A Vancouver Island First Nation known for its selfless marine rescues has another weapon at its disposal for keeping the West Coast safe.
The Ahousaht First Nation has launched a new search and rescue vessel thatB次元官网网址檚 ready to respond to emergencies in waters off Vancouver IslandB次元官网网址檚 Pacific Rim.
B次元官网网址淭his new dedicated SAR vessel has created a great sense of community pride especially among our dedicated CN-CGA volunteer crew,B次元官网网址� said Coastal Nations-Coast Guard Auxiliary member Luke Michael Swan Jr. in a May 19 announcement.
B次元官网网址淗aving a dedicated vessel ready to respond to a marine emergency has really elevated and strengthened our SAR program here in community and territorial waters and will allow crews to work more effectively alongside the Canadian Coast Guard and SAR partners, ultimately saving lives at sea.B次元官网网址�
Congratulations to Ahousaht, the very proud owners of custom built SAR Vessel! & Exercise Team
B次元官网网址� Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary (W) Inc. (@CoastNations)
The new 29-foot dedicated response vessel is capable of cruising at 32 knots and has an estimated range of 400 nautical miles. It was paid for with $214,156 of funding from the Canadian Coast GuardB次元官网网址檚 Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Pilot Program.
B次元官网网址淚 would like to hold up all that had a hand in making our dedicated SAR vessel a reality,B次元官网网址� said Coastal Nations-Coast Guard Auxiliary Board Chair Alec Dick. B次元官网网址淟et me also celebrate our CN-CGA Crew volunteers, the marine SAR backbone of our community. This vessel will allow our volunteers to deliver top notch SAR services, provide care alongside our mission partners and neighbors in providing effective marine SAR services for people in distress.B次元官网网址�
Ahousaht members are well known for their willingness to rapidly respond to marine emergencies and the First Nation received a Medal of Good Citizenship from B.C.B次元官网网址檚 then-premier Christy Clark for its efforts during the Leviathan II tragedy of 2015. Six people died in the tragedy, but Ahousaht helped rescue 21 of the whale watching vesselB次元官网网址檚 27 passengers.
Ahousaht was a founding member of the Coastal Nations-Coast Guard Auxiliary, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first all-Indigenous Coast Guard Auxiliary, in 2018.
The CN-CGA has over 50 members from the Ahousaht, Heiltsuk, Gitxaala, Nisgaa, Kitasoo and Quatsino First Nations that are equipped and ready to respond to marine emergencies 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year.
B次元官网网址淎s the Executive Director of CN-CGA, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first Indigenous led Coast Guard Auxiliary, IB次元官网网址檝e seen the organization grow significantly, in just a short time,B次元官网网址� said CN-CGA Executive Director Conrad J.S. Cowan.
B次元官网网址淚 foremost recognize the critical role of this dedicated SAR vessel and its importance to members of the Auxiliary in protecting mariners and coastal communities. Our crews are simply the most experienced stewards of the marine environment and are unquestionably vital to CanadaB次元官网网址檚 marine safety system today.B次元官网网址�
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