CCGS Matthew

The CCGS Matthew is a Canadian Coast Guard mid-shore scientific & Survey vessel based in Dartmouth, NS. She is operated within the Canadian Coast Guard Maritimes region. She is primarily used to carry out hydrographic survey work primarily for the production of nautical charting products on the East and West Coast, but can also be used for stock assessment using sonar. She is named for John Cabot's ship Matthew from his second voyage to North America. This was the result of a public high school naming competition. CCGS Matthew frequently operates in co-operation with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and the Canadian Hydrographic Service. Built in a British Columbia shipyard, Matthew was delivered in an overall white paint scheme. She was transferred to the east coast in 1991, and acquired her Coast Guard red and white paint in 1997. There was some participation in the mapping of Placentia Bay, NF in co-operation with Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Hydrographic Service in April 2004. In 2007, the ship was playing an important role in mapping the floor of the Bay of Fundy, particularly along the Nova Scotia coast. Matthew has minimal ice strengthening in its forward hull, and no strengthening of its rudders, shafting and propellers for operation in ice-covered waters.

Refits
During 2005 the vessel was equipped with an advanced, multi-beam echo-sounder. The transducers for this equipment are housed in a centerline pod which extends 1.0 meter below the keel. Suggested alterations to sonar were met with a lack of enthusiasm. Nonetheless, subsequent missions were able to be conducted with only minor delays, none of which were related to the new sonars. As a part of Canada's Economic Action Plan in 2009-2010, Matthew underwent a refit in Quebec City costing over $105,000 involving systems replacement, crane replacement, and reliability improvements. In May 2011 Matthew received a short refit.