Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Martha L. Black

Next up is another ship that I've never seen before.
 That ship is the Canadian Coast Guard's buoy tender/light icebreaker, the Martha L. Black.  She was sent up to Lake Superior to help with the ice up there.  The Canadians also sent a pair of medium icebreakers but I didn't get a chance to catch those.
 The Martha L. Black is named after a former member of the Canadian Parliament who was the second woman to serve in that role.
 She was built by the Versatile Pacific Shipyards in Vancouver, British Columbia.  She was launched in 1986. 
 She carries what appears to be a landing craft.  I'm not sure what that is used for.
 Her lifeboat.
 The white thing on the back is a helicopter hangar.  I'm not sure what kind of helicopter she carries though.
 She slowly works her way down the river.
 A shot of the Bluewater Bridge.
 I think you can see the helicopter in this picture.
She ended up docking in Sarnia.  I think she started to head back to her normal home in Quebec on yesterday.

I want to extend thanks to the Canadian Coast Guard.  I think ships would still be messing around with Lake Superior without their help.  The US Coast Guard assets were taxed beyond their abilities and its kind of a shame.  I'm not sure if we need a heavier icebreaker on the Great Lakes since this winter was one for the record books but it would be nice.

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