Halifax Coast Guard Radio Callsign "VCS"

The Canadian Navy had a large married quarters just across the approach to the A. Murray McKay bridge from the present Shannon Hill station. The official name was Shannon Park after the frigate HMS SHANNON.

His Majesty's Frigate SHANNON, Captain Philip Broke, Royal Navy fought and captured the United States Frigate CHESAPEAKE, Captain James Lawrence, United States Navy off Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday, June 1st, 1813. HMS SHANNON escorted USS CHESAPEAKE into Halifax, Nova Scotia. Captain Lawrence was wounded and died before arrival at Halifax. As Captain Lawrence was carried below he made the statement "Don't Give Up the Ship!" and this statement has become part of the tradition of the United States Navy. That is where the name comes from.    Spurgeon G. "Spud" Roscoe VE1BC

The following pictures show the building of the Halifax Coast Guard Radio (VCS) & Halifax Traffic (VBJ20). My thanks to Bill Marchant who took the photographs for his permission to use them.

If you ever wondered just what went into building a coast guard station, now is your chance to find out. Here is the building of Shannon Hill...............

	In the beginning Fall 1983		Nearby Water Tower
	The Engineers		Georges Island Radar and Microwave
	Evaluating a display		What the Radar Saw
	Getting Started December 1983		The Stakeout.
	Breaking Ground		View from the building site February 1984
	The footings 18th February 1984		Foundations 25th February 1984
	Foundations		The right of way for power 4th April 1984
	The South Wall		Electricity arriving 7th April 1984
	A view from the South   15th April 1984		Interior Walls
	Insulation on the outside		Fuel tank & Septic tank     28th April 1984
	Transformer Pad		Brick on the North wall
	Steel floor Ops. room level 5th May 1984		First floor up, from the parking lot 12th May 1984
	Second floor going up    26th May 1984		The ops. room roof
	Seen from the road		Bridge from the Ops. room
	Tarring the roof 16th June 1984		Building the back fence
	Trench to the disposal field		The equipment room 20th July 1984
	The Operations room		The diesel room
	The communications tower going up		Cable tray to the communications tower
	The classroom		Main entrance 7th October 1984
	The DND water tower is felled		Ops. room floor layout
	Equipment Room 5th February 1985		Norcontrol displays in position
	The kitchen		Georges Island, New electronics building
	We have a sign!!!		Radar Tower 3rd July 1985
	Microwave Dish		Radar over the building
	Chebucto Head Towers		Chebucto Head Building
	Chebucto Head as it was 3rd January 1986		Demolishing the old Ops. room
	Forms for the new foundation		Old Operations room gone!
	The new covers the old....
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