THUNDER BAY — When the Alexander Henry museum ship reopens after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, visitors will see a new addition to the exhibits.
The Canadian Coast Guard ship Samuel J. Risley slipped into port this week, and used her crane to deposit a 10-ton block of concrete and a buoy on the shore where the former icebreaker is berthed.
The Lakehead Transportation Museum Society, which operates the attraction, had asked the Coast Guard to donate any items that would complement the museum ship.
President Charlie Brown said the group wasn't sure when the buoy might arrive, and received no advance notice of the delivery date.
"We've been expecting it for the last couple of years, but there were transportation issues. This time they had room for it on the Risley," Brown said.
The Coast Guard used the six-meter long steel buoy and bell, anchored with a chain to the concrete block, to aid in navigation on the Great Lakes.
"This was one of the main duties the Alexander Henry had. It took the lighthouse keepers out to their stations and it set out the buoys. It was an integral part of what it actually did," Brown said.
"It's a good addition for us," he said, adding that he believes it had been sitting unused for sometime at Parry Sound.
Brown said the Coast Guard has been very generous to his group.
Last year the society was also able to bring in a Great Lakes lifeboat which members of the museum society plan to fix up.
