CCGS Labrador

Labrador set sail on her maiden voyage on 23 July 1954 from Halifax, bound for the Labrador Sea.[2] Over the next summer the vessel worked her way through Canada's Arctic archipelago from east to west, conducting hydrographic soundings, resupplying RCMP outposts and deploying assorted scientific and geological teams.[6] Her rendezvous with her American sister ships USCGC Northwind and USCGC Burton Island off the coast of Melville Island on 25 August 1954 marked the first time American and Canadian government ships had met in the Arctic from the east and west. Labrador had been sent to escort the American vessels through Canadian waters. The voyage had been kept secret, in case Labrador broke down. The three ships surveyed the Beaufort Sea together until the end of September 1954, at which point Labrador headed for the base of Canada's Pacific fleet at Esquimalt, British Columbia, arriving on 27 September. Labrador became the first warship to transit the Northwest Passage.[2] Upon sailing down the west coast of the United States, through the Panama Canal and back to Halifax on 21 November 1954; Labrador also became the first warship to circumnavigate North America in a single voyage.[1]

Map of Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line

In January 1955 Labrador underwent refit. The remainder of Labrador's early career involved considerable work on the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) project. Beginning in June 1955, Labrador was sent to survey sites for the project. In August, Labrador escorted a 60-ship convoy.[8] In 1956, the icebreaker spent five and a half months performing hydrographic surveys in the eastern Arctic.[1] In 1957, the ship made port visits to Portsmouth, England, Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark.[1] Labrador was decommissioned on 22 November 1957 and transferred to civilian control in 1958.[1][9] This was done with the condition that should the Royal Canadian Navy wish to take the ship back, they could.[10] The decision was due to financial cutbacks a change of direction of the Royal Canadian Navy, with an intent to focus on anti-submarine warfare rather than Arctic research.[11][12]

On entering civilian service, the icebreaker operated within the Department of Transport (DOT) during the four years before the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) was formally established. From 1958 until 1977, Labrador deployed to the Arctic every year.[5] In 1964, Labrador reached the most northerly position ever attained by a Canadian vessel to that point when the ship passed Hans Island.[13] During winter months, the icebreaker would perform icebreaking operations in the lower St. Lawrence River.[1]

In 1974, Labrador was sent to Arctic waters to carry out hydrographic survey work.[14] From 1977 onward, Labrador was used primarily for hydrographic survey work.[5] In 1979, the icebreaker took part in the search for the sunken merchant vessel Breadalbane. The site of the wreck was found during the expedition, but the sunken vessel's identity was not confirmed until the following year.[14] During the ship's final years, Labrador was restricted to southern waters due to metal fatigue and worked in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during the winter.[5] Labrador was taken out of service in 1987 and replaced by CCGS Henry Larsen.[15] The vessel was renamed 1210 in 1988 and sold for scrap to Chi Hsiang Steel Enterprise Co Ltd. The vessel was taken to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, arriving on 24 June 1989 with work beginning on the dismantling of the ship on 29 July.[4]

Pogo (YFL-104), HMCS Labrador's hydrographic sounding craft was obtained by the Outaouais Branch of the Navy League of Canada from the Canadian War Museum in 2005. Pogo, a 36-foot (11 m) all-welded aluminum motor boat constructed in 1954, is used in Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Program support.[16]