KINGSTON, ONTARIO - MARINE MUSEUM OF THE GREAT LAKES

Saturday, July 11th, 2015

Day 341

Miles Traveled: 0

Total Miles Traveled: 5024

  One of the great museums at Kingston is the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes.  The museum is housed in the former Kingston Shipyard's buildings and Dry Dock.  The original 1890 Pump House is still present with machinery to pump out the adjacent dry dock.  There were two other additions added to the pump house and the different building construction material is evident from the outside of the building.

Maritime Museum - newest addition of buildings

old pump house - oldest section of building

  Inside the museum are several exhibits giving history about the evolution of leisure sailing to the Calvin family shipping and logging business.  A new exhibit that just opened the day we toured was the story about the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, also called "The Marine Superhighway".  This "marine highway" was a joint effort between Canada and the United States.  It connects Montreal, Quebec on the St. Lawrence River with Lake Erie in the United States via the Welland Canal.  Construction began in 1954 and was completed in 1959.  The seaway had two purposes: to enable large ships to access the Great Lakes and to generate renewable hydro-electric energy.  Lake St. Lawrence was created in the process.  Unfortunately, this also led to flooding of ten small towns which have become known as The Lost Villages.  Two others were also partially flooded.  Over 6,000 people had to be relocated over a three year period.  Many businesses and civic buildings were transported on wheels and reassembled at the two new towns created.

  Also on site at the museum is a former Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker called the CCGS Alexander Henry.  Part of her job was replacing and servicing buoys, or navigational aids, of the waterways.  She was built in 1959 and decommissioned in 1985 due to advances in technology.  We were able to explore both above and below decks of this interesting vessel.  She is 210 feet long and 40 feet wide.

CCGS Alexander Henry

  Angie thought she would have trouble handling the large lines on this ship, but, Dan thought he would have no problem driving from the helm station.

large lines wrapped around huge cleat
That is one massive cleat

Dan comfortable at the helm

  For more information about the Kingston Marine Museum of the Great Lakes go to:

http://www.marmuseum.ca/index.php/visitor-info/overview-of-marina

  After touring the museum, we grabbed a quick lunch and went back to the boat to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.   We had a nice view of St. Lawrence River from our flybridge. 

view of river from the flybridge at the dock