CCGS Des Groseilliers

Based in Quebec City, Quebec, the Des Groseilliers is one of four T1200 medium icebreaker vessels operated by the Canadian Coast Guard.  The ship was commissioned in 1982 and is named after Médard Chouart Des Groseilliers (1618-1696), a French explorer and fur trader in Canada.  He is also remembered for playing an important role in the creation of the Hudson Bay Company, the oldest commercial enterprise in North America.  Operated by a crew of 35, the ship spends the winter icebreaking and escorting ships through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the St. Lawrence & Saguenay Rivers.  During the summer, the Des Groseilliers sails to the Canadian Arctic to escort commercial ships and serves as the primary search & rescue unit. 

            

Between August 15 & 23, the ship was anchored in Arctic Bay.  In the late afternoon on Thursday, August 22, the staff of Inuujaq School were given a tour of the ship.  A tour is given every summer but this would be my first.  This would also be my first time on board a Canadian Coast Guard Ship.     

            

I headed down to the natural dock in front of the Northern Store, wearing my double layered skiing parka with a hoodie underneath, gloves, and sunglasses.  The real word escapes me but the natural dock is a long stretch of earth that extends in a crest to the right.  It creates a small but protected space for boats to park.  To prevent erosion, the sides are lined with heavy rocks.  The weather was sunny & clear but there was a cold wind.  When there is a cold wind blowing through town, you can bet it is much colder out in the bay.  Before leaving my residence, I applied sunscreen to my face and neck to prevent a sunburn.  And as a final precaution, I swallowed a Gravol pill to combat any sea sickness that may arise.  My stomach doesn't appreciate boats that rock. 

            

I arrived on time for 5:45pm but a small crowd of Inuit children and adults had already formed.  A landing craft was sent from the Des Groseilliers to pick us up.  The crew of four were dressed in thick bright red jumpsuits.  Since the craft could only take onboard 13 passengers, the teaching staff were split into two tour groups.  The first group contained the majority of Inuit staff.  Each person was given a life jacket to wear; safety first.  After the first group waved goodbye, the landing craft slowly backed out into the water, did an about turn, and proceeded towards the icebreaker.            

            

While waiting for the landing craft to return, the teachers passed the time talking, skipping rocks across the water, and watching two small dogs play fighting.  The Inuit children did the same.  When the landing craft returned, the crew realized that the water had become too shallow.  They instructed the remaining teachers to walk over to the rocky edges of the dock where the water was deeper.  After putting on our life jackets, we waved goodbye to the curious Inuit children, and waited for the crew members to get the craft moving. 

            

The principal of Inuujaq School is the
first to come aboard.

The ride to the Des Groseilliers took four minutes.  While I filmed a short 360 degree video of the surrounding landscape, excited teachers snapped pictures of themselves wearing life jackets and with the coast guard boat in the background.  The wind wasn't as bad as I thought but it still made everyone put on a hat and/or pull up their hoodies.  The closer we got to the vessel, the more we realized just how big it was (98.2 metres).  We waved to the first tour group who were watching us from the deck above the bridge.  As the landing craft came up alongside the vessel, a metal staircase was lowered.  We ascended one at a time, starting with the principal of Inuujaq School.  We discarded our life jackets in a pile when we came on board.            

            

The tour was given to us by two officer cadets who were doing their training placements.  For security purposes, we would not be shown the engine room.  We headed up to the main deck to begin our tour.  Two of the ship's four yellow loading cranes are located on this deck, as well as landing crafts, emergency vessel, and small dinghy boats.  Boarding and searching commercial & private ships are conducted either by the RCMP or officers of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans.  There are spare quarters for these boarding parties to reside in, and of course, they carry firearms. 

            

BO-105.

We were escorted to the back of the ship where the helicopter hangar is located.  We were allowed to take pictures of the BO-105 helicopter inside but were not allowed to sit in the cockpit.  The BO-105 is a German helicopter manufactured by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm.  The Canadian Coast Guard also flies Bell 212 & Bell 206 L helicopters.  These rotary wing aircraft are used for search & rescue, environmental response, ensuring safety of marine traffic, and reconnoitering.

