hi everyone today i'm in vanier park in vancouver british columbia and
this funny-looking building behind me is the vancouver maritime museum let's go check it out
there's a very good reason that the building's shaped this way
one of the museum's featured exhibits is a full-size historic sailing ship
behind me is the actual sailing vessel the saint roche which was the first vessel to
complete the northwest passage from west to east the saint roch is a royal canadian mounted police
schooner which is famous for being the first ship to completely circumnavigate north america
and just the second vessel to ever navigate the northwest passage
the ship was constructed in 1928 in north vancouver before it was shipped out to patrol
canada's arctic it's made mainly of thick douglas fir with australian eucalyptus known as ironbark
on the outside and the interior is reinforced with heavy beam to withstand the pressure of arctic ice
the ship acted as a floating detachment of the rcmp serving as a supply ship a patrol
vessel and a transport linking the scattered communities in canada's north but it was the
nazi occupation of greenland during the second world war that triggered the saint roch to go on
its most famous voyage it set out on a secret mission to cross the arctic traveling through
the treacherous waters and uncharted territories of the northwest passage then in 1950 the vessel
became the first to circumnavigate north america traveling from halifax nova scotia all the way to
vancouver via the panama canal by 1954 the ship was decommissioned and returned to vancouver
finding a permanent home here on public display at the vancouver maritime museum
designated a national historic site of canada the saint roch still inspires the imagination of
children and adults who wonder at its tales from the early days of arctic exploration
diagram of the saint roch
let's head down to the cabins below
so some pretty steep steps
very tight quarters in here some crew bunks
not a lot of space whatsoever i guess just enough to sleep an old stove for heat
which i guess is important when you're navigating the northwest passage
and here's a bronze statue of the captain henry a larson
let's take a look at the captain's quarters downright luxurious compared to the crew cabins
a library and reading room this was a study area
here's the cabinet of the wireless operator you can see he's got his
equipment right in this room there to be at the ready 24 hours a day
there's the kitchen this is where all the meals would have been prepared i can't imagine how
difficult it would have been trying to cook meals on a moving ship like that and the dining area
with the table sectioned off this was known as the fiddle and they used this grid pattern
to keep dishes from sliding off the table in rough weather and this was the residence of
joe panapakuchu who was an inuit guide and hunter who came aboard with the family of seven people
plus 17 sled dogs can you imagine a family of seven people living in this tiny tent
it said the whole family lived in this tent for over a month
the ship is always a highlight when visiting the maritime museum but let's check out some of
the other exhibits on site and this exhibit explores the history of the hmcs vancouver
a corvette which was commissioned in 1941 and served in world war ii
this painting commissioned in 1919 shows a world war ii british destroyer similar to
the hmcs vancouver death charging a german u-boat the emblem of the hmcs vancouver
and this exhibit shows some relics from the early divers who explored the depths of the
ocean unlike today's scuba gear these divers were heavy bulky outfits which were connected
to the surface by an air supply hose and here's one of the old-fashioned pumps that would have
fed air down to the divers some of the heavy boots that the divers would have
worn to keep them walking firmly on the bottom and over here it says to communicate a pair of
speakers were fitted within the diver's cap and a microphone was placed near the front window
this section talks about the different lighthouses used for navigation
it says this lens was once stationed in a lighthouse at the south end of quadra island
it sat on top of an 18 meter tower and was built in 1915
and this giant piece is a searchlight that was originally located on the sudbury 2.
the museum also has a collection of miniature ships
many of which have local or historic significance
one of these models is of the rms empress of japan also known as the queen of pacific
an ocean liner built in 1890 during her career the empress of japan made 315 pacific crossings
between canada and the far east traveling a total distance of 4 million kilometers during the
first world war she served as an armed merchant cruiser and remained in service until 1922. upon
retirement her famous dragon-shaped figurehead was put on display on the stanley park sea wall
but in 1960 it was replaced with a fiberglass replica and the original
was moved here to the vancouver maritime museum as part of its permanent collection
one of the current exhibits the museum is celebrating canoe cultures
it says the canoe cultures is an indigenous-led organization dedicated to the art and culture
of the canoe promoting indigenous voices through artistic expression
canoes are an integral part of the indigenous culture here on the west coast celebrated by
our first peoples is more than transportation but as an art form that's foundational to their
traditional way of life for this exhibit visual and performing artists have been invited to
join the program and create works that explore the importance of the canoe in the indigenous identity
and here are some of the tools that are used in the carving of those canoes
outside you can see the picard grumman px15 known as the benjamin franklin this
is an oceanic research submersible built in 1969
and made the world's longest research dive when it drifted for 30 days in the gulf stream
thanks for joining today hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about canada's maritime history
remember to keep exploring until next time it's time to exit through the gift shop