Ripple Rock Explosion, Campbell River


Lets go up island for a minute to Ripple Rock. Ripple Rock as the name says, was a very large rock found in the Seymour Narrows of the Discovery Passage in B.C. The closest town to it, on the island, is Campbell River. http://www.crmuseum.ca/ripple-rock


 Photos screen shot from original video

The Rock was named in 1860 by Captain Richards. Only about 2.7 meters under water at low tide it was a serious hazard to the boats using the area. At least 110 people died in accidents caused by the rock before it was decided it needed to be removed. Twice they tried unsuccessfully to remove the rock in 1943 and 1945. Then after the National Research Council of Canada did studies to decide the best possible solution they tried again.



In April 1958 they had a planned explosion to remove the top of the rock. It was very big news at the time and was filmed as a memorable occasion. It was one of the first live, coast to coast broadcasts in Canada. It was aired on CBC television and is remembered by many as a day of history.



1,270 metric tons of Nitramex 2H explosives were used to cause the blast. Once the top was blown off the rock it was 13.7 meters underwater and the area was much safer for travel. The blast was so big and strong that it got the attention of United Kingdom's Atomic Weapons Research Establishment who recorded data from the explosion. It was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosion on record at the time.


You can see Video Here 



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