Hello all! The traffic in the harbour has started to slow as we move into the autumn, so I'm going to be changing the format a bit. Every Friday I will be showcasing one particular ship that calls St. John's home. I will report any new ships that sail in, of course, but this way I'd like to focus on ships that are more local rather than visiting. To start this off, I'm going to feature one of my favourite Canadian Coast Guard vessels, the CCGS Ann Harvey.
Read MoreHappy Canadian Thanksgiving! I hope all my Canadian friends have had lots of time for love and laughter this weekend, as well as super food! This week, we are starting off with the earliest wreck that I have covered so far; the Lady of the Lake, which sank in 1833.
Read MoreThis week unfortunately we only had one large ship come in - the Royal Caribbean cruise liner Legend of the Seas. We were supposed to also have the M/S Insignia, but she cancelled on Monday due to a massive weather system that is supposed to hit sometime this weekend. So while my post will be short this week, I'll try to make it as interesting as possible! M/S Legend of the Seas.
Read MoreHello everyone. For this weeks Over the Waves I decided to focus on a Canadian Navy story from the Second World War. Personally, I knew there had been U-boats off Canada's shores during wartime, and I knew about a couple that had been sunk (such as the one off of Bell Island, near St. John's). What I didn't know was the story of the HMCS Esquimalt and U-190, something that happened right in Canadian territory with one of our own ships. So, for this week, that's the story I am bringing to you all.
Read MoreAt the beginning of the Second World War, it was decided by the Allied forces that perhaps Newfoundland was more strategic of a location than they had previously thought. Being closer to Europe that anywhere else in North America, and being an island, gave it an advantage that land-based ports didn't have. Unfortunately, the effects of the Depression and the FIrst World War were still being felt, and Newfoundland could not afford to build any new defences on its Island shores. The Americans built two bases - one in St. John's, on the site of Pleasantville (the old training grounds of the Newfoundland Regiment) and one in Argentia, along the south shore. One night in 1942, however, this arrangement would prove costly for two ships of the American fleet: the USS Pollux and the USS Truxtun. This weeks entry is going to focus on the loss of the Truxton.
Read MoreIt's my 25th post today! Thanks to everyone who comes back week after week to check out what I have to say. I appreciate all the feedback and support! This week saw another ship, the Royal Princess, cancel her scheduled trip to St. John's due to high winds on Sunday. While that was disappointing, we still had quite a few interesting ships sail in this week, so without further ado, here they are...
M/V Sea Adventurer
Read MoreHappy Tuesday all! Sorry for the delay in posting. Continuing on with our theme from last week, I decided to go with another lesser known ocean liner from my favourite era. Back in the day, Canadian Pacific not only had a railway, but had ocean liners that left from both coasts. At one point, Canada had transportation that covered over half of the world, being able to get from Liverpool to Singapore without changing the shipping line. One of their ships was the elegant Empress of Scotland, coming into the fleet in 1921. Leading up to that however, she had a long career.
Read MoreI've decided to take a bit of a departure this week from smaller vessels. Since my first love is ocean liners, I decided to look to my larger ships, and tell the story this week of the RMS Queen Elizabeth.
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