The former Canadian Coast Guard Ship Alexander Henry served many functions on the Great Lakes from 1959 to 1985.

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“The history of Great Lakes navigation, from time immemorial with Indigenous travellers through the entire course of Confederation, is in large part the story of this continent. The former Canadian Coast Guard Ship Alexander Henry is a part of that history and it is an honour to officially designate the ship as a national historic site. This vessel stood witness to an era of increased industrial marine navigation for the Government of Canada. National historic designations, like the Alexander Henry, encourage us to acknowledge the full scope of our history and help us reflect on how this history connects us to build a more inclusive society for present and future generations.”

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

“The CCGS Alexander Henry played an integral role in supporting the shipping industry and mariners on the Great Lakes. For decades, this former Coast Guard vessel helped ensure safe transit across these inland waters. It is wonderful to see CCGS Alexander Henry be designated a national historic site, in recognition of its contributions to Canada’s maritime history.”

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

“The Board of Directors of the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay (TMTB) is honoured that the former Canadian Coast Guard Ship, Alexander Henry - built in Thunder Bay and now a museum ship with TMTB - has been officially designated a national historic site in recognition of Alexander Henry's historical importance in Canadian maritime history.”  

Wally Peterson
Chair of the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society

 

• The CCGS Alexander Henry was designed by the Montréal naval architectural firm German & Milne and was built by the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company in what is now Thunder Bay, Ontario. The ship was launched on 18 July 1958.

• It is important to acknowledge that the CCGS Alexander Henry’s contribution to history commenced on the lands and waters within the territories of the Anishinabeg signatories of the Robinson-Superior Treaty (Thunder Bay). It was active on Lake Superior, which is called gichigamiing or “The Big Lake” by the Anishinaabe people of the region.

• The vessel was retired in July 1985, after which the former CCGS Alexander Henry became a museum ship. It was first exhibited at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston where it was well maintained for over three decades. In 2017, the ship was purchased by the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay and towed to Thunder Bay where it continues to host visitors in the summer.

• Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national significance of persons, places, and events that have marked Canada’s history. Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration and these important stories are shared with Canadians.

• Parks Canada is committed to working with Canadians in our efforts to tell broader, more inclusive stories in the places that it manages. In support of this goal, the Framework for History and Commemoration outlines a comprehensive, and engaging approach to sharing Canada’s history through diverse perspectives, including shedding light on tragic and difficult periods of Canada’s past.

Related products

• Backgrounder: CCGS Alexander Henry, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Associated links

• Parks Canada
• Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
• Framework for History and Commemoration

Kaitlin Power
Press Secretary     
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
819-230-1557
kaitlin.power@ec.gc.ca

Media Relations
Parks Canada
1-855-862-1812
pc.media@pc.gc.ca