Patricia Lake is notable for its involvement during World War II with Project Habbakuk, a plan to build an unsinkable aircraft carrier from an ice-based composite material termed "Pykrete".

There were also Mennonite and Doukhobor communities nearby, religious conscientious objectors, who could provide the labour needed.

[1] Pykrete construction material for the full-sized ship was to be a composite of ice and sawdust, maintained by refrigeration.

A diving expedition to the site in 1985[1] found the remains of the model on a steep slope just off-shore at a depth between 26 and 43 metres (85 and 141 ft).

Although the refrigeration equipment was removed before sinking, the wooden walls of the hull, an "incredible jumble"[1] of cold air ductwork and also a great quantity of the bitumen used as part of the insulation remained at the site.