Canadian Coast Guard names light icebreaker – the CCGS Judy LaMarsh
PRESCOTT, ON – Ensuring that Canadian Coast Guard personnel have the equipment they need to keep Canada’s waterways navigable is a key priority for the Canadian Coast Guard. The Canadian Coast Guard recently purchased a light icebreaker that will supplement its operations in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, and Atlantic regions.
Today, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Government House Leader and Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, Mark Gerretsen, officially announced that the Canadian Coast Guard’s newest light icebreaker has been named the CCGS Judy LaMarsh.
Parliamentary Secretary Gerretsen, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, was joined by Fernando Mojica, Senior Director of the Fleet, Central Region of the Canadian Coast Guard in the name unveiling ceremony at the Canadian Coast Guard Base in Prescott, Ontario.
The Honourable Judy LaMarsh was one of the first women to serve as a federal Cabinet Minister, as Minister of National Health and Welfare and Minister of Amateur Sport (1963-1965). She was instrumental in the development of innovative federal programs, including Medicare and the Canada Pension Plan. While serving as Canada’s Secretary of State (1965-1968), the Honourable Judy LaMarsh helped to establish the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada. In recognition of her many years of service, the Honourable Judy LaMarsh was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1980.
Following a competitive process, the Canadian Coast Guard announced the purchase of a light icebreaker from Atlantic Towing Limited in November 2021. This vessel — now named the CCGS Judy LaMarsh — is currently undergoing design and conversion work at the Canadian Coast Guard’s Prescott Base. The vessel will be ready to serve Canadians as early as the 2022-2023 icebreaking season, allowing other vessels to undergo important maintenance and life extension work as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Upon joining the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet, the CCGS Judy LaMarsh will perform icebreaking duties as well as tend to the navigational buoys in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, and Atlantic regions. In addition, the vessel will be available for search and rescue and other emergency response operations when needed.
News Wire CA
‘Dowbound Discussions’ podcast will focus on seaway system and Great Lakes
A new podcast focusing on shipping along the St. Lawrence Seaway system launches Monday.
Also known as The Ship Watcher, Clayton, N.Y.-based Michael Folsom said the “Downbound Discussions” podcast features a unique and insightful perspective on the many aspects of the seaway system and lower Great Lakes, the region’s countless assets and events, as well as the people in and around the shipping industry.
“The idea is to bring ship enthusiasts another step closer to the mesmerizing vessels so often seen along the St. Lawrence, while also highlighting what the seaway has to offer — from beautiful landscapes to exciting community events and, most importantly, making connections with the people that play a role in it all so that it can be a little more real than just a name or photo on social media,” said Folsom in a release.
He said he wants to provide listeners with behind-the-scene looks they may not get otherwise.
Episode 1, set to be released on Oct., 3 will feature Port of Oswego executive director Bill Scriber and shipmate-turned-cookbook author Catherine Schmuck.
The port is on the eastern end of the American side of Lake Ontario. Folsom said Scriber, a military veteran, took the helm of the facility in December 2017.
“In addition, he has been integral in securing funding for new projects at the port, including grain storage, windmill off-loading and aluminum ingots for nearby Novelis,” the release said.
Schmuck is known for archiving her journeys aboard ships on Facebook — facebook.com/ShipToShoreChef — while serving as a relief cook. She has sold 4,000 copies of her cookbook “Ship to Shore Chef.”
Episode 2 of the podcast brings things closer to the Niagara region with a discussion on the Welland Canal collision involving McKeil Marine’s Florence Spirit and dship Carriers’ M/V Alanis July 11, 2020. Taking about the incident is an investigator from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and Roger LeLievre, editor of the ship-watching guide “Know Your Ships.”
Episode 3 will be dedicated to the former Wolfe Island ferry, which operated between Kingston and Wolfe Island, and Canadian Empress cruise ship captain Brian Johnson, who has written several real-life experience stories over the years published online and in print.
Folsom expects to release two podcasts a month.
Information on the podcast can be found on “Downbound Discussions” Facebook page — facebook.com/groups/345824224336499 and St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers Facebook page — facebook.com/groups/49428348655.
It’s available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible and Amazon Music.
Welland Tribune
