Remembering the Kootenay explosion, nearly five decades later

Nearly five decades have passed since the deadlyexplosion aboard HMCSKootenayCanada's worst peacetime navy accidentbut the memory lives on.

Sunday marks the tragedy's 47th anniversary. This year, the province hasdeclared itHMCS Kootenay Day, a proclamation madeduringa memorial ceremony on Friday. Nine crew members were killed on the shipin 1969 after a gearboxexploded. Itshome port was in Halifax.

One of those honoured during Friday's ceremony wasn't even on board.

Harry Bryan has played his bugle every yearto mark the anniversary, including at the funerals of those killed. He was on another ship at the time of the explosion. Buthehasbecome an honorarymember of the Kootenay survivors group, who gave him a trophy and a photo.

Friday's ceremony marked the first where he didn't play the bugle live. Instead, the audience heard a recording of Bryan playing his bugle.

"The lips are sort of, I guess, retired," he said.

He said he would continue attending the ceremony, even though he can't play anymore.

"It's a fantastic privilege to be here."

118 crew still alive

Allan "Dinger" Bell was on board during the explosion and remembers it vividly.There's no complete record of who was on board the day of the explosion, so Bell has spent several years trying to trackthe crew down.

He figures there were 243 or 244 people on board, 118 of whom are still alive. He said it's important that others continue to remember the explosion.

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Bryan has played a big role helping do that, something Bell acknowledged during the ceremony.

HMCS Kootenay

55 years ago

Duration 0:55

(silent undated footage) HMCS Kootenay explodes in the English Channel, killing nine members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

"He told me, he said as long as he was able to play the bugle, he would play the bugle. And unfortunately, we're facing our own immortality and the time has come that we can't do it no more."

Bell said the survivorswill continue to have Bryan play, through the recording.

"It was wonderful to have Harry do that."