Moorhen (C.C.G.C.)

In 1952 this vesselemployed as an Royal Canadian Air Force Crash Boat at Royal Canadian Air Force Base Holberg.

In 1964 the D.O.T. renamed her Moorhen because the name Skua was already existed in the D.O.T. Fleet. David G Howell (British Columbia Nautical History Facebook Group 01/08/2019) stated that "The boat in the yard is definitely a 40 UTB. The Moorhen I believe is at Cates Park. So It could be the Mallard. However, it could also be another ex Royal Canadian Air Force or even an ex USCG 40'. Moorhen was built in Delaware I believe in 1948. The Mallard was built up False Creek in 1950 -52(?). The moorhen was always the fastest of the two. Stripped down with low fuel and no gear aboard in trials after a Refit at McKay Cormack in Victoria Frank Wilkins (OIC Kitsbase) and I had the Moorhen doing 24knts! Loaded with kit the best I ever got out of her was 21 +. But you had to be down on fuel & shafts and props had to be sweet to get that. I never saw the Mallard get better than 18knts.

They handled extremely well and were pretty good tow vessels. After punching out the forward windows a couple of times in heavy weather we replace them with Aluminum panels with a much smaller glass mounted in an extruded frame and bolted into the panel. Rick Tolonin almost lost her off Sandheads when that occurred. This vessel took on so much water up forward that he had trouble turning her bow out of the wind and sea as his props and rudders were coming out of the water. Eventually, he got her swung around and got the salvage pump going. Pumped her out and ran her back up to Steveston. It was a pretty simple fix with those aluminum panels and that ended that concern."