View source for CCGS Labrador

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=CCGS Labrador 1982.jpg
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=CCGS ''Labrador''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Canada
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|naval-1911}} {{shipboxflag|Canada|coast guard}}
|Ship name=''Labrador''
|Ship namesake=[[Labrador]]
|Ship owner=[[Government of Canada]]
|Ship operator=*[[Royal Canadian Navy]]
* [[Transport Canada|Department of Transport]]
* [[Canadian Coast Guard]]
|Ship registry=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Marine Industries|Marine Industries Ltd.]], [[Sorel, Quebec|Sorel]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=187
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=18 November 1949
|Ship launched=14 December 1951
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned=8 July 1954
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship maiden voyage=23 July 1954
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=''1210'' (1988)
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=January 1955
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=[[Halifax, Nova Scotia]]
|Ship identification=*[[Pennant number]] AW 50
* {{IMO|5201336}}
* Call sign  ''CGVM'' (RCN)/ ''CGGM'' (CCG)
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Broken up 1989
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass2|Wind|icebreaker|0}} [[icebreaker]]
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|3823}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|6490|LT|t|abbr=on}}
|Ship length=* {{convert|82|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|oa]]
* {{convert|76.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|pp]]
|Ship beam={{convert|19.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|8.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship ice class=[[Ice class|Arctic Class 2–3]]
|Ship power=6 × 10-cylinder diesel engines (6 × {{convert|2000|bhp|lk=in|abbr=on}})
|Ship propulsion=[[Diesel-electric]]; two shafts (2 × {{convert|5000|hp|abbr=on}})
|Ship speed=*{{convert|16|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=228
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft=Two [[Bell 47|Bell HTL-4]] single-rotor helicopters, or one [[Piasecki HUP Retriever|Piasecki HUP II]] twin-rotor helicopter.
|Ship aircraft facilities= [[Hangar]] and [[flight deck]]
|Ship notes=Registry #1 310129 Registry #2 CN
}}
|}

'''CCGS ''Labrador''''' was a {{sclass2|Wind|icebreaker|0}} [[icebreaker]].  First commissioned on 8 July 1954 as [[Her Majesty's Canadian Ship]] '''(HMCS) ''Labrador''''' ([[pennant number]] AW 50) in the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] (RCN), Captain O.C.S. "Long Robbie" Robertson, [[George Medal|GM]], RCN, in command. She was transferred to the [[Department of Transport (Canada)|Department of Transport]] (DOT) on 22 November 1957, and re-designated [[Canadian Government Ship]] '''(CGS) ''Labrador'''''.  She was among the DOT fleet assigned to the nascent [[Canadian Coast Guard]] (CCG) when that organization was formed in 1962, and further re-designated [[Canadian Coast Guard Ship]] '''(CCGS) ''Labrador'''''. Her career marked the beginning of the CCG's icebreaker operations which continue to this day. She extensively charted and documented the then-poorly-known [[Canadian Arctic]], and as HMCS ''Labrador'' was the first ship to [[circumnavigate]] [[North America]] in a single voyage. The ship was taken out of service in 1987 and [[broken up]] for scrap in 1989.

==Description==
The builder used modified plans from the just-completed {{sclass2|Wind|icebreaker|2}}s of the [[United States Coast Guard]].{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}} The ship was modified to include then state-of-the-art technology, becoming the first Royal Canadian Navy vessel to have central heating and ventilation, air conditioning and bunks instead of hammocks. The ship's [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] was plated in rolled, high tensile steel {{convert|1+5/8|in|mm}} thick.{{sfn|Pigott|2011|p=207}}

The ship had a [[Displacement (ship)|displacement]] of {{convert|6490|LT|t}} and a tonnage of {{GRT|3823|disp=long}}.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}}{{sfn|Moore|1981|p=86}} The vessel measured {{convert|82|m|ftin}} [[long overall]] and {{convert|76.2|m|ftin}} [[between perpendiculars]] with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|19.5|m|ftin}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|8.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}}.<ref name=miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=5201336|shipname=Labrador|accessdate=1 June 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Maginley|Collin|2001|p=150}}

''Labrador'' was equipped with Denny Brown [[anti-rolling gyro|gyro stabilizer]]s, and full [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]] control of the vessel's [[diesel engine]]s. ''Labrador'' was the RCN's first fully [[diesel-electric]] vessel, with six {{convert|2000|hp|kW|lk=in}} engine/generators driving a {{convert|5000|shp|kW|lk=in}} motor on each [[Propeller|shaft]].{{sfn|Boutiller|1982|p=287}} The vessel had a maximum speed of {{convert|16|kn|lk=in}} ''Labrador'' was equipped with starboard and port [[Heeling (sailing)|heeling tank]]s with 40,000 gallons per minute transfer capability, which facilitated icebreaking operations.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}}{{sfn|Moore|1981|p=86}} The ship was equipped with a [[hangar]] and [[flight deck]] capable of operating two [[Bell 47|Bell HTL 4]] light helicopters or a [[Piasecki HUP Retriever|Piasecki HUP II]] transport helicopter.{{sfn|Milner|2010|p=211}} The icebreaker had a [[Ship's company|complement]] of 228.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}}

