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CCGS Amundsen T1200 Class Icebreakers

The CCGS Amundsen (ex Sir John Franklin) was built in 1979 and is one of the Canadian Coast Guard's four T1200 Class Icebreakers. She was laid up in 1996 due to a reduced operational requirement for the fleet of heavy icebreakers. In 2003, through the efforts of a consortium of marine research institutions, led by Dr. Louis Fortier of Laval University and including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), a proposal to refit this icebreaker to support Arctic research for six months of the year was accepted by the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Under this proposal, DFO agreed to provide the ship and contribute to its initial refit.

Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) was a Naval officer and arctic explorer. He led an overland expedition in 1821 to map the arctic coast which was disastrous; but in 1825-27 he successfully charted from Prudhoe Bay to Coppermine. In 1845 with two vessels, Erebus and Terror, he attempted to find a Northwest passage, but disappeared. A logbook was later found recording his death. The many expeditions that searched for Franklin explored vast arctic areas. Roald AMUNDSEN (1872-1928) was truly an Arctic explorer who is held in high regard with respect to his contributions to what can be rightly construed as Canada's development in the Arctic. Medard Chouart des Groseilliers, (1618-c1696) was a close associate of Pierre Radisson in explorations west of the Great Lakes and the founding of the English Hudson's Bay company in 1670-75. Henry Asbjorn Larsen, (1899-1964). Born in Norway, he commanded the RCMP patrol vessel St.Roch from 1929 to 1948. In 1940-42 he accomplished the first west to east transit of the Northwest Passage. In 1944, he took the St.Roch back to Vancouver by a more northerly route, the first to make the transit in both directions. Pierre Radisson (c1636-1710). Explorer and fur trader. Born in Paris and came to Canada in 1651. With des Groseilliers explored west to the Mississipi. Worked for Hudson's Bay company 1670-1676 and after 1684. Died in England 1710.