Eric W. Manchester -Writer - Photographer - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier

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Tuktoyaktuk 1970

Mackenzie River Delta 1970

Canadian Airborne Regiment

ARCTIC EXPEDITION 2007

For 76 days, during August through October 2007, I sailed aboard the icebreaker, Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier. I joined the ship to document its 2007 Arctic patrol. (Read my daily journal, below).

My freelance objective was simple. The ship's mission was not. Laurier's voyage, which began and ended in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, comprised issues of Canadian sovereignty; international scientific research; northern community survival; navigation safety; search and rescue; and icebreaking techniques - among others. Consequently, the entire patrol was rich in diverse subject matter.

The patrol occurred during the International Polar Year, which was billed as an intensive, coordinated burst of scientific effort to accelerate advances in knowledge and understanding of Earth's Polar Regions. It was also at a time of increased activity by modern-day Arctic explorers seeking natural resources, trade routes and tourist dollars in an environment that is both hostile and vulnerable.

While onboard I had unrestricted access throughout the ship, to its officers, crew and the hosted science teams. I participated in ship, helicopter and small-boat projects, which enabled me to chronicle aspects of shipborne, airborne, and land/ice-based activities.

THE SHIP

The 83-metre Laurier - a Canadian prime minister's namesake - is a light icebreaker and navaids tender. The 1986-vintage ship has three 16-cylinder diesel engines that produce 7,600 horsepower, which, when converted through two electric propulsion motors results in 15-knot speeds. When this power is applied to Laurier’s 3,800 registered tons, one-metre thick ice is dispersed at five-knot speeds. Depending on conditions, Laurier can even defeat ice three metres thick. A five-passenger helicopter is carried on deck for re-supply, reconnaissance and repair work, which can be launched and retrieved in three-metre seas and winds to 40 knots. The ship’s complement of up to 50 officers, crew and scientists worked 12-hour shifts, seven days per week, around the clock. Two complete crews shared Laurier, changing every six weeks. The researchers hailed from universities and agencies in Canada, Japan and the United States.

THE SHIP'S WORK

Besides being a Canadian sovereignty presence in the Arctic and hosting myriad science projects, the ship's own coast guard work was intense. Laurier serviced hundreds of navigation aids and beacons. During most summers icebreaking is a life-sustaining task. The ship opens passages for tugs and barges hauling supplies to remote villages and other isolated sites, which are essential to their surviving the winter - everything from canned goods to new houses and fuel. Laurier’s escort services were not needed during 2007, as that summer had the least amount of sea ice on record.

AREA OF OPERATIONS

Its expansive operations took Laurier near the International Dateline in the Bering Strait at about 170° West Longitude; above 75° North Latitude in the Arctic Ocean, and, as far east as Boothia Peninsula at around 95° West Longitude - roughly straight up from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Overall, the ship travelled some 15,000 nautical miles – mostly on shallow, uncharted waters.

CONDITIONS

Weather, especially wind and fog (together), repeatedly interrupted Laurier’s critical work. For nearly four months, around the clock, the wind continuously blew at more than 20 knots, and was frequently in the 30-50-knot range. The summer weather included below-freezing temperatures, fast-moving rain-sleet squalls and snow. Strong winds frequently blew up big seas, sufficient to make onboard life challenging – the worst being 75-knot wind and ten-metre seas during the homeward voyage.

ARCTIC CREDENTIALS

My prior northern experience includes military deployments parachuting into Alaska, plus Canadian locales Coral Harbour, Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Resolute where we lived in tents and travelled the land by snowmobile and skis in -50°F conditions.

Arctic Journal

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