Hulks for Canada
USS Charleston was a 9,700-ton St Louis class protected cruiser completed in 1905. After active service in World War One, Charleston was decommissioned on 4Â December 1923, and sold in February 1930 to Abe Goldberg of Seattle for scrapping by the Lake Union Dry Dock and Machine Works. USS South Dakota was a 13,680-ton Pennsylvania class armoured cruiser completed in 1908. Renamed USS Huron on 7 June 1920 to release her former name for a new battleship, she was struck from the Navy list on 15 November 1929, and also sold to Abe Goldberg & Co on 11 February 1930 for disposal.
On 15 August 1930, the American Charge d’Affaires in Tokyo advised the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs that it was proposed that the hulk of the Charleston would be on-sold to the Powell River Company, Limited, an American Company operating in Canada. At the time of the proposal, all of the armour plate had been removed from Charleston, the engines, boilers and generators had been removed, and the superstructure was being dismantled. On 30 August 1930, the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs advised him that the Japanese Government had no objection to this proposed purchase.
On 25 October 1930 the hulk of Charleston, cut down to the waterline, was towed to the log pond at the Powell River pulp mill in British Columbia, Canada, to act as a part of a floating breakwater.
On 1 July 1931 the US Government advised the other signatories of the desire by the Powell River Co to purchase Huron as well. At this time Huron had been reduced to the condition of an empty shell, and it was asserted that there could be no practicable possibility of her being incorporated into the navy of a foreign power. This argument was accepted by the other signatories, who each replied that they had no objections to the sale, and Huron joined Charleston in the breakwater in August 1931.
On 18 February 1961, Huron sank in a storm. That same year Charleston was removed from the floating breakwater because she was also in danger of sinking and moved to the booming ground at Kelsey Bay on Vancouver Island where she was grounded as part of another breakwater. The remains of the hulk are still there.