CCGS Alexander Henry
 CCGS Alexander Henry in retirement as a museum ship in Kingston.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Alexander Henry |
| Namesake | Alexander Henry |
| Operator | |
| Builder | Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Port Arthur |
| Launched | 18 July 1958 |
| In service | July 1959 |
| Out of service | 1984 |
| Fate | Museum ship since 1986 at Kingston, Ontario |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Light icebreaker and supply and buoy tender |
| Tonnage | 1,674 GRT |
| Displacement | 2,497 long tons (2,537 t) |
| Length | |
| Beam | 13.3 m (43 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 4.9 m (16.08 ft) |
| Installed power | 3,550 bhp (2,650 kW) |
| Propulsion | 2 × Fairbanks-Morse 10-cylinder 2-cycle diesel model 37F16 |
| Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h) |
CCGS Alexander Henry is a former Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker and buoy tender that served on the Great Lakes from 1959 to 1984. In 1986, the vessel was handed over to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario for preservation as a museum ship. Previously, during the summer months the vessel was also operated as a bed and breakfast.
Design and description
Alexander Henry is a light icebreaker and buoy tender that was designed to serve on the Great Lakes in North America.[1] The vessel displaces 2,497 long tons (2,537 t) and is 1,674 GRT GRT uses unsupported parameter (help). The ship is 64.0 metres (210 ft 0 in) long overall and 58.6 metres (192 ft 3 in) long between perpendiculars with a beam of 13.3 metres (43 ft 8 in) and a draught of 4.9 metres (16 ft 1 in). The ship is powered by two Fairbanks-Morse 10-cylinder 2-cycle 37F16 diesel engines driving two shafts creating 3,550 brake horsepower (2,650 kW). This gives the ship a maximum speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).[2][3] No helicopter facilities were added to the ship as they were considered unnecessary for freshwater operations.[4]
Operational history
The vessel was constructed by Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. at their yard in Port Arthur, Ontario and launched on 18 July 1958. The icebreaker entered service in July 1959 with the Department of Transport's Marine Service as CGS Alexander Henry using the prefix "Canadian Government Ship". Named after Alexander Henry the elder, an 18th-century British explorer and fur trader, she was transferred in 1962 to the newly created Canadian Coast Guard and given the new prefix Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS).[5]
CCGS Alexander Henry served her entire coast guard career on the Great Lakes, stationed on Lake Superior. In 1976, the vessel was used for an experiment testing the icebreaking capability of a hover platform pushed in front of the ship. Attached to the ship's bow, the hover platform worked well in certain conditions, but required lots of fuel and made excess noise. The hover platform also became an impediment to the ship should the platform breakdown. The planned deployment to cargo ships was never approved and though the experiment failed, self-propelled hovercraft are now utilised for icebreaking.[6][7] Alexander Henry retired from service in 1984 after CCGS Samuel Risley entered service.[8]
As a museum ship
In 1986, Alexander Henry was turned over the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario to become a museum ship.[6] The vessel was used as floating maritime gallery and seasonal bed and breakfast by the museum.[9]
Alexander Henry entered Kingston's drydocks in 2010 to undergo inspection for conservation issues.[9] Following the sale of the property in early 2016 that the Marine Museum was housed in, the museum was forced to find a new location for Alexander Henry. The ship was temporarily housed by a local entrepreneur until the former Coast Guard vessel's fate can be determined.[8] The icebreaker was moved to a wharf near Prinyer's Cove in Prince Edward County, Ontario.[10] The city of Kingston was given three options to deal with the ship; offer to sell Alexander Henry to Thunder Bay, where the vessel was constructed, for $50,000. This was the cheapest alternative in disposing of the ship, as converting it to an artificial reef would cost over $422,000 and to scrap the vessel, $326,000.[11]
References
Citations
- ^ Maginley, p. 53
- ^ Moore, p. 87
- ^ "Alexander Henry (5010062)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ Maginley, p. 79
- ^ Maginley, p. 13
- ^ a b Maginley and Collin, p. 172
- ^ Maginley, pp. 117, 119
- ^ a b Prokopchuck, Matt (15 July 2016). "An uncertain future for coast guard icebreaker built in Thunder Bay". CBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Alexander Henry goes into dry dock". Kingston This Week. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Marine Museum 'down but not out'". Kingston Whig-Standard. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ Schliesman, Paul (2 December 2016). "Alexander Henry may be on its way home - to Thunder Bay". Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
Sources
- Maginley, Charles D.; Collin, Bernard (2001). The Ships of Canada's Marine Services. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-55125-070-5.
- Maginley, Charles D. (2003). The Canadian Coast Guard 1962-2002. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-55125-075-6.
- Moore, John, ed. (1981). Jane's Fighting Ships, 1981-1982. New York: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-531-03977-3.
External links
