Description of Historic Place

The VT 100 shipwreck site consists of the remains of the wooden Second World War Yard-Class Minesweeper (YMS) 159. The site measures 45 meters long by 10 meters wide and is located 110 meters northwest of the shore of Bedwell Bay, B.C. The remains are oriented along a 50-degree bearing (stern to bow) and the hull lists to port. The depth at the stern is 13 meters and the depth at the bow is 17 meters. The site consists of the hull, eight steel bulkheads, various deck fittings and a steel-reinforced gun platform on the forecastle.

British Columbia's Heritage Conservation Act automatically protects all heritage wrecks, including the remains of all wrecked vessels and aircraft once two or more years have passed since the date of loss. It is illegal to damage, alter or remove a heritage object from a heritage wreck except under a permit issued by the Archaeology Branch..

Heritage Value

The VT 100 shipwreck site has historic, scientific, educational and recreational value for its role in the defense of the West Coast during the Second World War, the evidence it provides for naval construction methods and its popularity as an accessible recreational diving site.

The wreck has historic value as one of Vancouver's few remaining tangible connections to the Second World War. The ship was launched for the US Navy in Manitowc, Wisconson, on January 16, 1943, and decommissioned in 1946. It was sold in 1947 and used as a tugboat under the designation Vancouver Tug (VT) 100 before being set on fire on April 22, 1956.

This site has scientific value as a fairly complete and well-preserved hull providing evidence of the construction and design of a wartime minesweeper. The shape of the hull and lines of the forecastle and quarterdeck are distinctly naval and the forecastle gun platform is characteristic of a minesweeper. Very few YMS Class ships survive, with Jacques Cousteau's famous RV Calypso being one well-known example of the type.

The VT 100 site has educational and recreational value as an iconic wreck in the Lower Mainland. The wreck is an easy shore dive and is remembered by many local divers as their first, if not only, wreck dive. The site serves to acquaint divers with the fundamentals of naval architecture and has the potential to inspire divers to pursue local history and heritage.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the VT 100 wreck site include:

- the intact keel and lower portion of the wooden hull, containing eight steel bulkheads
- the elevated forecastle
- the elevated round steel-reinforced gun platform standing on four splayed steel legs
- the intact twin rudders, rudderposts, and steering quadrant