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Article: Late, great HMCS Labrador (Arctic icebreaker and patrol ship).
- Article from:
- Esprit de Corps
- Article date:
- September 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 S.R. Taylor Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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There was something very special about this journey into Vancouver harbor in the autumn of 1954. As she rounded Point Atkinson, Henry Larsen joined the Labrador's legendary little RCMP schooner, the St. Roch, the only vessel to traverse the Northwest Passage twice: from west to east in 1940-42 and east to west in 1944. As the Labrador's helicopters roared overhead, ships' horns blared, fireboats loosed columns of water, and a great cheer went up from the crowds lining the jetties. That evening, the St. Roch's blue ensign was laid up for the last rime while buglers from Labrador played a sad refrain.
HMCS Labrador was a worthy successor to the St. Roch. In her ...