Canadian Coast Guard Remembers Refugee Rescue 40 Years On

The Canadian Coast Guard has remembered the 40th anniversary of the rescue of 155 Tamil refugees off the coast of Newfoundland.

On August 11, 1986, Captain Gus Dalton and fellow fishermen found two lifeboats carrying 155 people fleeing violence and war in Sri Lanka near St. Shotts. Together with local fishing vessels, we launched a coordinated rescue effort.

The CCGS Leonard J. Cowley played a key role in bringing the refugees safely ashore.

“Forty years later, this rescue remains a powerful example of compassion, cooperation, and humanitarian action at sea,” said the Canadian Coast Guard in a Facebook post.