Project Yukon
Project Overview
Probably the most ambitious project ever undertaken by the San Diego Oceans Foundation was the acquisition, preparation, and sinking of the decommissioned Canadian warship HMCS YUKON. Working in cooperation with the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, SDOF brought the Yukon to San Diego from Canada. It was cleaned of toxic and hazardous materials, and placed on the ocean bottom on July 14, 2000 to serve as an artificial reef offshore of Mission Beach.The volunteer effort to prepare the ship for sinking cannot be overstated. Without the persistent hard work of numerous members of the San Diego diving community, various clubs, business leaders, and governmental agencies, this Herculean task could never have been completed. The goal was to remove the hazards, possible entanglements, and to cut numerous openings along the hull thus reducing the risk to divers to an absolute minimum.
Scientific Analysis
Since its transformation into a reef, the Yukon has become the site of thousands dives each year, which includes a large percentage out-of-town divers. An analysis of preliminary data indicates that the expenditures may be as high as $4.5 million to the local economy.
While the environmental benefits of similar manmade habitats are well known in Gulf Coast states, the Yukon is the first such project on the West Coast. The San Diego Oceans Foundation therefore commissioned a report on the Yukon's environmental effects in the area. The findings of the report indicated that the Yukon has contributed significant benefits sea life. The point, after all, was to enhance the habitat - not pollute it!In order to quantify the direct economic benefits to San Diego of this new marine habitat, SDOF also initiated studies on the economic effects of divers visiting Yukon. First, an expenditure survey was made to determine the project's market contributions and local economic impact. Then an analysis of data regarding the origin of divers visiting the Yukon and other reefs in Southern California was conducted. The results of these studies indicate a positive effect on the local economy and a continued beneficial attraction for both sea life and humans. Specific findings of the reports were released to the public in a comprehensive DVD.
HMCS YUKON
Coordinates: 117° 17' 7.2" W 32° 46' 21" N
The HMCS Yukon is a 366 foot, 2,380 ton, Canadian Destroyer Escort. It lies in approximately 100 feet of water off Mission Beach, in the southern portion of the San Diego Underwater Recreation Area. She rests on her port side with an average minimum depth from bow to stern of about 70 feet. The exterior provides an excellent “reef” dive for advanced open water divers. There are numerous cutouts on the hull for easy entry and exit for qualified divers.
Click here to join the 10th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Yukon
Yukon Resources (pdf)
Historical Overview of Project YukonMap the Yukon: A Warship Becomes An Artificial Reef