Christina O: From Snowy Nova Scotia to the Sunny Mediterranean, how a Canadian Frigate Became the World's Most Famous Super Yacht

1) HMCS Stormont at St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia, early 1944. MMA, M94.19.134, photo by George Coletti

This photo from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's collection shows the newly commissioned Canadian frigate "working up" to train her new crew in Nova Scotia on a wintery day in 1944. Little did the 150 sailors aboard know, but after a distinguished wartime career their ship would be purchased by the Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and turned into the world's first, and still most famous, super yacht. Built in Montreal, Stormont arrived in Halifax in December 1943 with her new captain George Myra from Bayport, Lunenburg County, a veteran pre-war merchant captain who had served as the alternate captain for the famous fishing schooner Bluenose and was a good friend of Angus Walters. Stormont had a busy war, fighting in the last phase of the Battle of the Atlantic with North Atlantic convoy escorts, taking a convoy to the Kola Inlet on the Murmansk run and another to Gibraltar. On one voyage she spent 63 continuous days at sea, a record for a Canadian frigate. She was part of the D-Day invasion force, protecting the landing vessels from German naval attack. As Germany crumbled in 1945, Stormont was refitted for tropical service in the Pacific but Japan's surrender ruled that out. Decommissioned on November 6, 1945, Stormont was mothballed as Canada demobilized its huge wartime navy, briefly the Third largest in the world.

2) Christina O in home waters. Despite a new bow and liner-like funnel, the naval lines of her hull are still evident to a knowing eye.  George Onassis, Wikimedia

Initially sold for $34,000 to be converted to a freighter in South America, Stormont caught the eye of shipping agents for Aristotle Onassis and was rebuilt in Kiel, Germany as a yacht. Named after Onassis's daughter, the new extravangently outfitted yacht stood out in war-ravaged and austere Europe and was a major departure from the long, low and slim private yachts of the pre-war era. Christina O made full use of the ship's large hull and powerful naval engineering systems to support luxuries like a combined swimming pool and dance floor. Most notoriously, the yacht's bar contained coat hooks made from Orca teeth and barstools made from the leather of Minke whale penises.  

Over the years, the yacht hosted fleets of celebrities. Apart from Onassis's mistress Maria Callas and wife Jackie Kennedy Onassis, early guests included Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy, followed by sailings with celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rudolph Nureyev, Eva Peron, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly.

3) Where racks of depth charges once waited to sink German submarines, Christina O's stern now boasts a mosaic swimming pool which drains and raises to become a dance floor at the push of a button. Maxine Simpson, Wikimedia

Christina O set the bar for the super yachts that followed in the decades after World War Two. Much larger yachts followed but few matched her legendary origins. Passing through several owners after the death of Onassis, Christina O was restored in a major refit in 1999, the yacht has recently been offered for sale for $34 million.

Hear more about HMCS Stormont and Christina O in an July 4 interview by Dan Conlin on CBC Radio's Mainstreet.

More on her naval and yacht career in Randy Boswell's July 4 article the National Post:  " ‘The last word in opulence’: Lavishly refitted D-Day warship, Christina O, on sale for $34-million"

An Artifact from the Heart of a Deadly War of 1812 Battle

On this day 200 years ago, a ship from Nova Scotia fought one the bloodiest sea battles of the War of 1812 and one of the most studied naval duels of all time. The Halifax-based HMS Shannon defeated USS Chesapeake off Boston Harbour in a ferocious 15-minute battle. The victory restored British morale after a string of American victories and marked the turning point in the war at sea. The Halifax squadron went on to defeat other American naval ships and mount a crippling blockade and devastating raids on the American coast.

1) R.H.King and J.C. Schetky's depiction of the battle, MMA M50.13.2

Our museum has several artifacts from this terrible, but iconic, battle including an officer's chest and the mess kettle from USS Chesapeake. However, the most powerful object is probably the bell of HMS Shannon.  The bell is an icon of the ship and a battle that helped protect Nova Scotia from American invasion. It is also a chilling witness to the violence of the engagement. It took a direct hit in the battle and still bares the scars.

 

2) Shannon's bell displayed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, on long-term loan from the Maritime Command Museum.

