CCGS John A. Macdonald
Encyclopedia
CCGS John A. Macdonald was a Canadian Coast Guard
heavy icebreaker
. She was named after The Right Honourable
, Sir John Alexander Macdonald
, GCB
, KCMG
, PC, PC (Cananda)
, the First Prime Minister of Canada
.
She was commissioned into the Canadian
Department of Transport's Marine Service in 1960 using the prefix "Canadian Government Ship" (CGS). She was transferred in 1962 into the newly created Canadian Coast Guard
(CCG) and served with distinction until being decommissioned in 1991, and replaced by the then-chartered (but later purchased) .
personnel as "The Queen of the Fleet", and is also considered by many veteran Canadian and U.S. coastguardsmen to be the finest Canadian icebreaker ever built.
The CCGS John A Macdonald was awarded the U.S. Coast Guard Unit Commendation
"for extremely meritorious service in the support of United States Coast Guard operations during the period of 23 September 1967 to 08 October 1967" , during the Arctic West Summer (AWS) 1967 cruise by Admiral (ADM) Willard J. Smith
, Commandant, United States Coast Guard.
In 1969 John A. Macdonald, Captain Paul A. Fournier CCG, Master, assisted the then-new CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent
, Captain Wilfred Dufour CCG, Master, in rescuing the , Captain Roger A. Steward, Master; during its transit of the Northwest Passage
.
During the rescue, the John A. Macdonald broke her starboard propeller in heavy ice; the propeller is on display by the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
. The Canadian government representative in SS Manhattan was Captain T.C. Pullen RCN (Ret'd). The John A. Macdonald was assisted by the U.S. icebreakers USCGC Northwind (WAGB-282) and the USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278)
.
In 1987 she underwent an eight month, $8-million (CAD) refit, only to be decommissioned four years later. She was transferred from the CCG to Crown Assets and was renamed 1201. She was sold for scrapping and towed from Halifax Harbour
, Nova Scotia
to India
in November of 1993 and was broken-up in the early months of 1994.
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
heavy icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
. She was named after The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...
, Sir John Alexander Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
, GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, PC, PC (Cananda)
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, the First Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
.
She was commissioned into the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Department of Transport's Marine Service in 1960 using the prefix "Canadian Government Ship" (CGS). She was transferred in 1962 into the newly created Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
(CCG) and served with distinction until being decommissioned in 1991, and replaced by the then-chartered (but later purchased) .
Ship's history
The John A. Macdonald was known to Canadian Coast GuardCanadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
personnel as "The Queen of the Fleet", and is also considered by many veteran Canadian and U.S. coastguardsmen to be the finest Canadian icebreaker ever built.
The CCGS John A Macdonald was awarded the U.S. Coast Guard Unit Commendation
Coast Guard Unit Commendation
The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that distinguishes itself by valorous or extremely...
"for extremely meritorious service in the support of United States Coast Guard operations during the period of 23 September 1967 to 08 October 1967" , during the Arctic West Summer (AWS) 1967 cruise by Admiral (ADM) Willard J. Smith
Willard J. Smith
Willard John Smith served as the thirteenth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1966 to 1970....
, Commandant, United States Coast Guard.
In 1969 John A. Macdonald, Captain Paul A. Fournier CCG, Master, assisted the then-new CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent
CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent
CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is a Canadian Coast Guard Heavy Arctic Icebreaker.Named after the twelfth Prime Minister of Canada, The Right Honourable Louis St. Laurent, PC CC QC LLD DCL LLL BA. The vessel is classed a "Heavy Arctic Icebreaker" and is the largest icebreaker and flagship of the CCG. It...
, Captain Wilfred Dufour CCG, Master, in rescuing the , Captain Roger A. Steward, Master; during its transit of the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
.
During the rescue, the John A. Macdonald broke her starboard propeller in heavy ice; the propeller is on display by the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
. The Canadian government representative in SS Manhattan was Captain T.C. Pullen RCN (Ret'd). The John A. Macdonald was assisted by the U.S. icebreakers USCGC Northwind (WAGB-282) and the USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278)
USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278)
USCGC Staten Island was a United States Coast Guard . Laid down on 9 June 1942 and launched on 28 December 1942, the ship was commissioned on 26 February 1944, and almost immediately afterward transferred to the Soviet Union, under the Lend Lease program, under the name Severny Veter, which...
.
In 1987 she underwent an eight month, $8-million (CAD) refit, only to be decommissioned four years later. She was transferred from the CCG to Crown Assets and was renamed 1201. She was sold for scrapping and towed from Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in November of 1993 and was broken-up in the early months of 1994.