadian Navy is proud to have lent a helping hand at home and abroad, including assisting during natural disasters and times of strife, committing to reinforcing NATO’s collective defense, and operating in maritime environments around the world to improve peace and stability. We are proud to promote a culture of innovation and inclusivity within our ranks. We are no strangers to sacrifice and are always proud to serve Canada, alongside collaboration with our Allies and partners throughout the world. From all of those who have served, who are currently serving and who will serve in the future, Ready Aye Ready!