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A Visit to Halifax's Maritime Museum

 

This blog features highlights of my visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax several years ago.  Things change slowly in Nova Scotia so I suppose the information is still fairly accurate.

02 Maritime Museum, Halifax

I enjoyed my visit to this museum.  Halifax is in Canada's Maritime provinces and has strong historical ties to the sea -- ties that last to the present day.  It's appropriate that there should be a museum dedicated to this history along the city's harbor, the museum being accessible from the city's Harborwalk.

03 Maritime Museum, Halifax

The museum does a nice job of presenting the important aspects of maritime history in Nova Scotia.  One of the first things we encountered upon entering the museum was this nice gentlemen building a model ship -- using great care.

04 Maritime Museum, Halifax

The museum has an interesting collection of model ships, including this one of the Bras d'Or, the fastest warship in the world.

05 Maritime Museum, Halifax

The collection is wide ranging, including items of interest to children (Theodore Tugboat), to lighthouse lenses, to exploration of the northwest passage, to various naval armaments.

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07 Maritime Museum, Halifax

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09 Maritime Museum, Halifax

A popular exhibit is small craft gallery showcasing the types of vessels you'll commonly see sailing around the harbors, both recreational and commercial.

10 Maritime Museum, Halifax

A photo of the small craft gallery (shown below) was used in last weekend's One Clue Mystery photo, which was recognized by Professor Abe, George G and Roderick Simpson -- congratulations to all!

One Clue Mystery - Copy

Probably the most popular exhibit in the collection pertains to the Titanic.  Most people don't know that the city which most broadly responded to the Titanic's SOS call was Halifax, as it was the closest major port.  Sadly, these efforts were largely operations to remove the deceased from the water (survivors were sent on the New York). many of whom are buried in the city.  There are unusual and interesting artefacts on display, including articles found floating in the ocean -- even the shoes of one of the children who died in the disaster.  The Titanic disaster has gripped people imagination for more than a century, including my own.

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12 Maritime Museum, Halifax

13 Maritime Museum, Halifax

14 Maritime Museum, Halifax(copy of a Titanic deck chair)

15 Maritime Museum, Halifax
(cabinet from the Titanic)

16 Maritime Museum, Halifax(shoes of a child who died in the sinking of the Titanic)

I found the exhibit on Shipwreck Treasures to be quite interesting.  I had no idea that there were hundreds of shipwrecks off the coast of Nova Scotia.  As you might expect, some of these had treasure, like coins.  Even if not of great commercial value, shipwrecks provide fascinating archaeologic treasures.

17 Maritime Museum, Halifax

18 Maritime Museum, Halifax

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20 Maritime Museum, Halifax

We spent a half day exploring the museum and strolling its many exhibits.  If you have an interest in things sea-related, be sure to include a stop at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic when visiting the area.

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22 Maritime Museum, Halifax

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  • One Clue Mystery - Copy
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Twitter: @DrFumblefinger

"We do not take a trip, a trip takes us".  John Steinbeck, from Travels with Charlie

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