Shannon's bell is made of an unusual silver alloy and is inscribed with the classic broad arrow indicating British military property. It has the date 1740, indicating that the bell was reused from an earlier Royal Navy ship as Shannon was commissioned in 1806. Aboard Shannon the bell was housed in a belfry on the forecastle. A shot from Chesapeake early in the battle tore across the forecastle, smashed a hole in the bell, crushed the crown fitting on the head and sent cracks down its side. You can imagine what terrible things that shot did to the people on Shannon's crowded forecastle around the bell. The lethal exchange of gunnery and vicious hand to hand fighting in the battle killed 94 men and wounded 135.

3) The top of the bell showing cracks from battle and bronze rivets from repair.

The fragments of the bell were carefully preserved after the battle and transferred to the Naval Dockyard in Bermuda. The bell was repaired by fitting a plate under the crown, adding an interior brace and fixing all the fragments together with bronze rivets. In 1922, the son of the Dockyard mechanic in charge of the repair recalled,"I was often told the story by my father about the work done on the bell and results, also of the great difficulty he had in retaining the pieces, as the men around him were anxious to get them to make into rings and bracelets as souvenirs".

 

4) Interior detail showing the Dockyard's 19th century repair plates.

The bell was displayed in a niche at the Bermuda dockyard's clock tower. In 1952, the bell was moved from Bermuda to Halifax and was installed in the Shannon Park School in Dartmouth. It stood there as a symbol of the school and its connection to history until the Shannon Park navy base closed in 2004. The bell  was transferred to the Maritme Command Museum at CFB Halifax. In a recent overhaul of our Navy Gallery we borrowed the bell as part of a long-term loan.

 

5) Gerry Lunn and Stephen Gillis install the bell at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. 

The museum's CSS Acadia turned 100 today

May 8th is the 100th anniversary of the launch of CSS Acadia, the largest artifact at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This ship charted most of Canada's east coast and vast stretches of the Canadian Arctic. She  also served the Canadian Navy in both world wars and survived the Halifax Explosion. During her long career she performed many shipwreck and several plane crash rescues as well as saving 600 people from Newfoundland forest fires in 1960. Retired in 1968, she was preserved as a museum ship, first at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and, since 1982, at our museum. You can learn more about her career on the Museum's Acadia web page: CSS Acadia Infosheet

Acadia started her long career 100 years ago with a design by federal government naval architect R.L. Newman. She was the first Canadian vessel built for northern research. Acadia was built at the Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson shipyard at Wallsend in Newcastle, England. Swan Hunter was, at that time, the largest shipyard in the world. Her hull was launched on May 8, 1913 with Mr. Newman in attendance representing Canada. After fitting out and sea trials, she arrived in Halifax on July 8, 1913 after a 12 day delivery voyage. A few weeks later, she began an epic maiden expedition to Hudsons Bay.

Acadia Past and Present:
1) Acadia in 2002, photographed by Gerry Lunn, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
2) Acadia on her trial voyage in 1913, MMA MP28.36.33, courtesy Vancouver Maritime Museum

In addition to her many adventures and achievements, Acadia is one of the best preserved Edwardian steamships in the world. Her hand-fired coal triple expansion engines and accommodation has remained virtually unchanged since 1913. Her lifeboat davits are the same model as those on Titanic. To board Acadia is to walk into a time machine. As you can see from the two images mirrored above, the only noticeable change in a century was the enlarged bridge, added in 1955.

We are planning a variety of events to explore Acadia's legacy this year and began with a birthday gathering at the museum this morning. With us was museum volunteer Rod Desborough who worked aboard Acadia in 1960 and 1962. Rod commented on Acadia's long career, "The Acadia's endurance is as a result of a special bond between steel and the men who designed and built her and served aboard ... in the words of Chief Officer Dingee in 1983, 'she absorbed us into her soul.' "

A Story of Museum's Model Collection, a Guild and a Community Success - Modelers Work Continues - Part 3

Lynn-Marie Richard, Registrar, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Part 3 of 3

While work on the Franconia was underway, the shop on the 1^st floor was still steaming along at full speed.  Some of the models they were working on included: a French Prisoner of War model from the 1700s made from beef and pork bones and a privateer schooner model that we had in our collection since the 1950’s in an unfinished state -  just to mention a couple. 

1) Restoring the 18th Century Prisoner of War Model

We were running out of ‘easy fixes’ for them to work on. After another museum reorganization and loss of more permanent museum staff, we thought it was time to revisit this partnership project with a new question:  Would we continue with the volunteer / museum partnership, or not? 

