Thursday 8 September 2011

Canadian icebreaker HMCS/CCGS Labrador AW 50 1949-1987



Design based on the United States Coast Guard Wind-class Arctic icebreakers. Built at the Marine Industries yards at Sorel, Quebec in 1949-1954, commissioned on 8 July 1954 in the Royal Canadian Navy, transferred to the Department of Transport on 22 November 1957, since 1962 of the Canadian Coast Guard  and sold to be broken up in 1987. With a displacement of 6,490 tons full load were her dimensions 82 x 19,2 x 9 metres. The 6x2,000 bhp 10-cyinder diesel engines which drove 2x5,000 hp electric propulsion motors allowed a maximum speed of 16 knots while her cruising speed was 12 knots. Her crew numbered 224 men. She carried with her one Piasecki HUP Retriever helicopter and 2 Bell HTL-4 helicopters.