Medium Icebreaker PIERRE RADISSON

The upbound CCGS PIERRE RADISSON rounding Toussaint Island at 9:00 am - March 25, 2018.

I see her tall stack coming, it's coming around the bend, I ain't snapped the PIERRE RADISSON since, I don't know when, I'm.....Wait! Wait! STOP the Music and Sorry Mr. Cash because I've actually NEVER snapped the Medium Gulf/River-type Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker PIERRE RADISSON, but Lord knows I've tried. Four years ago when she was needed in the Great Lakes, the day job 🚍 got in the way and when she got the call to return to the inland seas the following year, I missed her passage too thanks to a MarineTraffic glitch 👉👇👆👉 which is fairly common in this area. True, I did get some great snaps of the light icebreaker CCGS MARTHA L. BLACK smashing through the ice near Upper Canada Village (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2015/03/light-icebreaker-ccgs-martha-l-black.html), and then pushing a huge wake near Mariatown but it was the RADISSON that I wanted and so any posts that I did back then or made mention of the mighty icebreaker that was really built to work in the Arctic Ocean, I had to use someone else's pics, and though they were greats pics and thanks very much again for letting me use them Ron Beaupre and Nathan Attard, but they weren't mine. It's just not the same. You know what I mean, eh?    

The PIERRE RADISSON was built in 1978 at Burrard Dry Dock

in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

No, you probably don't and I can't say I blame you but, some of us do get it, and when I saw that first photo and comment from Joanne Crack who administers  Facebook ship-watching group, "The Prescott ⚓ Anchor" on  Saturday, March 24th at about 08:00 hours saying that CCGS PIERRE RADISSON which had earlier been reported to be entering the Seaway once it opened to assist shipping on Lake Superior, was actually breaking ice on the South Shore Channel near Cote Ste. Catherine, I thought to myself, "Hmm, I wonder if she's going to try to make her way to the Great Lakes today". At 10:41 Joanne added that she was approaching Kahnawake which meant she had cleared Cote Ste. Catherine Lock and was advancing in a westerly direction. (Oh YAAA 👍🚢👍)

At 10:58 I posted this pic of a MarineTraffic map showing that the RADISSON was now motoring on Lake St. Louis which simply could have meant she'd be conducting ice operations in the area, so I added the comment to Joanne's post, "that I will have to keep an eye on her movement this weekend.....because she may scoot her way up the Welland Canal before the official opening too". Soon after James Chapman joined in the conversation saying  he was. "... going to be watching for her passing through the American Locks" which is where he has taken many great snaps of ships along the Wiley-Dondero Canal between Snell and Eisenhower (or Ike, for short) Locks.

Well, the only ice operations the PIERRE RADISSON had conducted on Lake St. Louis that day was to cut a clear path for her all the way for  to the Lower Beauharnois Lock at the other end of the lake as you can see in this MarineTraffic pic that I added to the post at about 12:06. A little later Helen Mott, who's taken many beautiful wildlife and ship passage photos between Prescott and Iroquois Lock where I met her for the first time last spring, joined in saying,  "Joanne, Carl, keep me posted OK. I'm twelve minutes from Iroquois...would love to see her again and get my "pic-fix" (AGAIN 😳, I haven't even seen her once yet😔 ).

While keeping my eye or actual both of them 👀 on the MarineTraffic map which by the way gets updated every 30 seconds, I saw that the destination unknown  RADISSON had actually passed through both locks was still underway on the Beauharnois Canal which runs between the Beauharnois Locks to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and posted a comment to Brenda Benoit who administers the ship-watching group, "The 🇨🇦Summerstown Seaway Lookout 🇨🇦", to be on the look out or as Marty Milner on ADAM-12 would call it, a "BOLO" that the CCGS PIERRE RADISSON was coming her way. Soon after James Chapman gets into the conversation again and mentioned that she is passed the Algoma self unloader ALGOLAKE which was laid up for winter at Port of Valleyfied.
On into Lake St. Francis the big icebreaker continued passing Saint-Zotique and Rivière-Beaudette which is very close to the Ontario/Quebec provincial line along the north shore of the St. Lawrence. At 3:54 I responded to Helen Mott's earlier comment mentioning that the PIERRE RADISSON was approaching Lancaster and that because of the hour I doubted that she'd motor beyond Eisenhower Lock, if that because I felt it might be too dangerous to manoeuvre at night without lighted navigation aids (like what do I know?). Regardless, Helen replied, "Thanks Carl, I'll keep watching to see if she stops at Snell or Ike. Shiver me timbers - shipping season is about to get exciting!" (Yes, you got that right Helen 👍📷🚢📹👍)