We worked hard to build this relationship and it was working so we really did not want to STOP, so we reviewed our options . After much discussion and head scratching we decided to proceed with ‘new builds’. This would give us the models we needed to fill the gaps in our collection and it would allow the model makers to continue doing what they loved, building models.

Now I am happy to report that we have more than 15 newly-constructed models and the volunteers have continued to clean and repair all newly donated models as they are acquired.  

We even have our very own RMS Titanic model which was unveiled to a huge crowd April 2012. This year (2013) we will unveil another model just as significant, it is a diorama model of the Halifax Dockyard as it was in the War of 1812.

2) The museum's new volunteer-built RMS Titanic model

To date the model volunteers have clocked over 30,000 + hours by a dozen or so very dedicated and talented men.   

Today, in 2013 we still consider this project very much a success. Our models are now the part of our collection that we are the most proud of because they in the best shape ever!!!

Yes, there were a few bumps we had to overcome.  This program takes a lot of time from our core duties,  but we feel it is a well worth it and definitely a program we are proud of and like to boast about.  So if anyone out there is thinking of starting a volunteer program,  we would be happy to share our experiences.  

We all win. The museum wins because we get our model collection conserved, the modelers win because they get to do what they love, work on models,  and the public wins because they get to see the work being done first hand and get to enjoy the company and wisdom that these men have to offer.  As one of the model makers told me, “the old gal wins too, cuz she gets rid of me for the day!”

CONCLUSION

Oh yeah, the conference in Edinburgh.   It too was a success and my paper a big WIN, as I had several inquiries and much interest in our program.  While there, I took the opportunity to visit four local museums and meet curators who took me behind the scenes to look at their collections and the use of volunteers.  Although a huge pond separates us, we have many commonalities in our ever changing work forces, volunteers are becoming increasingly more important.

A Story of Museum's Model Collection, a Guild and a Community Success - The Franconia Project - Part 2

Lynn-Marie Richard, Registrar, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Part 2 of 3

RMS Franconia, is a builder’s model of a famous ocean liner, and it dates back to 1923.  It had been badly damaged during a move in the 1960’s and had been tucked in the back of our storage room ever since.  The Franconia was a favourite of Broadway and Hollywood stars; she was a troop ship during WWII and later brought immigrants to Canada.  She was scrapped in Scotland 1956.

1) The badly damaged stern of the model RMS Franconia

After several meetings we drew up a plan of ‘attack’ and took the Guild up, on their offer.  Then came the first road block:  the model was too big to fit into the 1^st floor workshop.  So what were we, to do? We didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to have the model restored by these volunteers, who had so generously offered their time and already had a proven track record with the model restorations. So we decided to take more of the museum's floor space and build a second workshop - one big enough to accommodate the 15’ model.  So, on the 2^nd floor in our Age of Steam Gallery next to the Cunard display, we built a bigger work shop, where the public could watch the restoration. 

2) The Franconia restoration nears completion in the new workshop

Of course that was only one of the challenges! We had to get the huge model from our storage room on the 1^st floor to the new shop on the 2^nd floor.  Another road block.  It is a good thing we have a creative carpenter on staff, he devised three dollies to set the model on and a sling to get the model out of her display case and onto the dollies, then it was carefully transported up to the 2^nd floor.  I am happy to report that the move was smooth sailing.  Once the model was in place, the volunteers set to work, they removed the 686 brass portholes, took  the model down to her  bare hull and started from there.  They divided the model into seven sections and each section was worked on one by one, documented and dismantled in a very time consuming and methodical manner.  This was a huge project which required a lot of dedication and patience on the part of the modelers.

Two years later and over 2800 hours of volunteer time the model was completed.  Now she is on permanent display for all to see.

Another huge success!  But there is more.

A Story of Museum's Model Collection, a Guild and a Community Success - Part 1

Lynn-Marie Richard, Registrar, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Part 1 of 3

“The miracle is this - the more we share, the more we have.” - Is it possible these words of Leonard Nimoy, aka Dr. Spock, refer to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic?  Sure, it may be a mere coincidence, but those words encapsulate the chronology of events about our ship model collection that I’d like to share with you. 

I recently presented this story at the International Registrars Conference in Scotland in the late fall of 2012, but there’s a lot of value and maybe inspiration in this project that I’d like to share with others. Here’s how it began back in 2000.

