Here is one of the original models used in the filming of the 1989 children's television series Theodore Tugboat.
There is a large exhibit on Sable Island, a narrow island 300 km southeast of Halifax, which has been the site of over 350 recorded shipwrecks since 1583. The first lifesaving station was founded in 1801.
There is a big exhibit on shipwrecks and treasure hunting along the Nova Scotia coastline . . .
. . . and an even bigger section with model ships.
Two historical events which have had a significant impact on Halifax are each given their own permanent exhibits.
When the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, the two ships which were sent to collect the bodies were undersea cable ships from Halifax, the Mackay-Bennet and the Minia. While all of the survivors were taken to New York, those who perished were taken to Halifax, and many of them are buried there today. The exhibit focuses both on life on board the Titanic as well as the recovery work.
One of the things that I noticed on this trip is the very "matter of fact" way in which information is presented on interpretive panels and information boards.
They have a reproduction Titanic deck chair, which of course I had to try.
When I found the life size photo of the Grand Staircase, I just knew Heather and I had to get a selfie in front of it. I expect this will be the closest I get to being on a cruise ship.
During the World Wars Halifax was a very busy place. The naturally ice-free harbor, one of the largest in the world, was used to form convoys headed for Europe. On the morning of December 6, 1917, the Mont-Blanc, a French munitions ship fully loaded with high explosives, collided with a Norwegian freighter in a narrow part of the harbor. Fire broke out on the Mont-Blanc, the crew abandoned ship, and it drifted to shore at Pier 6 in the Richmond district. Crowds of people gathered to watch the ship burning, not knowing what was on board. At about 9:05am the cargo detonated, in what is described as the largest man-made explosion ever until the atomic bomb. It is estimated that over 2,000 people died and over 9,000 were injured in the Halifax Explosion, and the north end of Halifax was obliterated.
Nothing remained of the Mont-Blanc at the dock. These pieces were found a very long way from the pier. The 3-ton anchor was found two miles away.
The Robertson Ship's Chandlery store opened in 1840, and is now part of the museum; it has been restored to the way it looked at the turn of the last century.
The Age of Sail exhibit has several examples of figureheads from sailing ships.
Click here to see more images from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax.
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