Maritime Museum of Québec

[XB-70A]

This museum is located along the Saint Laurent (St-Lawrence) river, about an hour of driving North-East of Québec city.

The collection isn't so "huge" and the museum average number of visitor is around 15 000 per year. But! But the museum had a particular and beautiful piece, an unique model of Canadian engineering which was originally supposed to be produced at a good number... the HMCS Bras d'Or, pennant number FHE 400!

 

Studied at the end of the 50's, the Bras d'Or was the finalisation of more than fifteen years of work looking for the creation of a new type of patrol boats to supervise then fight against the Soviets submarines patrolling near the Canadian Atlantic coast.

 

Lets have a little look around:

 

The front foil was realizing the biggest part of the planing when reaching the convenient speed.

 

A role which was then shared with the main foil.

 

A better view of the cruising propellers while the one dedicated to the high speed phase are covered by the grass.

 

A view of then port side while one of my friend was laying close to compare the size.

 

We then had to wait for fifteen minutes, and...

Welcome aboard!

 

One of the five stars room of the crew. The ship used to have about 25 crew members onboard during all its experimental phase but was supposed to had around 10 more during its service. 

 

The kingdom of the onboard  Chef.

 

One of the sailors and sub-officers table.

 

And the officers one. The paint, alas, is going away.

 

We kept on our visit in the ship's dark corridors until we found...

 

Yes! Another super luxurious installation for the guys! It seems like the museum workers had to ensure it stays closed after having some problems with peoples in the need...

 

We now are going to the engine room.

 

 

 

The propulsion was ensured by a single PAXMAN Ventura 16YJCM during the cruise. But the high speed phase was possible by the action of a U.S made Pratt & Whitney FT4A-2, a lowered JT-4A/J75 engine much more knew for its service onboard civil aircraft like the 707, DC-8 or with the military with the legendary F-105, U-2 or the F-106.

 

The engine room. Alas, as you can see, the turbine was removed. As well as the 16 cylinders diesel bloc. But any mechanics lover could enjoy it.

 

 

The inside visit then was nearly over and it was the time to climb on the main bridge:

A whole view from the rear of the ship and a closer one on the turbine exhaust. As you can see a door was open and lead the bridge.

 

Welcome back inside with a close view of the navigator post and its navigation radar screen.

 

The chief engineer post. Any 50's-70's aviation lover will be crazy with it! I probably stayed like five minutes to look at it...

 

Informations panel. Here is a rough translation :

The ship should have been equipped with a torpedo tubes system located on each side of the rear main bridge.

Originally, the plans specified it would have been Mk32 torpedoes, but the Mk46 were opted instead.

The system has been developed but the project was ended before its final installation on the hydrofoil.

 

A (bad) view from the bridge with the East-North-East coast of the Saint Laurent visible.

 

Just like with the hovercraft, the bridge looked like an aircraft cockpit, with dual yokes, task repartitions for the crew, centered engines throttle, etc...

Another common point with the hovercraft is the fact that the piloting crew had to own a pilot license.

 

 

Other views from the left seat. Then I turn my eyes to the port side and discovered we were annoying the tenant of the place...

 

Bad company

And I can't deny

Bad company

Until the day I die...

 

 

Other views of the opposite coast from the main deck and while we were disembarking.

 

Next step,

The visit of the icebreaker Ernest Lapointe.

[Goddess Bhavani]

Very nice pics - I love looking at old ships especially the engineering systems, very pretty and streamlined hydrofoil, too!

[qzgy]

Really quite nice. Is there anything else there interesting enough to warrant a visit?

[XB-70A]

10 hours ago, pandoras kitten said:

Very nice pics - I love looking at old ships especially the engineering systems, very pretty and streamlined hydrofoil, too!

Thank you, you will probably enjoy the icebreaker with its excellent engine room and boiler.

Here is an appetizer for waiting before the main diner :

 

49 minutes ago, qzgy said:

Really quite nice. Is there anything else there interesting enough to warrant a visit?

