ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Honourable Gail Shea, Acting Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen’s Privy Council and the Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador, today congratulated the crew and researchers aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent who returned to St. John’s on November 18th after completing summer operations in the Arctic.
“I would like to commend the crew and scientists aboard the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent for their skill and dedication while in Canada’s north this summer,” said Minister Shea. “It has been another successful mission and an example of the Canadian Coast Guard’s work and indispensable presence in Canada’s north.”
“I am pleased and proud of the hard work of the Canadian Coast Guard in our country’s north,” said Minister Penashue. “The Coast Guard plays an important role in navigation and access to the North for scientific research, supply and transportation.”
The CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent left St. John’s on July 20th to embark on a four-month mission that included Arctic icebreaking operations and participation in the Joint Ocean Ice Study in the Beaufort Gyre, the largest freshwater storage reservoir in the Arctic. The 35 researchers aboard ship carried out observations and data collection on the reservoir’s variability and influence on circulation and impact of environmental change in the Arctic. From the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, scientists recovered and deployed ice tethered drifting buoys and drift bottles. Ice observations and ice sampling activities were also conducted.
Weather conditions in the Arctic can be severe and change quickly. The CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent encountered such an extreme shift in weather while navigating Cumberland Sound. The wind increased unexpectedly gusting to 185 kilometres per hour and generating 12 metre high waves. For three days the crew endured extreme rolling as the ship rode out the storm.
For more information about the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, Canadian Coast Guard missions and Canada’s Northern Strategy, visit the following websites:http://www.marinfo.gc.ca, www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca and www.northernstrategy.gc.ca
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