CCGS John A . Macdonald CCGS " John A . Macdonald " was a Canadian Coast Guard heavy icebreaker . She was named after The Right Honourable , Sir John Alexander Macdonald , GCB , KCMG , PC , PC ( Cananda ) , the First Prime Minister of Canada . She was commissioned into the Canadian Department of Transport ' s Marine Service in 1960 using the prefix " Canadian Government Ship " ( CGS ) . She was transferred in 1962 into the newly created Canadian Coast Guard ( CCG ) and served with distinction until being decommissioned in 1991 , and replaced by the then - chartered ( but later purchased ) . Ship ' s history . The " John A . Macdonald " was known to Canadian Coast Guard personnel as " " The Queen of the Fleet " " , and is also considered by many veteran Canadian and U . S . coastguardsmen to be the finest Canadian icebreaker ever built . The CCGS " John A Macdonald " was awarded the U . S . Coast Guard Unit Commendation " " for extremely meritorious service in the support of United States Coast Guard operations during the period of 23 September 1967 to 08 October 1967 " " , during the Arctic West Summer ( AWS ) 1967 cruise by Admiral ( ADM ) Willard J . Smith , Commandant , United States Coast Guard . In 1969 " John A . Macdonald " , Captain Paul A . Fournier CCG , Master , assisted the then - new CCGS " Louis S . St - Laurent " , Captain Wilfred Dufour CCG , Master , in rescuing the , Captain Roger A . Steward , Master ; during its transit of the Northwest Passage . " John A . Mcdonald " made a double transit from the east to west and returned west to east . During the rescue , the " John A . Macdonald " broke her starboard propeller in heavy ice ; the propeller is on display by the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal , Dartmouth , Nova Scotia . The Canadian government representative in " SS Manhattan " was Captain T . C . Pullen RCN ( Ret ' d ) . The " John A . Macdonald " was assisted by the U . S . icebreakers " USCGC Northwind ( WAGB - 282 ) " and the " USCGC Staten Island ( WAGB - 278 ) . " In 1975 " John A . MacDonald " , Captain G . Yarn In Command , made a partial transit of the Northwest Passage , westward , through Lancaster Sound , Peel Sound and Victoria Strait . During 1978 " John A . MacDonald " , Captain G . Yarn In Command made an east to west partial transit of the Northwest Passage , traveling on charter to Dome Petroleum , through Lancaster Sound , Prince of Wales Strait and the Beaufort Sea . In 1979 " John A . MacDonald " Captain S . Goodyear In Command , made another partial transit of the Northwest Passage , west to east , returning eastward from a charter operation . During 1985 " John A . MacDonald " with Captain G . Barry In Command made a further partial transit of the Northwest Passage traveling westward , through Peel Sound , Victoria Strait , Amundsen Gulf and back . 1988 " John A . MacDonald " Captain G . Barry In Command made another partial transit of the Northwest Passage traveling westward , through Lancaster Sound , Peel Sound and Demarcation Point then back . In 1987 she underwent an eight month , $ 8 - million ( CAD ) refit , only to be decommissioned four years later . She was transferred from the CCG to Crown Assets and was renamed " 1201 " . She was sold for scrapping and towed from Halifax Harbour , Nova Scotia to India in November 1993 and was broken up in the early months of 1994 .