A Solemn Tribute to HMCS Kootenay and the Legacy of Remembrance

Captain(N) Kevin Whiteside, CFB Esquimalt Base Commander lays a wreath at Memorial Park in Esquimalt in honour of those who died during the HMCS Kootenay explosion, accompanied by CPO1 (ret’d) Al Darraugh, who was onboard that fateful day.

Paul Dagonese, 
Lookout Writer 

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Members of the Royal Canadian Navy gathered at Memorial Park in Esquimalt on Oct. 23 for a solemn ceremony honouring the nine sailors lost in the 1969 tragedy aboard HMCS Kootenay. The wreath-laying event, marking Canada’s largest peacetime naval loss, drew veterans, sailors, and officials in an act of remembrance. Leading the ceremony was retired Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1 (ret’d)) Al Darragh who has championed this West Coast tribute, preserving the memory of those who served.

“It is through acts of remembrance such as those led by CPO1 (ret’d) Al Darragh, our former Base Chief, who was instrumental in organizing the first of these ceremonies, that the memory of HMCS Kootenay will continue to shape our Navy today,” said Captain Navy (Capt(N)) Kevin Whiteside, CFB Esquimalt Base Commander in his address, thanking Darragh for his efforts.

CPO1 (ret’d) Darragh served aboard the Kootenay from 1987 to 1992. As an engineer, he vividly recalls the Kootenay’s harrowing “full power” trial 320 kilometers off the southwest coast of England, during which the ship caught fire and exploded while testing new equipment post-maintenance. The crew bravely battled the flames, ultimately saving the ship and steering it back to England.

CPO1 (ret’d) Darragh also took part in a 25th-anniversary re-enactment of the explosion, a tribute that held profound significance. He was on watch as the I/C of the boiler room during the re-enactment at the exact time and location of the blast that struck two and a half decades earlier.

“It was somewhat eerie being the guy in charge of it all, as you were re-doing what had happened, and those people who were on watch with me would have died,” he shared, explaining how two of the three people in the engine room with him that day lost their lives.

Throughout his service on the Kootenay, CPO1 (ret’d) Darragh and his crew remained deeply aware of the tragedy’s impact. Since it was primarily engineers who perished in the explosion, he noted, a positive outcome was the introduction of significant safety improvements.

The Kootenay Wreath Laying Ceremony commemorated not only the nine lives lost but also those who continue to carry forward their memory. When asked why he felt compelled to bring this tribute to the West Coast, CPO1 (ret’d) Darragh explained, “In order to honour those who gave their lives and to see the survivors come out so we can show them that we remember.”