Just after 5:00 Joanne at The ⚓Anchor mentioned to Helen that the RADISSON was just above Hamilton Island and was thinking she might go to Cornwall for night (quite possible because we didn't really where she was going that day). Then at about 6:20 Joanne added that she was locking at Snell and that she hoped that she anchored at Wilson Hill for the night breaks otherwise the RADISSON wouldn't be at Iroquois until late at night or early morning. (YUCK 😁) At about 7:00 our man on the American side of the Seaway, James Chapman, mentioned that he got a few photos of her below Ike (🆒, I said) and about a half hour later he mentioned, "they are going to tie up to the upper wall at IKE for the night", and later said, "estimated  departure at 06h15". That was great news because now we'd all get a chance to snap her in the morning, (OH YAAA!! 👍📷👍)

CCGS PIERRE RADISSON is the first of three medium/river-type icebreakers to be built and designed for Coast Guard operations in the Arctic Ocean.  

Her gross weight tonnage is 5,910 tonnes which is almost three times 

heavier than the light icebreaker and more familiar to the Great Lakes,

CCGS GRIFFON which is based at Prescott, Ontario.

I'm not 100% sure when CCGS PIERRE RADISSON actually left the upper wall at Eisenhower Lock but when my alarm went off 6:30 am, she was just underway on Lake St. Lawrence, which is a long section of the former St. Lawrence River that became a lake between Iroquois and Eisenhower Locks when the area was flooded along with many original river communities and for former canals during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway that was completed in 1959.

Propelled by two fixed-pitch propellers and a bow thruster, the RADISSON's powerful diesel-electric propulsion system can power her through 1 meter (3.3 feet) thick ice at a speed of 6 knots.

The maximum speed for the PIERRE RADISSON is 16 knots or 30 km/hr.

I had a lot choices along the river to snap the RADISSON for the first time but my grandson would be coming over by mid morning so it was time to get up and go. Just before jumping on he 401 highway, I pulled off the road and saw that 322' icebreaker was stopped in Iroquois Lock. Since I want to get home early to see my grands, Cardinal was my best vantage point to see her in action, and lots of action snaps I got as you can see from my first shot as she rounded Toussaint Island at 9:00 am until she started to disappear around the Ingredion Canada corn starch plant about 20 minutes later.

While undergoing sea trials, CCGS PIERRE RADISSON transited the Northwest Passage while en route to her home port of Quebec City. Also during the transit, the RADISSON assisted CCGS CAMSELL which had been severely damaged by ice in the western Arctic.

With a ranger of 15,000 nautical miles, PIERRE RADISSON can stay

at sea for up to 120 days.

Continuing her journey up the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario the RADISSON arrived at Toronto on Monday morning, March 26 where she would be getting a crew change, and whether her captain or crew knew it, the impressive vessel with her a big red maple 🍁 leaf proudly being displayed on her tall white funnel, continued to be the focus of attention for many more ship-watchers like me, Joanne, Helen, James and Brenda, all with cameras and iPhones raised as the CCGS PIERRE RADISSON motored by Johnstown, Prescott, Brockville, the beautiful mansions and castles that adorn the Thousand Islands, and the tall swirling wind turbines on Wolfe Island (which has a very nice ferry 🚢, did you know? Sorry, her story is to coming soon).

PIERRE RADISSON spends her summer months escorting commercial vessels bringing up supplies to communities along Canada's Arctic coastline as well as maintaining navigation aids, supporting scientific missions and be available for possible search and rescue missions....  

