THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s ties to the Canadian Coast Guard are long and deep rooted.
The Alexander Henry, built at the Port Arthur Shipyard and launched in 1959, served the Canadian Coast Guard from its founding in 1962 through 1985, when it was taken out of active service with the arrival of the Samuel L. Risley.
On Monday the city’s history with the Coast Guard was celebrated aboard the Alexander Henry, saluting the service’s 60 years in operation.
Maureen Kelly, the deputy marine superintendent for the Great Lakes sector for the Central region of the Canadian Coast Guard, said Thunder Bay was a fitting spot to celebrate the first in-person event for the 60th anniversary.
“Thunder Bay is one of those centre parts for us, when it comes to the transportation of goods,” Kelly said. “We love to be able to support them and be able to come up here and do the work that we need to do.
“As much as it’s providing that gateway to the west, to be able to get goods transported through here, we’re pleased to be able to give that added level of support to get the ice broken and get the season started and closed up too.”
Kelly said it’s also a chance to recognize communities like Thunder Bay that make up all of the different assets the Coast Guard owns, past and present.
“It’s wonderful to come up here and we’re thrilled (the Alexander Henry) was able to return to Thunder Bay, to its roots, to be able to showcase the work of the Canadian Coast Guard,” she said.
The Port of Thunder Bay’s Chris Heikkinen said the Coast Guard plays a vital role in the transportation of millions of tonnes of cargo every shipping season.
“Thunder Bay is a 3,700-kilometre trip from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Atlantic Ocean and the Coast Guard plays a role along the entire seaway system. They do a number of activities and roles. They are responsible for aids to navigation, they assist with seaway depth charting and a long extensive list of activities,” Heikkinen said.
“Arguably, to me, the most fascinating part of their role here in the Port of Thunder Bay is the icebreaking. The Coast Guard has a very unique partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure the viability of ice breaking assets in ports along the Great Lakes, both in December and January at the end of the shipping season and also to begin the shipping season in early spring.”
Looking forward, Kelly said the Coast Guard has made moves to bring aboard new ships on a temporary basis in order to allow for the Samuel Risley and Griffon to undergo extensive retrofits.
