Cape Breton's Magazine

THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD COLLEGE CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY The College is a unique institution. It is the only facility in Canada dedicated to training officers for the Canadian Coast Guard; and as a consequence it has developed parallel programs in both official languages to produce highly qualified navigation and marine engineering officers. When it accepted its first group of eager young officer cadets in September, 1965 the College was located in several temporary World War II buildings which had been part of the Point Edward Naval Base, near Sydney, N.S. Today the College which is located in Westmount, Cape Breton, is housed in new facilities built during the eighties at a cost of $60 million. It is now one of the most modem and well equipped marine training institutiois in the world. The Coast Guard College has planned a number of events throughout 1990 to celebrate twenty-five years in Cape Breton, including a Coast Guard hockey tournament, a major sailing race, a special Cabot Trail ran and an all-graduate reunion in July. A fireworks display on July 9th will herald official ceremonies on July 10th. Tours of the College and Open Houses will also be held to enable Cape Bretoners to visit and get to know this unique College. To date the College has graduated 747 ships officers of which one hundred and three are Nova Scotians with forty of these coming from Cape Breton. LE COLLEGE DE LA GARDE c6tIERE CANADIENNE CELEBRE SON VINGT-CINQUIEME ANNIVERSAIRE Le College est une institution speciale a bien des 6gards. En tant que seul endroit consacre a la formation d'officiers pour la Garde cotiere canadienne, il s'est dote de programmes paralleles dans les deux langues officielles pour former des officiers qualifies en navigation et en mecanique maritime. Quand il a ouvert ses portes en septembre 1965 a un premier contingent de jeunes eleves officiers enthousiastes, le College occupait plusieun batiments temporaires datant de la Deuxieme Guerre mondiale, a la base maritime de Point Edward, non loin de Sydney. Maintenant demenage a Westmount, toujours au Cap-Breton, il est etabli dans de nouveaux edifices constraits pendant la demiere decennie au cout de 60 millions. On peut affiimer qu'il s'agit de I'un des instituts de marine les plus modemes et les mieux equipes au monde. Afin de mettre en evidence les nombreuses reahsations du College, des activites sont prevues tout au long de I'annee du 25' Anniversaire, notamment un toumoi de hockey pour las Garde cotiere, une important course de voiliers, une course sur la Piste Cabot et une serie de conferences. Du 8 au 11 juillet, tous les anciens diplomes sont convies au College. Pendant les vingt-cinq annfies d'histoire du College, la flotte de la Garde c6tiere canadienne a le'u 747 diplomes. Cent trois de ces diplomes viennent de la Nouvelle-ficosse dont quarante sont du Cap-Breton. ing a cross-sea, and at 4:15 the hawser parted and barge was adrift. I then consulted the mate of the Tug and the Captain and crew of the barge, and all agreed that it would be impossible to go alongside the barge in the hope of putting a tow line aboard. It was also agreed that as the hawser which was in use and which was extra heavy and strong parted that it would be hopeless to attempt to tow the Pelican with the other towing hawser aboard the Tug. It was therefore decid? ed to abandon the barge and proceed to Sydney, which we did, arriv? ing at Sydney and docked at 4:15 P.M. (Nov. 11th.) When the tow line parted the barge was in position approximately 95 miles North 81' east true from Low Point." At 4:15 then in the afternoon of November 10th 1923 the Pelican took the seas alone in darkening day and gathering stomri. Twenty-four hours later the Curlew docked at Sydney and reported to the Depart? ment of Marine and Fisheries. Sailing out of Halifax Harbour bound for Sydney, Cape Breton, the Ocean Eaole picked up the message sent out by one of the Dominion Steel Boats, the Watuka: "Barge Peh lean adrift." But it was not until the 19th that word flashed here that the Pelican was ashore at Sable Island near the main Life Saving Station. On the 20th the tug Ocean Eaole belonging to the St. John Dry Dock and Ship Building Company reached Sable Island to take charge of the derelict barge. The Superintendent of the Life Saving Station, in the mean time, had sent out men to let go the anchor of the barge, and when the Ocean Eaole took possession of the Pelican she took possession not of a vagrant ship but of an anchored ship. Around this fact developed a case "In The Exchequer Court of Cana? da" and in the "Nova Scotia Admiralty District" where under No. 40, we have the title, "The Owners, Master and Crew, S. S. Ocean Eaole (Plaintiffs) vs The Barge Pelican, Her Equipment, Cargo and Freight (Defendants)." The late Mr. Hugh Ross, K.C., afterwards Judge of the Supreme Court, Nova Scotia, acted as Counsel for Defendant Barge Pelican. The cost of salvage had been more than the commercial value of the salvage; and the Court was faced with the problem of untangling a confusion of values and authorities and responsibilities which makes a story in itself. Eventually the cargo of scrap iron was delivered to the Steel Company, ownership was passed back to the Newfound? land buyer, Mr. Bannikhin, and the empty hull moved to the shore in front of the city (of Sydney), where it has lain all these years, its day of beauty and strength and service seemingly forgotten. Turning (back) over the pages of the Pelican's log there may be found the entry in the War Years, "August 26th, 1918." At that time under Captain Borras the ship was re-commissioned and engaged in trans? port of munitions from Canadian and French ports to Archangel, Bus- SYDCO FUELS Serving Homes and Businesses throughout Cape Breton Furnace Oil Stove Oil Diesel Fuel Gasoline Lubricants 24-Hour Emergency Service Distributor of Petrocan 3 BURNER SYDCO FUEIS E!. 38 Lewis Drive, Sydney River 539-6444