Meritorious Service Medal

• Awarded on: June 22, 1999
• Invested on: September 10, 1999

Captain (Ret'd) Philip O. Grandy, M.S.M., Hammonds Plains, N.S.
Meritorious Service Medal (civil division)

In 1992, Mr. Grandy, a Canadian Coast Guard Captain, was appointed Commanding Officer of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship LOUIS S. ST-LAURENT. During this posting, he established two landmarks in navigation of surface vessels. In 1993, the "LOUIS" became the third surface vessel to navigate the length of the M'Clure Strait, and the first to do so in 31 years. Then in 1994, his voyage across the central Arctic Ocean from the West was the first complete transit of the Arctic Ocean by surface ships, and ranks as a major achievement in high Arctic navigation. Mr. Grandy not only brought his ship through uncharted waters safely and successfully, but in the latter stages and more difficult ice conditions, also guided the United States Coast Guard Cutter POLAR SEA to the North Pole. The voyage allowed an international scientific mission to conduct ground-breaking research which could not otherwise have been done, establishing a benchmark for future Arctic studies.