Canadian Coast Guard‘s oldest serving vessel, the CCGS Hudson, is being decommissioned after 59 years of service, in what the agency calls the “end of an era.”
The East Coast ocean science vessel was determined to be “beyond economic repair,” after its starboard propulsion motor failed in November.
“Further investment would not allow it to return to reliable service,” read a news release from Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Back in 2019, the CCGS Hudson needed repairs and maintenance for degradation to the hull, fuel tanks and onboard systems.
At the time, a Quebec shipyard condemned the ship as beyond repair, declining to bid on a lucrative contract on the grounds that it “presents a serious and real threat to the safety of life at sea.” However, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) had said that was inaccurate.
The Hudson had a $4-million refit in Ontario in 2016 and had more work done on it since it returned to its East Coast port in Dartmouth, N.S., in 2017.
The agencies said on Wednesday CCGS Hudson was a key platform in the fisheries department’s oceanographic science program. Its permanent replacement isn’t expected to be delivered until 2025.
“Discussions are focused on which parts of the science program can be completed by other Canadian Coast Guard vessels, by chartered vessels, or through the use of other technology,” read the release.
The agency says it will plan a celebration of the ship and its crews’ accomplishments in the coming months.
“Canadians will have the opportunity to share memories and experiences of their own interactions with the ship and all of its past crews.”
— with files from David Akin