...while in the winter, she along with other CCGS icebreakers like her sister DES GROSEILLIERS, and the HENRY LARSEN and TERRY FOX will perform icebreaking operations and commercial vessel escort through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Sagueney and St. Lawrence Rivers. If needed PIERRE RADISSON may be called upon entered the Great Lakes and as in the case this spring, she's clearing ice covered passages and assisting stuck vessels on Lake Superior.

With ship's complement of 11 officers and a crew of 20, the PIERRE RADISSON also has a flight deck and hanger to carry a Bell 429 helicopter which is used in the gathering and analysis of ice reconnaissance data that provide timely and accurate ice information for the shipping industry as well identify for the vessel's captain better ice routing nearby or up to 100 miles away.  

Named for the 17th century French fur trader, Pierre-Esprit Radisson who

helped to form The Hudson's Bay Company, and was known to explore the  

Lake Superior shoreline where the icebreaker RADISSON is currently working. 

With a new crew and ample supplies and provisions stowed on board to complete her next mission, the big ice breaker had places to be and work to done and got underway, leaving Toronto on March 29th. Her passage through the Welland Canal was completed the next day, and with both Bridge 21 and fleetmate CCGS GRIFFON tied off along West Street in Port Colborne behind her, the PIERRE RADISSON touched up her speed and didn't stop again until she was tied off for raising to Superior's lake level at Poe Lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on April 1st. That's over 600 miles in less than two day, and whether her captain or crew knew it, the impressive vessel with her a big red maple 🍁leaf proudly being displayed on her tall white funnel (yup, here it comes), continued to be the focus of attention for many more ship-watchers all with cameras and iPhones raised as the CCGS PIERRE RADISSON now motored by Windsor, Detroit, Algonac, Sarnia, Port Huron and Mission Point at the Soo.

No, she wasn't fooling around then or even hours after locking through the Soo on the first of April, as she quickly began cutting a track for the upbound self unloaders JOHN J. BOLAND, AMERICAN CENTURY and MICHIPICOTEN through the ice fields on Whitefish Bay as you can see in this MarineTraffic map pic. It's what she does and will continue to do until the real spring arrives with her warm seasonal temps and the odd bouts rain instead of snow squalls like we all experiencing now. And when that day comes, ship-watchers from Pier Drive in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan thru to the walkway on the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in Montreal, will be there watching and snapping the PIERRE RADISSON's every move. Are we a tad obsessed? Well maybe but none of our local NHL hockey teams will win the Stanley Cup this year so we may as well be out snapping you, CCGS PIERRE RADISSON.  Just like I  finally did at Cardinal and...

...Brenda Benoit of the 🇨🇦 Summerstown Seaway Lookout 🇨🇦https://www.facebook.com/groups/summerstownseawaylookout/

did from her boat dock across from this cute little cottage on Clark Island, and....

.... James Chapman did along the Wiley-Dondero Canal ....

...and Helen Mott did at Iroquois Lock....

....And Joanne Crack of The Prescott ⚓ Anchor
 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprescottanchor/) 

did from her balcony in Prescott. 

Joanne also got her fairly new Bell 429 helicopter that had lifted off the icebreaker's flight deck near the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge. 🆒
Great pics 👍📷👍 everyone and if anyone else would like share a pic of this impressive vessel with her a big red maple 🍁 leaf proudly being displayed on her tall white funnel during her current mission or return home, then please send them my way and I'll add them to the mix for the brave men and women of the RADISSON and other fine CCGS vessels to view when they've run out of other more interesting reading material, or sooner. And for everyone on board your impressive vessel with a big red maple 🍁leaf proudly being displayed on her tall white funnel, be sure to SMILE 😄 because you could be on a Ship-watchers Camera too 📷📹 EH!! 😳😬😜

Here's a couple of nice pics by Tyson Breckenridge who snapped the CCGS PIERRE RADISSON taking on fuel and provisions at the Essar Steel Algoma Inc's dock in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario this morning. See more of Tyson photos at the ship-watching group, "Fans of Great Lakes Ships"( https://www.facebook.com/groups/141291056286532/) Thanks again, Tyson 👍🚢👍