            

(Picture taken by Kaitlynd - middle
school teacher).

Before stepping into the bridge where all the main decisions are made, we were taken to the deck above the bridge where one can find searchlights, radio antennas, and ladder access to the two main masts and the chimney.  The Des Groseilliers is a diesel powered vessel.  Up here, the wind was at its coldest and strongest.  But at the same time, the views were fantastic!  We spent some extra time taking photographs of ourselves with the town of Arctic Bay in the background.  I also took pictures of the bow (front) and the tightly secured rescue craft.

            

At the helm. (Picture taken by Ryan -
media studies teacher).

The bridge is where the ship is commanded by the captain and his bridge crew.  The steering wheel(s), throttles, radar, radio, GPS, and navigational charts can all be found here.  In essence, the bridge is the nerve centre of the ship.  The officer cadets explained where everything is located and how all the gadgets work.  The SONAR indicated that the water's depth beneath the vessel was 75 metres!  The captain was in the bridge as well but he was preoccupied with other matters.  Despite that, I noticed him keeping an eye on us.  He did give us permission to sit in the helm chair as long as we didn't touch anything.  He didn't want us sailing the boat right into town.

            

The helm.

We proceeded to the lower decks and were instructed to keep our voices down; there were crew members sleeping.  There are three working shifts: morning, afternoon, and night.  One of the officer cadets said it was possible to complete a deployment without seeing the entire crew.  The hallways are lined with portraits and a little cramped.  We visited the spacious & well furnished officers mess.  There's a dining room, bar, projector for movies, and plenty of books and board games to read and play.          

            

The next big room to visit was the rudder room at the back of the boat.  The rudder is controlled by the steering wheel in the bridge and is used to steer the ship.  The bolts, screws, and even the tools that are used here are big.  And I mean big.

            

The lower decks contain a series of watertight doors.  Installed on tracks, these doors can seal off a flooded area quickly in the event of an emergency.  Unless you're standing next to the door, don't bother running through when the alarm sounds.  The door slams shut in a matter of seconds.  If you ever find yourself on the flooded side of the doors, there is a manual lever system to open & close them.      

           

Vintage vending machine.

The ship's canteen is where you can buy pop, candy, chips, Coast Guard paraphernalia, and hygienic products.  Since the tour was happening before the sealift, much of the pop was bought because it was 'newer'.  Next to the canteen was an old vintage pop vending machine, most likely the one that was installed back in 1982.  And it still worked!  Several teachers also bought Coast Guard hoodies, t-shirts, and caps.  While I waited for the buying frenzy to finish, I asked one of the officer cadets, 'What do crewmembers say when they see a woman falling overboard?'  He replied, 'They would still say "Man overboard!"  It hasn't changed.'

            

The crew member's mess is smaller but still a nice place to relax.  There is a bar, TVs, chairs to sit in, and a portrait of the vessel's launching in 1982.  The crew members must like music because they had the video game 'Rock Band' hooked up to the main TV.  The crew members also have a small lounge where there are two computers with Internet access.  Using the Internet to communicate with family & friends is much better & faster than sending letters.

            

The tour concluded with a visit to the cafeteria.  An assortment of cookies, muffins, fruit, and other desserts had been prepared.  There was also complementary coffee and tea.  Despite a well established ranking structure, the second most important person on a boat is really the head chef.  We thanked the officer cadets for the tour of the ship before heading back to the main deck.

            

We descended the same flight of stairs we used to come aboard.  Of course, we had to descend one at a time and not before we put on our life jackets.  The ride back to shore also took four minutes but we had to stand with our backs against the cold Arctic wind.  We were greeted by Inuit school children as we disembarked on the rocks of the natural dock.  It made us feel like we had arrived in Arctic Bay for the first time.  The Des Groseilliers would sail for Nanisivik, the former mining town, the next day to serve as the backdrop for a photo op with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canadian Rangers.  There are plans to turn Nanisivik into a Coast Guard and Navy base but progress has been very slow.

            

Overall, I really enjoyed the tour of the CCGS Des Groseilliers.  It was great to see what the Canadian Coast Guard is all about and what resources & equipment they have to get the job done.