In The Harbour: August 1st-7th (Montreal Edition)
Happy Friday everyone! I hope this week has gone well for you all! As promised, here is a special edition of This Week, featuring the beautiful harbour front of Montreal, Quebec! Just a quick note before we start off... The lovely folks at VOCM (our local AM news for those of you not from Newfoundland) busted the myth of the Palembang and her presence in the harbour this week. She has been brought down to recover the Turrett Cover Plate from these Terra Nova Field. It was hoisted onto the deck of the Palembang just over a week ago, at which time she returned to St. John's and has been towering over downtown ever since.
Now, onto Montreal!
First of all, the feature photo this Friday is of an old grain elevator located along the harbour. The grain was sent through pipes and into the hull of a waiting cargo vessel, moored in the slip. There are pipes that run underneath the concrete structure that would suck the air from the grain, making it easier and faster to move. Located on the other side of it, which you unfortunately can't see in this shot, is our first vessel...
Famille Dufour II
Nationality: Canadian
Length: 45 metres
Beam: 10 metres
Weight: 465 tonnes
Speed: 10 knots
Year: 1995
Moored in the Montreal harbour in a slot to itself, the Famille Dufour II stood out as a giant among the smaller pleasure crafts that were enjoying the St. Lawrence that day. She is a tour vessel that has been operated by La Goélette Marie-Clarisse Inc. since 1995, specializing in event hosting, sightseeing, and whale watching. She can hold anywhere between 25-490 guests, for any type of event you may want to host.
She caught my eye mostly for her shape. In a harbour where most vessels are either cargo, industrial, or small pleasure crafts, it was a change to see a streamlined, well kept tour vessel. Not to say I don't love my industrial boats, but it was a change for sure!
VMS Hercules
Nationality: Canadian
Length: 62.5 metres
Beam: 23 metres
Speed: 6 knots
Year: 1965
Complement: 11
Built in 1965 and currently moored directly in front of Habitat 67, is the VMS Hercules. Owned by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Company, she was originally designed to help with lifting the loch gates along the seaway. Now, she is frequently called upon to assist commercial marine companies with lifting and moving heavy cargo. She doesn't travel outside the Montreal harbour, and is one of two floating cranes that are owned and operated by the St. Lawrence Seaway team.
The interesting thing about her design is that to see her when she is moored, she does not look like she sits more than a couple of feet off the surface. While I didn't get to see her in action, there are plenty of images of her with a heavy gate firmly in her grasp, and with no waive ring I her integrity at all. It always amazes me the way things like this can be engineered to look like they wouldn't stand up to any amount of strain, but can actually do much more than you would expect!
Unfortunately that's all I have for this week! Monday we return to the Maritimes for a passenger vessel that also served as sealer, troop ship, and carried plenty of people to and from the island of Newfoundland before meeting her end due to a miscalculation.
Think you know the vessel I'm talking about? Guess you'll have to come back on Monday to find out!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Images this week from here and here just until I find my camera cable which appears to have evaporated...
I've got a Twitter account as well! For history bits, harbour shots, or random facts, follow me @OriginalShipstr