Here's a couple interesting shots taken by Allard Teeple Sr. at Bay Mills near the mouth of the St. Mary's River on Lake Superior of CCGS PIERRE RADISSON in action. In the top pic she's assisting the upbound Canada Steamship Lines self unloader FRONTENAC on April 4th. Just days earlier, it was CCGS GRIFFON that was assisting to break her free of the iced over Midland Harbour and Georgian Bay for her to start her journey to the upper lake.. In Allard's snaps below taken on April 5th, American Steamship Company's self unloader JOHN J. BOLAND is continuing on her own towards the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, while CCGS PIERRE RADISSON motors out to Whitefish Bay to free 7 vessels stuck in the ice fields there. Thanks for sharing these Allard and, Take Care my Friend!!  👍🚢👍

Self Unloader JOHN B. AIRD (Final Voyage)

Joanne Crack had it right. If you don't know Joanne, she manages the Facebook boat watching group, The Prescott ⚓️ Anchor and everyday it seems Joanne gets up way before the sun 🌄 rises and inputs a complete list of vessels that will pass by Prescott that day in the group's "pinned 📌post" feature along with the boat's destination, country of origin, cargo (when it's known) and ETA at Prescott.

What a wonderful resource Joanne is for local and especially out-of-town boat watchers like myself to be able to plan the arrival to the river to capture their prize photo op subjects each and every day instead of by hit and miss as it was for me not that many years ago.
April 3, 2017 was a pleasant day in Ottawa and I was working an early straight which is transit 🚍 bus operator jargon for an 8 hour run that usually starts and ends early. However on that day I wasn't going to be done until after 15:00 and with the time it was going to take me to get home to pick my camera, and then do the 1 hour drive down to the St. Lawrence, it was going to be real tight for me to snap the final voyage of the Algoma self unloader JOHN B. AIRD in transit to which according The Anchor's pin point, was due to arrive at Ogdensburg at about 17:00. 😬 YIKES!!  Regardless it is what it is but before leaving Kanata, I checked the Prescott Anchor again and saw a comment that Joanne had posted suggesting the AIRD's arrival maybe delayed because she'd be checking down ⏳ her speed in preparation of her slower approach to the Port of Ogdensburg dock which would require a hard to starboard 👉turn. Budda-bing, Buddha-bang 💥 Joanne Crack was right on the mark  because when I got to Windmill Point at 17:18 there was the JOHN B. AIRD slowing approaching from the west and to her stern was the virtually brand new CSL ST-LAURENT making good time on her downbound passage to Sorel, Quebec. Being unable to venture down to the river as often or even sit in front of my computer due to an ongoing lower back issue, it was certainly nice to snap two birds with one stone even though the photo quality wasn't exactly the best due to the dull overcast skies. Regardless, thanks for the heads up Joanne 👍🏻⚓️👍🏻.

Last of the Canada Steamships Lines Trillium-class newbuilds, CSL ST-LAURENT sporting a beautiful abstract mural to commemorate Canada's 150th and Montreal's 375th Birthday!! Nice 👍🎨👍

Once the 740' modern day straight-decker CSL ST-LAURENT completed her downbound overtake, the JOHN B. AIRD continued to cautionly make her way towards the Upstate New York port with her valuable cargo of road salt. 

You can't be too careful. Though the St. Lawrence appears to be so wide from Brockville on down to the International Bridge, there are many shoals and shallow  sections along the way. 

As the AIRD continued to make slow turn approach I couldn't help but recall that the only other time I saw a vessel make her way to the Ogdensburg dock, it had been upbound and a tug was there to assist. No tug present on that day last April, just pure skill from her master and experienced crew.

A steady wake is churned up from time to time to keep her forward movement under control. You don't want the river's strong current to be too overpowering especially while swinging your stern over in line with the dock wall.   

A Border Patrol launch sped past her stern and then drifted by a harbour marker buoy to check her out and make me not the only one who came to see the still fairly young AIRD make her last downbound passage to Montreal.

Hauling road salt was a common trade during her last year of work. While most of her Algoma Central fleetmates were laid up for winter throughout the Great Lakes, the JOHN B. AIRD continued delivering the ice dissolving product to American ports until she finally commenced her belated winter layup and well deserved rest for her crew on February 18th at the port where she so often loaded her cargoes, Goderich, Ontario. 

