It was 66 years ago today (April 5) when engineers used 1,400 tons of explosives to blow up an underwater mountain near Campbell River.
Ripple Rock in the Seymour Narrows had been a shipping hazard for centuries, only nine feet underwater at low tide. It claimed at least 110 lives in more than 120 shipwrecks. When Captain George Vancouver charted the Narrows between 1791-1795, he called it “one of the vilest stretches of water in the world.”
Plans for blowing up Ripple Rock were suggested as early as 1943. As ships got bigger, requiring more time and space to get through the Narrows, the project became urgent, especially with cargo ships to and from Alaska needing safe passage.
From 1955-1958, engineers tunneled below nearby Maude Island, under the ocean floor, and up into Ripple Rock. They packed the peak with explosives and on the morning of April 5, 1958, blew it up in one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.
The project increased the depth in the Narrows to about 45 feet, and today the largest cruise ships can pass.
The event has inspired stories, poems, and songs, including “Ripple Rock” by The Evaporators, fronted by Canadian entertainer Nardwaur the Human Serviette.
For more information about Ripple Rock, visit the Museum at Campbell River’s website.
