Patricia Lake, Jasper, Alberta, was the site of Operation Habbakuk, a top- secret WWII military project assigned to build an aircraft carrier out of ice

Patricia Lake, Jasper, Alberta was the site of Operation Habbakuk,
a top-secret WWII military project assigned to build an aircraft carrier out of ice

Patricia Lake Operation Habbakuk, Jasper, Alberta

Photo Karen Soyka, Travel Alberta

Patricia Lake, Alberta - Take Pyramid Lake Rd out from the town of Jasper and in a few minutes you'll come to Patricia Lake, the site of a bizzare top-secret military experiment during WWII. 'Operation Habbakuk' was charged with building a prototype aircraft carrier out of ice and sawdust. The theory was that 'ice ships' might be cheaper and more durable than standard ships, and that they wouldn't attract magnetic mines. In 1943 fifteen men spent two months building a 1-to-50-scale model prototype. It was considered seaworthy but full-size versions were never built because of the cost, and because the war ended. With spring thaw the ship melted and the wooden forms and refrigeration equipment sank. The lake is now popular with scuba divers, with roadside and submerged commemorative markers. It's 10-minute drive from Jasper, along a road where you can often spot elk and other wildlife.

More Alberta Cool: World's largest known oil reserve l million-dollar hwy overpasses for wildlife l world's first UFO Landing Pad l aircraft carrier made of ice l saddle-shaped stadium l shopping mall with submarines l Shanghai Noon l testical festival l largest dinosaur graveyard l java inventor l chinnoks l trekkie town l world's first peace park l first Bloody Caesar l Brokeback Mountain l Head-Smashed-In-Bufflao-Jump l wind-powered computers l world's most dinosaur skeletons l town grouch l Legends of the Fall l 9 km-disappearing lake l ice worms l Aurora Borealis l World Cup 1st Stop l ride an Olympic Bobsleigh l the most bison l only whooping crane nests l Hoo Doos l 200,000 free pancakes l Plus 15 l highway past 100 glaciers l

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