Winter lay up above Lock 8 in Port Colborne - February 10, 2013

Whether wintering or passing through Port Colborne, or motoring up and down the St. Lawrence River, I've snapped this beautiful blue lady many times over the years.  Named after the former Chairman of the Board of Algoma Central Railway and the then Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the JOHN B. AIRD, began service in 1983 after her 120' unique bulbous bow section  which was built at Port Arthur Shipyards, was attached the 610' stern section that had earlier been built at Collingwood Shipyard on Georgian Bay and then towed to Thunder Bay.

Hard aground near Morrisburg - September 14, 2014

Underway near Prescott with the Ogdensburg wharf visible off her starboard bow - June 21, 2015

Upbound passing beneath the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge - May 20, 2016

Downbound passing beneath Bridge 21 in Port Colborne - July 1, 2016

Slowly entering the Welland Canal's Lock 8 in Port Colborne - July 1, 2016 

Leaving Lock 8 and approach the north end "jack-knife" Bridge, #19 - Port Colborne July 1, 2016

My last snap of the JOHN B. AIRD at Windmill Point near Prescott - April 3, 2017

Photo by René Beauchamp

Photo by René Beauchamp

After discharging most the salt at Ogdensburg, the JOHN B. AIRD motored across the river to Johnstown on the Canadian and in the wee-hours of April 4th, the   remainder of her last cargo was unload.

My good friend René Beauchamp was along the shores of the St. Lawrence River near Montreal on May 11, 2017 to capture the beginning of the then JOHN B.'s long journey at the end of a towline to Aliaga, Turkey for dismantling. As you can see in his photos, all company markings that the JOHN B. AIRD had so proudly displayed on her hull for over 33 years including the big black bear on her stack, a symbol and native to Northern Ontario's beautiful and natural Algoma region, had all been painted over. It's actually a common practice for overseas scrap-tows, however whether it was planned or done so by mistake, a bit of her dignity remained until her end as just below her accommodations section you can see her name, JOHN B. AIRD and homeport "SAULT STE. MARIE" still there. Great capture René 👍🏻📷👍🏻and what a great way to go for this hard working lady.

Photo by René Beauchamp       

      

Mid Shore Patrol Vessel CCGS PRIVATE ROBERTSON V.C.

While a mass of nasty looking clouds rolled in off of Lake Erie, the 140’ Canadian Coast Guard mid shore patrol vessel PRIVATE ROBERTSON V.C. sat like a sentinel at the foot of Sugarloaf Street in Port Colborne on November 19, 2015. First in her class, the PRIVATE ROBERTSON V.C. is named after Private James Peter Robertson who while serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the the First World War, was given the Victoria Cross (V.C.), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Born in Albion Mines (now named Stellarton), Nova Scotia, the 34 year old private with the 27th (City of Winnipeg) Infantry Battalion, earned his Victoria Cross during the final assault on Passchendaele, Belgium just over 100 years ago on November 6th, 2017. According to Private Robertson's Victoria Cross biography:                    

• "His platoon was held up by barbed wire and a German machine gun. He was able to dash  round to an opening on the flank of the enemy position and rush the gun. After a desperate   struggle, Robertson killed four of the crew, then turned the enemy gun on the remainder. This  enabled his platoon to continue towards its objective, with Robertson still firing the captured gun at the enemy as it retreated. Later when two of his own snipers were wounded in front of their trench, he went out and carried one of them in under severe fire, but when he returned with the second man, he was killed by a bursting shell."   

Built from 2011-13, at Irving Shipyards in  Halifax, Nova Scotia, each of the nine mid shore vessels are named after fallen Royal  Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries & Oceans and Canadian Forces personnel who are credited with performing exceptional or heroic acts during their service. The others Heroes and their namesakes backgrounds are:    

CCGS CAPORAL KAEBLE V.C. named after Corporal Joseph Kaeble who died near Arras, France on June 9, 1918 while single-handedly repelling a strong attack with his Lewis gun. 