==Service history==
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the Canadian government made limited exploration within the vast Arctic coast it laid claim to, largely because it lacked the capacity to make forays into much of this remote terrain. ''Labrador'' was conceived as Canada's first modern, powerful icebreaking vessel, which could help meet national defence needs in the high Arctic but also explore the vast area and its rich resources.

Ordered in February 1949, ''Labrador'' was built in the [[Marine Industries]] LTD yards at [[Sorel, Quebec]] with the [[yard number]] 187.<ref name=miramar/>{{sfn|Moore|1981|p=86}} The vessel was [[laid down]] on 18 November 1949 and [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 14 December 1951, christened by Jeanne St. Laurent, the wife of Prime Minister [[Louis St. Laurent]].<ref name=miramar/>{{sfn|Boutiller|1982|p=287}} The ship was commissioned on 8 July 1954.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}}  On 10 July 1954 ''Labrador'' departed Sorel, Quebec, en route to her new homeport in [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]].{{sfn|Maginley|Collin|2001|p=150}} Whilst underway the vessel experienced engine troubles (lowered oil pressure), between Sorel and [[Quebec City]], Quebec. Further difficulty was experienced in the [[Richelieu River]], where she developed steering gear problems which were fixed. ''Labrador'' arrived at Halifax on 14 July 1954.{{sfn|Boutiller|1982|p=287}}

===Royal Canadian Navy service===
{{main|Northwest Passage}}
''Labrador'' set sail on her maiden voyage on 23 July 1954 from Halifax, bound for the [[Labrador Sea]].{{sfn|Pigott|2011|p=207}} Over the next summer the vessel worked her way through Canada's [[Arctic archipelago]] from east to west, conducting [[hydrography|hydrographic]] soundings, resupplying [[RCMP]] outposts and deploying assorted scientific and geological teams.{{sfn|Boutiller|1982|p=287}} Her rendezvous with her American [[sister ship]]s {{USCGC|Northwind|WAGB-282|6}} and {{USCGC|Burton Island|WAGB-283|6}} off the coast of [[Melville Island (Northwest Territories and Nunavut)|Melville Island]] on 25 August 1954 marked the first time American and Canadian government ships had met in the Arctic from the east and west. ''Labrador'' had been sent to escort the American vessels through Canadian waters. The voyage had been kept secret, in case ''Labrador'' broke down. The three ships surveyed the [[Beaufort Sea]] together until the end of September 1954, at which point ''Labrador'' headed for the base of Canada's Pacific fleet at [[Esquimalt]], British Columbia, arriving on 27 September. ''Labrador'' became the first warship to transit the [[Northwest Passage]].{{sfn|Pigott|2011|p=207}}  Upon sailing down the west coast of the United States, through the [[Panama Canal]] and back to Halifax on 21 November 1954; ''Labrador'' also became the first warship to circumnavigate North America in a single voyage.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}}<!-- The first being the RCMP schooner ''St. Roch'', the second vessel to traverse the Northwest Passage. -->

[[File:Map of Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line.jpg|thumb|Map of Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line]]
In January 1955 ''Labrador'' underwent refit. The remainder of ''Labrador''{{'}}s early career involved considerable work on the [[Distant Early Warning Line]] (DEW Line) project. Beginning in June 1955, ''Labrador'' was sent to survey sites for the project. In August, ''Labrador'' escorted a 60-ship [[convoy]].{{sfn|Pigott|2011|p=208}} In 1956, the icebreaker spent five and a half months performing [[hydrographic survey]]s in the eastern Arctic.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}} In 1957, the ship made port visits to [[Portsmouth]], England, [[Oslo]], Norway and [[Copenhagen]], Denmark.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}} ''Labrador'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 22 November 1957 and transferred to civilian control in 1958.{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}}{{sfn|Maginley|2003|p=32}} This was done with the condition that should the Royal Canadian Navy wish to take the ship back, they could.{{sfn|Milner|2010|p=222}} The decision was due to financial cutbacks a change of direction of the Royal Canadian Navy, with an intent to focus on [[anti-submarine warfare]] rather than Arctic research.{{sfn|Maginley|2003|p=52}}{{sfn|Boutiller|1982|p=306}}

