DARTMOUTH, NS, July 7, 2022 /CNW/ - For 60 years, the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has played an essential role in ensuring the protection of Canada's marine environment through supporting ocean sciences on its vessels. For 59 of those years one vessel was at the forefront of all of Canada's oceanographic science work: the CCGS Hudson.
Today, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Mike Kelloway, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, joined the Canadian Coast Guard as they came together with past and present crew members, scientists, and staff to celebrate the CCGS Hudson's 59 years of service following its recent decommissioning.
The CCGS Hudson began its service in 1963 as a science vessel working out of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, in Dartmouth, NS. In 1996, the vessel became a part of the Coast Guard fleet - as part of the merger of the DFO science and enforcement vessels into CCG - and continued in its exceptional service. The decommissioning of the CCGS Hudson was announced in January 2022.
It was the first vessel specifically designed to carry out science at sea in Canada, and has been instrumental in decades of ground-breaking and essential research that contributed to ocean policy and regulatory decision making, sustainable economic activity in the ocean, and an overall better understanding of oceans and their ecosystems.
Canadian and international marine scientists have had the opportunity to benefit from the research conducted on-board, and many had the fortune of conducting science at sea on CCGS Hudson's decks and in its dedicated on-board labs.
While the CCGS Hudson's time has passed, the essential work this ship conducted will continue. The Canadian Coast Guard is working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to move the CCGS Hudson's science program to other vessels, to leverage new technologies where available to supplement at sea work, as well as working to charter private science vessels.
It is with a heavy heart that the Canadian Coast Guard and Canada's wider marine sciences community says a final goodbye to this illustrious vessel after 59 years of service. At the same time, in the spirit of the Canadian Coast Guard's 60th anniversary we are turning our eyes towards navigating the waters of the future. Work on the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel that will replace the CCGS Hudson is underway and is expected to be complete in 2025.
"Today we celebrate the CCGS Hudson and the service it provided to Canadians for 59 years. The vessel was a true trailblazer, the first of its kind in Canada. Looking back at its history, the Hudson's list of "scientific firsts" is unparalleled. That legacy serves as an inspiration for the crews of future vessels, as they set out to conduct the critical oceans research we are going to rely on as we seek to learn more about – and better protect – Canada's oceans. Thank you to all past and present CCGS Hudson personnel for your efforts over the past 59 years. What a legacy!"
The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
"When we quickly glance over the storied history of CCGS Hudson, from surveying oceans, taking part in Expo '67, circumnavigating the Americas, assisting in major North Atlantic disaster recoveries and helping us better understand the oceans for humankind I can't help but be impressed. I would like to thank all the past and present CCGS Hudson's personnel for your efforts over the past 59 years. What a great legacy!"
Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
"As Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard I find myself amazed at the historical achievements of the vessel but more so of the tremendous work done by each crew to have sailed it. For almost 60 years, dedicated crews of sailor-scientists conducted research that to this day is an important resource in understanding how our oceans are changing and their impact on our daily lives. Bravo-Zulu to every person who's sailed aboard the Hudson and contributed to its discoveries."
Mario Pelletier, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard
- The CCGS Hudson was built for the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, what is now Natural Resources Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Oceanographic Service, and was launched in March 1963 in Saint John, N.B.. The vessel was named after explorer Henry Hudson. In 1996, CCGS Hudson joined the Canadian Coast Guard's fleet.
- The vessel, built in Saint John, NB, by Irving's Saint John Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, is 90.4 metres long, has a maximum speed of 17 knots, and is constructed out of ice hardened steel.
- The CCGS Hudson was the first vessel to circumnavigate both North America and South America, a voyage known as the "Hudson 70 expedition." This expedition took almost a full year, beginning in November 1969 and ending in October of 1970. The vessel departed Nova Scotia, travelled south to Antarctic waters, around the southern tip of South America, north through the mid-Pacific and back to Nova Scotia through the Northwest Passage.
- More than just a science ship, the Hudson was a first responder before she ever joined the Canadian Coast Guard fleet:
o In March 1976, CCGS Hudson rescued the entire crew of the fishery patrol vessel Cape Freels, which caught fire and was abandoned on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.
o In April 1987 the Hudson saved all 24 crew members of MV Skipper 1 in the North Atlantic.
- Just this past year the CCGS Hudson answered the call, when a rogue wave crashed into the small fishing vessel, the FV Fishin' Fionnatic off the coast of Louisburg, NS. The CCGS Hudson and its crew sailed into high winds and heavy seas to reach the damaged vessel, then escorted it and its six crew, to safety in Canso, NS.
Backgrounder - Hudson's History
- National Shipbuilding Strategy
- The Canadian Coast Guard at 60
- Start your career with the Canadian Coast Guard
SOURCE Canadian Coast Guard
Claire Teichman, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 604-679-5462, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maritimes Region, 902-407-8439, [email protected]
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