The vessel is powered and propelled by two fixed-pitch propellers and bow thrusters powered by three Alco 251F diesel-electric engines creating 8,847 horsepower (6,597 kW) and three Canadian GE generators producing 6 megawatts of AC power driving two Canadian GE motors creating 7,040 horsepower (5,250 kW).[2][3] The ship is also equipped with one Caterpillar 3306 emergency generator, and one Caterpillar 3508 auxiliary generator. This gives the ship a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h). Capable of carrying 783.7 long tons (796.3 t) of diesel fuel, Kopit Hopson 1752 has a maximum range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km) at a cruising speed of 13.7 knots (25.4 km/h) and can stay at sea for up to 120 days. The ship is certified as Arctic Class 2.[3]
The icebreaker is equipped with one Racal Decca Bridgemaster navigational radar operating on the I band. The vessel is equipped with a 980 m3 (35,000 cu ft) cargo hold. Kopit Hopson 1752 has a flight deck and hangar which originally housed light helicopters of the MBB Bo 105 or Bell 206L types, but in the 2010s, the Bell 429 GlobalRanger and Bell 412EPI were acquired by the Canadian Coast Guard to replace the older helicopters.[4] The ship has a complement of 25, with 10 officers and 15 crew. Kopit Hopson 1752 has 9 additional berths.[3]
On 17 December 2007, Edward Cornwallis was dispatched to recover the 140-metre (459 ft 4 in) bargeHouston carrying diesel fuel that had cast adrift in St. George's Bay near Port Hood, Nova Scotia. Facing 70 km/h (43 mph) winds and 5-metre (16 ft) waves, members of the crew boarded the barge. They rescued the crew and kept the barge from going aground until a tugboat arrived on 19 December. Five members of the crew were later awarded medals for their efforts.[6]
On 2 March 2020, Shelburne Ship Repair was awarded a CA$12.1 million contract to refit Edward Cornwallis at their yard in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Work was expected to begin in April and last until January 2021.[7] During the refit, the ship was renamed to CCGS Kopit Hopson 1752.[8]
The ship was originally launched as CCGS Edward Cornwallis in 1986, named after Edward Cornwallis, a British military officer, who became governor of Nova Scotia. He was notorious for having a 1749 scalping proclamation for a bounty on the heads of Mi'kmaq; and funding Gorham's Rangers, a mercenary unit that harassed the Mi'kmaq. As Cornwallis' legacy has been reevaluated, the name of the ship became problematic to the greater public, and the Mi'kmaq requested a name change.[8][10][11][12]
Renaming
Due to the controversial history of the ship's original namesake, the ship was pending a rename by the Mi'kmaq.[11] The Halifax Shipping News reported[8] on 31 March 2021 that the Canadian Coast Guard vessel formerly known as Edward Cornwallis, had been re-registered[13] as CCGS Kopit Hopson 1752. The new name was chosen in consultation with indigenous peoples and recognizes Jean-Baptiste Cope under his Mi'kmaq name, British Governor Peregrine Hopson, and the year of the peace and friendship treaty created by former Governor Edward Cornwallis.[14]
Maginley, Charles D. & Collin, Bernard (2001). The Ships of Canada's Marine Services. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited. ISBN1-55125-070-5.
