Usually, when people hear the name White Star Line, their minds go to the RMS Titanic and then maybe to her sister ships, Olympic and Brittanic. Before this steel giants sailed the seas, however, they had a number of predecessors. One of the most important of those is the SS Atlantic.
Read MoreAnother week has passed, and that means it's time to review a few of the ships that came through this week.
Read MoreThe M/V Christmas Seal was a medical ship that provided medical services and screenings for isolated outport communities in Newfoundland from 1947 to 1970. She was originally an American Naval Crash Rescue Boat, used to rescue air crews and pilots from crashed airplanes.
Read MoreThis week I decided to feature a wreck from my home province; one that anyone who has visited the Niagara region is probably familiar with.
Anyone who has visited Niagara Falls (either the Canadian or American side, though your vantage point for this would be better from Canada) has probably seen the large, rusting wreck in the middle of the rapids leading the way towards the Horseshoe Falls. I remember being a kid and having my grandfather point it out to me, saying it was a barge that had broken free of its moorings and got stuck in the middle of the rapids. But what's the real story? Not to say my granddad was lying, but there's a way you explain things to an eight year old and a way you explain things to an adult. So, for this week's "Over the Waves", I decided to research the history behind this hulking wreck, referred to in publications as "The Niagara Scow" or "The Old Scow".
Read MoreDeanna Dean
She was actually here last week, but i didn't have a chance to wrote about her. This fishing boat is actually from the Bay Verte area, and doesn't make trips into St. John's very often.
Her fishing trips usually have her at sea for four or five days, returning to port to offload their catch of turbot, shrimp or crab, and then heading out again until the season ends. She's 14 years old, but has been so well cared for that you wouldn't know it to look at her.
Read MorePortugal has a very rich fishing history, especially off the shores of Newfoundland. For hundreds of years, Portuguese schooners brought their fishermen to the grounds of the Grand Banks, lowering their small dories into the water. These men would fish all day using hand lines (or later, small trawl nets), returning to their ships at night to offload, salt, prepare, and store their catch. While it seems like it would be a simple life, it was dangerous. You could get trapped between your dory and the hull of your vessel, lost in the fog, or if a storm came up, you could be swept away. Some men just disappeared.
Read MoreWe are finally getting into cruise ship season! That time of year when downtown is filled with tourists from all over the world, and ships tower over the city's skyline. This week saw a couple of these vessels arrive in our harbour, starting with...
Read MoreNOTE 2018: I posted an updated copy of my Florizel article here for the centenary commemoration of the wreck.
In 1909, the Red Cross line, owned by Bowring Brothers commissioned the construction of their flagship vessel, the SS Florizel. She was built to replace the SS Silva, and would act as passenger vessel, troopship, and sealing ship. The Florizel lead a proud career until the fateful night when she sank off the coast of Cappahayden. She has a bunch of stories to tell, but right now, let's look at her stats.
Read MoreHappy 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!
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