CCGS Sora
CCGS Sora was a 12.5m Small Multi Task Utility Craft that has seen service with the Canadian Coast Guard and Toronto Fire Services. It was deployed for medium range task and perform under moderate to high speed in moderate weather conditions and in sheltered waters in station mode. In 2005, it was transferred to Toronto and used as part of the Fire Services fleet. It was finally retired in 2015.
 As the fireboat Sora | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Sora |
| Operator | |
| Builder | Canadian Dredge & Dock Ltd., Kingston |
| Commissioned | 1982 |
| Recommissioned | 2005 with Toronto Fire Services |
| Decommissioned | 2005 from CCG |
| In service | 1982–present |
| Stricken | 2005 |
| Homeport |
|
| Fate | Transferred as reserve ship for the Toronto Fire Services |
| Status | Retired with Toronto Fire Services on October 31, 2015 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Multiple Task Utility Craft |
| Tonnage | 21 gross tons |
| Length | 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 1.24 m (4 ft 1 in) |
| Propulsion | Diesel engines |
| Speed | 26 knots (48 km/h) |
| Range | 300 nautical miles (560 km) |
| Endurance | 1 day |
| Complement | 3 |
Career with Canadian Coast Guard
During her career with the Canadian Coast Guard, Sora was a search and rescue boat along the Detroit River and western Lake Erie.[1]
Her task included:
- towing disabled/grounded light watercraft
- medical evacuation calls
- searching for missing vessels or aircraft over water
The vessel is not ice class and did not operated between December and April.[1]
Transfer to Toronto Fire
She was declared surplus in late 2005 and sold to the Toronto Fire Services in 2006 by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. It is a back-up fireboat for William Lyon Mackenzie. In November 2014, the City of Toronto government acquired another former CCG vessel, CCGS Cape Hurd, which replaced Sora as its second fireboat[2][3]
See also
Other utility ships in CCG:
- CCGS Waubuno
- CCGS Bittern
- CCGS CG 119
- CCGS Mallard
- CCGS Osprey
- CCGS Skua
- CCGS Sterne
References
- Search and Rescue Duties, Responsibilities and Services – Canadian Coast Guard
- in 2015.
David Rider (2015-06-24). "Toronto fireboat to be named after fallen firefighter". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
It will replace the Sora, another former Coast Guard vessel obtained by Toronto in 2006.
-
Toni Vigna (2015-06-09). "Toronto Fire Services – Fireboat Naming" (PDF). City of Toronto government. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
In November 2014, Toronto Fire Services (TFS) acquired a decommissioned vessel, "Cape Hurd" from the Canadian Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has retained the name. The vessel was commissioned as William Thornton and replaced Sora on October 31, 2015.