Thanks qz'. "Alas", the main subject of the museum are the Bras d'Or and Ernest Lapointe. Once you visited them there is not so much impressive things to do. They also have the JE Bernier II, a small sailing ship on-board which Cpt. Bouvier realize a pretty impressive travel, passing by the Northwest passage, beyond the Arctic Circle. Otherwise there is a nice collection of different old boat and their sail, plus a nice collection of different wood models with a beautiful Canadian frigate in and the battlecruiser Scharnhorst.

[NSEP]

Nice pics! I like how you share your experience from museums to the internet to enjoy, that's really kind.

[XB-70A]

On 8/13/2017 at 4:05 PM, NSEP said:

Nice pics! I like how you share your experience from museums to the internet to enjoy, that's really kind.

Thank you NSEP. I had like to post more during the last days but my sole computer is at home and so far from me now... only the phone could help me but... big fingers + multiple links x phone = madness.

[Randox]

I didn't realize the Bras d'Or had been kept as a museam ship. I've heard about it growing up; as I understand it.

Oh, and the S in Bras is silent if anyone is curious; as pronounced a few seconds into this video: Bras d'Or Lake Biosphere Reserve - Overview

At least, that is the local pronunciation for Bras d'Or Lake in Cape Breton, so I assume the ship's name would be pronounced the same way.

Edited August 15, 2017 by Randox

[XB-70A]

54 minutes ago, Randox said:

Oh, and the S in Bras is silent if anyone is curious; as pronounced a few seconds into this video: Bras d'Or Lake Biosphere Reserve - Overview

At least, that is the local pronunciation for Bras d'Or Lake in Cape Breton, so I assume the ship's name would be pronounced the same way.

Absolutely. Translated by the words "Bras d'Or" would be "Gold Arm". The problem being than in French "Bras" could indeed concern an "Arm", bodily talking, or an "Inlet" / "Branch of river", geographically talking. The second possibility finely being the most logical here.

[XB-70A]

I finally came back to my house studio today and it's time to complete the visit.

So here comes the icebraker Enerst Lapointe : 

Named after a politician and Minister of Justice from Québec city, the Lapointe was launched in 1939 and became fully operational two years later.

Again a little turn around can be realized :

 

Old but still charming.

 

As you can see the ship suffer a lot from the Northern Atlantic terrible conditions during its 37 years of hard but loyal service.

 

Transferred in 1980 the Lapointe now is enjoying the rest it clearly deserved.

 

Now it was time to visit or rather to explore the vessel a bit more.

Welcome on the foredeck with a close view of the icebreaker main anchor chains.

 

We then came back inside to keep on the exploration :

The table appeared to be the reserved not only for the officers during their diners but also to talk about the operations.

 

Another Chef kingdom.

 

I found it was fun to catch this.

 

 

One of the "guest" reserved cabins. With a vomit emergency exit available.

 

 

We could immediately think that is the Captain room but none at all. This place was reserved to special and/or important guest. With its own sink and leather sofa.

 

 

Another guest room but already a bit less "class" than the first two. At this time I already was amazed by the huge presence of wood on board. And it only was the beginning!

Anyway, now it was the time to go back outside:

 

 

On the way to the rear deck and to find...

 

The beautiful and original wheel of the ship. 

 

 

And its cable connecting it to the rudder. We will look at it later, inside the ship.

 

 

And it already was the time to return inside. We now were in the bridge of the vessel with a look at one of its engine order telegraph, dedicated to the port and starboard screws control for precise maneuvers.

 

 

The navigation and weather radar screen. It gives a strange impression, just like if it was a future creation in another from the past.

 

 

The post of the Radio-Navigator with an impressively precise map of the Saint-Laurent river. The name of Cap-aux-Oies appearing at the right bottom of the map is concerning a cape actually located at the top right of the map, just at the North-East of the island, which is called the Île aux Coudres.

 

 

An inside view of the foredeck with the museum main building on the right. We can imagine the courage of these men who fought against the rough and terrible natural elements.

