November 13, 2014 - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
The newest Canadian Coast Guard Ship, the CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M., will pay a visit to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on November 14-15.
The vessel is named for the late Captain Nichola Goddard who was killed in combat in 2006 while serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan. The parents of Captain Goddard, Tim and Sally, live on PEI and have created the Nichola Goddard Foundation which is active in Canada and abroad in the education sector.
The CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M. will be open to the public on Saturday, November 15, 2014 from 1pm to 3pm. Members of the public can tour the vessel and meet the crew. Members of the Goddard family will also be in attendance to talk about the work of the Foundation. The ship will be docked at the former Canadian Coast Guard wharf at 1 Queen Street in downtown Charlottetown.
CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M. is the final ship of the nine Hero Class vessels to join the Coast Guard fleet. The Mid-Shore Patrol Vessels were built at Irving Shipbuilding Inc. in Halifax, Nova Scotia under a $194 million contract. These vessels will be used for maritime security, fisheries protection and search and rescue.
By creating the Hero Class vessels, named after Canadian heroes, the Government of Canada hopes to encourage future generations to learn about Canadian history, culture and geography.
Captain Goddard served with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, attached to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, as a forward observation officer.
She was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Sacrifice Medal. Captain Goddard's parents and her husband received the Memorial Cross (also known as the Silver Cross).
The Hero Class Mid-Shore Patrol Vessels are 43 metres in length with a displacement of 257 tonnes and a top speed of 25 knots. These vessels can operate up to 120 nautical miles offshore.
Since 2009, the Government of Canada has delivered several new and more capable vessels to the Coast Guard, including: Mid-Shore Patrol Vessels, a hovercraft, Search and Rescue Lifeboats; Specialty Vessels; Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessels; environmental barges; and small craft.
“It is a great honour to welcome this new mid-shore patrol vessel to Prince Edward Island. It is named in remembrance of Captain Nichola Goddard, a valiant soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. That service will continue as this ship carries the dedicated men and women of the Coast Guard forward in their crucial role of protecting those who make a living on the sea and our fisheries and oceans.”
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean and Regional Minister for PEI
"We are absolutely delighted that the CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M. is coming to Charlottetown. We are greatly honoured that the ship named after our daughter will be here, especially so close to Remembrance Day."
Tim and Sally Goddard
Photo caption: The family of the late Captain Nichola Goddard – parents Tim Goddard on the left (with beard and cap) and Sally Goddard – meet with The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Wade Spurrell (in white hat), Assistant Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard Atlantic, and the Captain Bob Bennett and crew of the CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M., during a visit by the ship to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on November 14, 2014.
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Stephen Bornais
Communications Advisor
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dartmouth
902-426-6987
Sally and Tim Goddard
Goddards3@gmail.com
(902) 569-5665
Sophie Doucet
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
613-992-3474
NR-MAR-14-15E
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