Ice, he believed, would become the new strategic material that could win the war for the Allies.
Parts of the plan were not that far-fetched. Ice could float, icebergs were difficult to destroy — as demolition teams tasked with blowing them up after the sinking of the Titanic had proved — and ice was easier to replace than precious steel.
Moreover, Pyke and his team eventually created pykrete — a material made of ice and wood pulp that was at least as strong as concrete and largely resistant to warm temperatures. The development meant that the carrier could be built from the ground up and not made out of an iceberg.
Pyke described the idea to Lord Mountbatten, the head of Combined Operations, who passed it along to Churchill. The prime minister seemed taken with it and ordered the concept to be studied.
Pyke named the effort Project Habakkuk, a misspelling of the name of a prophet from the Old Testament who wrote “behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.”
A 60-foot, 1,000-ton test ship was constructed in Patricia Lake in Alberta, Canada, in 1943. It had a cooling system to keep the ice frozen and showed that the idea was possible — at least in theory.
The Largest Warship Ever Built
If actually built, Habakkuk would have been the largest warship ever constructed, as big as two modern Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carriers combined.
It would have been 2,000 feet long and 200 feet wide and displaced over 2 million tons, more than any ship in history. Its hull would have been 40 feet thick and its rudder over 100 feet long.
It also would have needed a massive amount of materials to build: 300,000 tons of wood pulp, 25,000 tons of fireboard insulation, 35,000 tons of timber, and at least 10,000 tons of steel.
Twenty-six electric motors along both sides of the carrier would’ve given it a top speed of seven knots and a range of 7,000 miles. Its armament was to include 80 4.5-inch dual-purpose guns in twin turrets and dozens of anti-aircraft guns.
Most impressive of all, its air wing would have numbered over 200 aircraft, including fighters and heavy bombers.
Habakkuk would have had entire workshops and repair facilities to maintain its air wing. A massive internal cooling system would have ensured that the ice wouldn’t melt, and extra wood pulp stored on board meant additional pykrete could have been created to repair any damage.
Plug Pulled
But an HMS Habakkuk wasn’t meant to be.
While the prototype did prove that the concept was possible, the sheer size and scale meant that it would be extremely difficult to build, requiring far too many resources that were better used elsewhere.
Additionally, the state of the war had changed by the time Habakkuk would have been ready to set sail.
Both Iceland and the Azores could be used as bases for newer long-range patrol aircraft, the Americans were building a massive amount of escort carriers, and the convoy system was producing results.
Advances in anti-submarine warfare weaponry and tactics were also turning the tide. By 1945, the Allies had sunk 783 U-boats, killing about 28,000 submariners.
Project Habakkuk’s costs were also ballooning. By the end of 1943, it was clear that the project was just too large and impractical, and it was canceled.
All that remains is the wreck of the prototype at the bottom of Patricia Lake, with an underwater plaque commemorating the project.
This article was written by Benjamin Brimelow and originally published on the Insider.
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