===Civilian service===
On entering civilian service, the icebreaker operated within the [[Department of Transport (Canada)|Department of Transport]] (DOT) during the four years before the [[Canadian Coast Guard]] (CCG) was formally established. From 1958 until 1977, ''Labrador'' deployed to the Arctic every year.{{sfn|Maginley|Collin|2001|p=150}} In 1964, ''Labrador'' reached the most northerly position ever attained by a Canadian vessel to that point when the ship passed Hans Island.{{sfn|Pigott|2011|p=238}} During winter months, the icebreaker would perform icebreaking operations in the lower [[St. Lawrence River]].{{sfn|Macpherson|Barrie|2002|p=283}}

In 1974, ''Labrador'' was sent to Arctic waters to carry out hydrographic survey work.{{sfn|Maginley|2003|pp=124–126}} From 1977 onward, ''Labrador'' was used primarily for hydrographic survey work.{{sfn|Maginley|Collin|2001|p=150}} In 1979, the icebreaker took part in the search for the sunken merchant vessel {{ship||Breadalbane|ship|2}}. The site of the wreck was found during the expedition, but the sunken vessel's identity was not confirmed until the following year.{{sfn|Maginley|2003|pp=124–126}} During the ship's final years, ''Labrador'' was restricted to southern waters due to metal fatigue and worked in the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]] during the winter.{{sfn|Maginley|Collin |2001|p=150}} ''Labrador'' was taken out of service in 1987 and replaced by {{ship|CCGS|Henry Larsen}}.{{sfn|Maginley|2003|p=61}} The vessel was renamed ''1210'' in 1988 and sold for [[Ship breaking|scrap]] to Chi Hsiang Steel Enterprise Co Ltd. The vessel was taken to [[Kaohsiung]], Taiwan, arriving on 24 June 1989 with work beginning on the dismantling of the ship on 29 July.<ref name=miramar/>

''Pogo'' (YFL-104), HMCS ''Labrador''{{'}}s hydrographic sounding craft was obtained by the Outaouais Branch of the [[Navy League of Canada]] from the [[Canadian War Museum]] in 2005. ''Pogo'', a {{convert|36|ft|m|adj=on}} all-welded aluminum motor boat constructed in 1954, is used in [[Royal Canadian Sea Cadets]] Program support.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pogo Outaouais Branch of the Navy League of Canada|url=http://affairesmaritimes.org/en/our-boats/pogo-hydrographic.html|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419031123/http://affairesmaritimes.org/en/our-boats/pogo-hydrographic.html|archivedate=19 April 2014}}</ref>

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |editor-last=Boutiller |editor-first=James A. |date=1982 |title=RCN in Retrospect, 1910–1968 |publisher=University of British Columbia Press |location=Vancouver |isbn=0-7748-0196-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |last2=Barrie |first2=Ron |name-list-style=amp |date=2002 |title=The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002  |edition=Third |publisher=Vanwell Publishing |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-072-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Maginley |first=Charles D. |date=2003 |title=The Canadian Coast Guard 1962–2002 |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiancoastgua0000magi |url-access=registration |publisher=Vanwell Publishing Limited |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-075-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Maginley |first=Charles D. |last2=Collin |first2=Bernard |name-list-style=amp |date=2001 |title=The Ships of Canada's Marine Services |publisher=Vanwell Publishing Limited |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-070-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Milner |first=Marc |date=2010 |title=Canada's Navy: The First Century |edition=Second |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-8020-9604-3}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Moore |editor-first=John |date=1981 |title=Jane's Fighting Ships 1981–82 |publisher=Jane's Publishing Incorporated |location=New York |isbn=0-531-03977-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Pigott |first=Peter |date=2011 |title=From Far and Wide: A Complete History of Canada's Arctic Sovereignty |publisher=Dundurn Press |location=Toronto |isbn=9781554889877}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110110055727/http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/assets/pdf/e_PiaseckiHUP-3.pdf HMCS Labrador History & Aircraft]
* [http://www.readyayeready.com/ships/shipview.php?id=1209 HMCS Labrador page at ReadyAyeReady]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081231213829/http://www.canfoh.org/Vignettes/Survey%20Hazards/Survey%20Hazards.htm HMCS Labrador Helicopter Accident]}}
* [http://myrcn.ca/18labrador/labrador.html HMCS Labrador Newspaper Clippings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050224093742/http://myrcn.ca/18labrador/labrador.html |date=24 February 2005 }}

{{Wind class icebreaker}}
{{Icebreakers of Canada}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Labrador}}
[[Category:Wind-class icebreakers of the Canadian Coast Guard]]
[[Category:Ships built in Sorel-Tracy]]
[[Category:1954 ships]]
[[Category:Canadian Government Ship]]