One of the former Canadian Coast Guard Cutters trading around the Mediterranean Sea was the vessel OCEAN ALERT.
Completed in 1969 by Davie Shipbuilding & Repair in Lauzon at Quebec in Canada as CCGS ALERT she was a specialised search and rescue (SAR) vessel. She was powered with four Fairbanks Morse 12 cylinder engines driving two screws with controllable pitch props and was also equipped with thrusters and a landing pad and hangar for a helicopter. Based in Dartmouth, the vessel figured in numerous rescues in her 25 year career with the Canadian Coast Guard. She was laid up in 1994, although in the same year she was chartered to the Royal Canadian Navy wearing grey hull for reserves training.
In February 1995 she was back in service for one month to substitute for the CCGS MARY HICHENS for SAR and Fisheries Patrol work and was laid up again on June 13th. In 1996 she was renamed 1996-01 prior to sale and was berthed in HMC Dockyard until March 1997. She was sold and left Halifax in tow of the tug ARCTIC SUN for Newfoundland on March 7th, 1997. Her use was as a multi-functional survey, research, and standby vessel and was renamed OCEAN ALERT and fitted with an A Frame and aft deck house and was also used in survey and diving operations.
She spent several weeks berthed at Dockyard Creek, Grand Harbour and also berthed at Malta Drydocks.
On Monday 25th January 2010 a Boeing 737-8AS with registration ET-ANB as Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 scheduled from Beirut to Addis Ababa crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Rafic Hariri International Airport, Lebanon killing all 90 souls on board. OCEAN ALERT was one of the ships involved in the SAR operations – https://yalibnan.com/2010/01/29/et409-ocean-alert-to-be-replaced-by-a-french-ship/
In October 2011 ship was reported that she reached Aliaga, Turkey for breakers.
Watermarked Photos are by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Thursday 18th June, 2020