CCGS CORPORAL TEATHER C.V., is named after Corporal Robert Gordon Teather, an RCMP diver in Surrey, British Columbia, who rescued two fishermen trapped in the hull of their capsized boat. For his actions Corporal Teather was awarded the Cross of Valour.      
CCGS CONSTABLE CARRIERE after Constable J.L. François Carrière, died on November 30, 1997, while conducting an underwater search of a vessel believed to be smuggling illegal drugs. 
CCGS G. PEDDLE S.C., after Canadian Coast Guard Chief Officer Gregory Paul Peddle, S.C., who lost his life on October, 15, 1989, when his fast rescue craft overturned in an attempt to rescue a diver off Middle Cove, Newfoundland. Chief Officer Peddle was awarded the Star of Courage.    

CCGS CORPORAL MCLAREN M.M.V., after Corporal Mark Robert McLaren, M.M.V., who was  killed along with two others on December 5, 2008, when their armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device outside Kandahar City. He was awarded the Medal of Military Valour for risking his life to save his team’s Afghan interpreter in Kandahar during an ambush on November 6, 2008.    

CCGS A. LEBLANC, after Fishery Officer Agapit LeBlanc, of Bouctouche, New Brunswick. who was killed on October 20, 1926, while investigating illegal fishing vessels. His murder remains unsolved.

CCGS M. CHARLES M.B., after Seaman Martin Charles, S.C., M.B., of Bamfield, British Columbia, and Hereditary Chief of the Nitinat Band. Martin Charles, now deceased,  earned the Medal of Bravery for his instrumental role in a search and rescue incident that began with a sunken fishing  vessel and ended with the crash of the helicopter assisting in the rescue efforts.     

CCGS CAPTAIN GODDARD M.S.M., after Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, M.S.M., who was awarded the Meritorious Service Award for her exemplary service in Afghanistan from January 2006, until her death in combat on May 17, 2006.    

They don't call them "Heroes" for nothing.          

PRIVATE ROBERTSON V.C. is one of four mid shore patrol vessels that are used in a joint program with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to enhance national security, respond to potential threats, safeguard and address Federal maritime and on water enforcement requirements along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system.

The primary mission of the five remaining mid shores is to support the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Compliance and Enforcement program on the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts where both  Canadian Coast Guard personnel and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' Fishery Officers work together to conduct surveillance of fisheries operations, seize, recover, store and transport illegal fishing gear monitor and patrol the oceans (coastlines and international boundaries) and provide a Canadian presence to discourage smuggling and fish  poaching.    

Regardless of how they are used each patrol vessel has a top speed of 25 knots or 46k/h. They also have a combined crew of 14 (8 CCG+6 RCMP or Fisheries) personnel and each can launch or retrieve rigid-hull inflatable boats while in motion.

Every November 11th is  Rememberance Day here in Canada, the day that not only marks the end of First World War but also a day for many to take a moment and remember the countless soldiers, sailors and airman, who put their lives on the line for the freedom we have today in conflicts before WWI and since. 
Yesterday whether at a local cenotaph, or the War Memorial in Ottawa, thousands gathered in the below freezing air while many others  watched  the national ceremonies on TV,  or listened to it on the radio as we did while driving to Toronto. I give you my word to all that were lost or returned safely, “We Will Never Forget and We Will Always Be Grateful “

True yesterday was cold and windy but it was nowhere near what it was like when a November storm blew across Lake Michigan taking 33 of 35 crew members lives when the   659’ self unloader CARL D. BRADLEY sank on  November 18, 1958, fifty-seven years less a day before I took these snaps in Port Colborne with those ugly morbid skies in the background.  A strong November storm  broke up the 603’   DANIEL J. MORRELL on November 29, 1966 taking all but one soul of her 29 member crew. The  Armistice Day storm of 1944 sank 5 ships  and killed  66. The “Bad Storm of  1913” sank 13 ships and took 244 men from their families. And as her former fleet flagship replacement AMERICAN FORTITUDE awaits dismantling in the distance,  we will never forget the night when the winds of November came early sending  the 729’ ore carrier EDMUND FITZGERALD to her icy grave at the bottom of Lake Superior with all of 29 crew on  November 10, 1975. What a devastating month November can be for mariners in our inland seas but rest easy my lost seafaring friends because “You Too Will Never Be Forgotten “ .     

A big thank you to the Canadian Coast Guard website. They too appear to be very proud of their heroes.