Fuchsia Dragon | [email protected]
The depths of Patricia Lake hide the remnants of one of the First World War’s strangest projects: a warship made from ice.
In 1943, fifteen men spent two months on the frozen lake building a 1-to-50-scale prototype aircraft carrier made from a mixture of water and wood pulp frozen together.
The prototype was considered seaworthy but full-size versions were never built.
And with the spring thaw, the ship melted - and the wooden forms and refrigeration equipment sank to the bottom of the lake.
This project is the backdrop for Saskatchewan writer Chaz Osburn’s new book: At the Wolf’s Door.
“It is really one of the most interesting top secret military projects I have ever heard about,” said Osburn.
“This is largely an untold story.
“The most interesting thing for me is the fact that the allied military company would even entertain such an idea - I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at that meeting.
“And the fact it had gone to the very top to Churchill himself, who approved it, is just mind-boggling.”
Osburn said he first heard about the project reading a plaque on the shore of Patricia Lake while on a trip to Jasper with his family.
“I was like, ‘What?! This is bizarre,’” he said.
“As I thought about it I kept thinking, ‘This sounds like it has the makings of a really good story.’”
At the Wolf’s Door is historical fiction: based on true historical events written with a little artistic licence.
The novel tells the story of young naval officer Colin Williams working on the top-secret initiative, with the backing of Winston Churchill, as a ruthless Nazi spy stops at nothing to make sure they do not succeed.
Osburn, a self-proclaimed history-buff, said most of the novel is historically accurate, including its characters.
“Of course, I’ve never met Winston but I have read plenty about him so have built a very credible character,” he said.
“At the Wolfs Door is a very interesting story.
“It is a credible story but it is fiction. It is the product of thought.”
Osburn researched his book at museums, libraries, searching the web and poking through Jasper’s gift shop books.
He said: “It doesn’t seem there is a lot that has been done on the project because it was top secret.
“There are not a lot of exact references"
And to get the feel for the novel, Osburn visited Patricia Lake in mid-winter.
“I spent time walking on the frozen lake to put myself in the scene,” he said.
“I began to formulate this story in my head but thought it was beneficial to go out and see what it would have been like - and it probably hasn’t changed much.
Osburn will give a talk about the history of Project Habbakuk and At The Wolf’s Door at the Jasper Municipal Library at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 8.