 

 

Here is the main engine order telegraph.

 

 

Another radar screen. The range selector indicated options going from 2-3 miles to 24 miles.

 

 

Ok, let's leave the bridge to go to the upper deck :

Still beautiful. One of the ship's original arks is visible here.

 

 

We now are entering the Captain's cabin!

 

 

A world map of National Geographic from 1977!

 

 

As you can see, if the Captain was not living in the "rough" conditions of his crew, he also did not enjoy the luxury of the guest room. We we pretty impressed by the simplicity of his cabin.

 

 

 

Some stuff given by the Captains Robert Marchand (1941-67), François Breton (1976-78) and Émile Lavoie who was the last of all, serving from 1978 to the decommissioning.

 

 

Let's go outside once again!

One better view of the museum entrance from the upper deck.

 

I tried to take a global picture, but my 2007 dated camera I used at this time wasn't able to imitate a wide-angle lens (sigh).

 

It now was the time to go inside the boat!

The stairs were so small. I can't imagine how many of these guys just fell from here during hard weather.

 

The sailors dinning table.

 

An order.

Globally it should be :

 

 Canadian Coast Guards

 Ministry of Transports

 Sailor no.4

EMERGENCY STATION

 Your firefighting station is : bring an extinguisher.

 Your post for abandoning ship is the vessel : Number 2... Port side.

 Your function are : reach winch.

ALERT SIGNAL

  At least seven short tones followed by a prolonged tone of the whistle or siren of the ship, complete by the ringing of the alarm bell.

  As soon as you hear the warning signal, put on your life-jacket and, unless reversed instructions, go to your ship abandonment station.

  Know what your duties and positions are; carefully read the role you have.

 

 

Well, you have enough of clean locations and rooms? Let's go deeper!  In the ship entrails! @carmenara I just hope you will enjoy it.

 Aaaah, a smell of rust and oil! WELCOME in the machinery territory!

 

The generators section.

Let's go even deeper!

 

 

One of the two boilers with one of its cruise "small tubes" opened.

 

Mmmh, how beautiful!

 

5 806 675 revolutions at the time of the decommissioning.

 

 

Another pressure gauge. But this one suffer a lot.

 

 

 

We then kept on traveling to reach the rudder section.

 

Keeping on walking.

 

Here we are! The rudder main command.

 

A closer view at the oil and how "small" the mechanism is.

 

 

One last picture, of crushed tomatoes cans, before leaving the ship. As you can see the brand mark "Heinz" was already invading the world in the 70's being even in a ship of the Canadian Coast Guard.

 

 

See you Ernest. It was great to visit you.

Edited August 16, 2017 by XB-70A

[Goddess Bhavani]

An impressive tour! Thanks for posting these! 

[XB-70A]

All my pleasure

I don't know if there is any models fan here but those are the last shot I took here before leaving :

The frigate HMCS Halifax (FFH 330) which was the lead ship of her class. Commissioned in 92 she still is in service today. 

 

 

The RMS Empress of Ireland. Pretty sell knew in Canada for its sinking in the Saint Laurent with a Norwegian bulk cargo on the 29th May 1914. But most of the world did not gave so much attention to her disappearance and the investigation following as just a month later Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo... and everybody knows what quickly followed.

 

My second favorite liner ever after the SS Normandie, the SS United States, which still has the Blue Riband of the fastest liner ever built. But as you can see the model, alas, was surrounded of glass. This make every profile pictures impossible without getting reflects or the vertical wood covering it.

I'm not totally sure about the ship on the right, it could be the destroyer USS The Sullivans.

 

The Scharnhorst battlecruiser from the Kriegsmarine. Probably one of the most precise of all in the collection with the HMCS Halifax. The precision gave to the 280 and 150 mm turrets were impressive !

Now, as the official war ensign of the Kriegsmarine with its swastika is present at the front of the ship I don't know if they had the right to be on the forum. If not, could one of the moderator erase them? Or I could do it immediately too.