CGS ''Stanley'' has been described as Canada's first effective

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

. She was launched in 1888, and remained in service until 1935. Constructed in the United Kingdom, ''Stanley'' was deployed along the East Coast of Canada for use as a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

and lighthouse and buoy supply vessel and was used for icebreaking during winter months.

Description

''Stanley''s design was based on icebreaking vessels of Swedish design for use in the Baltic Sea. Of Siemens-Martin steel construction, ''Stanley'' had a

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar (sailing), spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestay, forestays. The bowsprit’s purpose is to create ...

and a

clipper bow The bow () is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern. Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part o ...

. The ship had a gross register tonnage (GRT) of 914 tons and was long overall with a beam of and a draught of . The ship was powered by steam from a

triple-expansion engine A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure (HP) Cylinder (engine), cylinder, then ha ...

driving a single

screw A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...

. This created (

nominal Nominal may refer to: Linguistics and grammar * Nominal (linguistics), one of the parts of speech * Nominal, the adjectival form of "noun", as in "nominal agreement" (= "noun agreement") * Nominal sentence, a sentence without a finite verb * Nou ...

) and gave the vessel a maximum speed of . The ship was certificated for passenger service in Canada.

Service history

''Stanley'' was ordered by the Government of Canada following complaints by

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

that Canada was not following through on its constitutional commitments to the province. The existing icebreaker, , was found to be in poor shape and was withdrawn from service. The construction of an icebreaker was ordered from

Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, was a Scottish shipbuilder, shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the River Clyde, Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland at their yard in

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...

with the ship's launch on 16 October 1888. ''Stanley'' was named for

Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908), known as Hon. Frederick Stanley until 1886 and Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886–1893, was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in the Un ...

, and completed in November 1888. Upon entering service in 1888, ''Stanley''s primary function was to provide winter passenger ferry service to Prince Edward Island, making daily trips from

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

and

Pictou, Nova Scotia Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'' Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: ''Piktuk'') is a town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Pictou County, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pict ...

until the ice forced the ship to work from

Georgetown, Prince Edward Island Georgetown is a community located within the municipality of Three Rivers in Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is the Capital of Kings County. Previously incorporated as a town, it was amalgamated with the town of Montague, the ru ...

. Even though she was capable of breaking ice, the ship sometimes remained caught in it when the ice became too thick. During the spring, once regular ferry service could be resumed, ''Stanley''s duties were shifted to lighthouse and buoy supply. During the summer months, the ship was used as a fisheries patrol vessel in the Atlantic fisheries. During autumn, ''Stanley'' reverted to lighthouse and buoy supply. In 1910 ''Stanley'' and sailed to

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

and

Hudson Strait Hudson Strait () in Nunavut links the Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut ...

to survey the routes to Churchill and Port Nelson, Manitoba, returning to the area in 1912. On 2 May 1922, ''Stanley'' rescued an American steamer, , when she was disabled off the coast of

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

. In July 1927 a scientific expedition based on the aboard ''Stanley'' and the commercial vessel was tasked to determine the safe navigation season for vessels using the new port facilities at Churchill, Manitoba, the only port on the Arctic Ocean connected to the North American railroad grid. '' The Aviators of Hudson Strait'', a 1973 Canadian short

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

(NFB) for the

Department of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

, was made of the 1927–1928 expedition. The ship was withdrawn from service in 1935. The ship was sold in 1936 for

scrap Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have monetary value, especially recover ...

and the scrapping was completed first quarter of 1937.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley Patrol vessels of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary ships of the Royal Canadian Navy Icebreakers of the Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Government Ship 1888 ships