We encountered a bit of a ‘bump’ with our ship model collection. With over 700 models, this was the fastest growing part of our collection, but had been neglected for years because the only staff model maker retired in the early nineties. The museum was not in a position to hire anyone. So,  what do we do?  We had models needing repair and no human or financial resources to get work done!

 1) Another model donation -  the SS Belle Isle, Artifact M97.38.1

Well ... we work at a museum; we are creative and resourceful so we put our heads together and eureka!  Why not approach the local Maritime Ship Modelers Guild and see if they are interested in a little teamwork? We were familiar with this group because we hosted their annual showcase: a weekend long open-house that presents up to 350 high quality models.  So we met and chatted. The outcome: they agreed to help us and we decided it was worth doing a’ test run’ for one year.  

2) Maritime Ship Modelers Guild volunteers showing their work

We were reluctant to spend a lot of money and resources on this because we did not know if it would work. But, we proceeded. We set up volunteer teams to work Monday thru Friday, we developed and implemented a training workshop so they would know the protocol for working on museum artifacts and we built them a small work shop on the 1^st floor so visitors could watch them work ... and then we put them to work! 

3) The Volunteers beside their brand new shop, 2001

It seemed that time flew by and and the ‘test’ year of this partnership was behind us! It was a success…….. so we continued.  In fact, things were going so well for everyone involved that after a few years, two of the model volunteers approached the museum with a proposition. They wanted to restore the FRANCONIA model. What was the Franconia?  Only the largest model we had in our collection at that time and one of the largest ship models in Canada!  Stayed tuned to hear more about this project and the road block we had to get around.

Halifax's Namesake Tug

Tugs are a big part of the daily drama of Halifax Harbour which plays out in front of our waterfront museum. A favourite of museum staff was the tug Point Halifax. We recently acquired a large model of the port's namesake tug. 

1) The model of Point Halifax, M2009.19.1

The real Point Halifax worked for decades as a harbour tug.  She was designed here but built in 1986 at Bromborough, England. Point Halifax was the first tug in Eastern Canada with azimuth drives (swivelling propeller pods.) She was twice as powerful as any tug in Halifax when she first arrived. For years she was the flagship of Eastern Canada Towing (known as ECTUG), the main tug company in Halifax and successor to the famous tugs of the Foundation Maritime Company.

2) The real Point Halifax at work in Halifax Harbour in 1986 and 1991. Courtesy of Mac Mackay.
You can find out more about the history of this tug on Mac's terrific tug boat blog: Tugfax

In 2009 a model builder named Murray Petitpas from Pointe-du-Chêne in New Brunswick donated a large radio-controlled model of Point Halifax to the museum.  The model is built to a large scale ( 1:18).  A "GI Joe" toy figure would feel right at home! Almost 3 metres long and powered by a gasoline engine from a ride-on lawnmower, the model was big enough to move small fishing boats around in the harbour at Pointe-du-Chêne!  

3) This is the model tug alongside in a muddy inlet at Southport, Prince Edward Island, about 1997. Image courtesy Murray Petitpas.

Mr. Petitpas built the model from plans provided by the engineer of the tug. It is outfitted with all the gear needed to safely move ships in the harbour: a working winch, lights, tires and all the necessary miniature safety equipment. Cabin windows even have the traditional curtain colours: red for port side windows, green for the starboard side.

4) The model's rigid inflatable boat complete with a Mercury outboard.

Mr. Petitpas brought the model to the museum on a small trailer. Just as we unloaded the model in the museum courtyard, we heard the throaty growl of big diesel engines as the real tug Point Halifax happened to pass by the museum - almost as if she was checking out her scale depiction. 

Models capture a ship at one particular moment in their career, but ships are always changing and this tug has seen plenty of recent changes. Mergers and new owners added new paint schemes and emblems. Point Halifax left her namesake city in 2010 to work in Cape Breton. She was sold to McKeil Marine in 2012, renamed Leonard M., and now works out of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in that company's white and blue livery. In March 2013, an elevated wheelhouse was added for barge work.

5) An elevated wheelhouse is lifted onto the tug Leonard M, ex Point Halifax, St. John's, Newfoundland in March 2013. Image used with permission of Clarence Vautier.

However, back in our steam gallery, Mr. Petitpas' model preserves the look of this tug when she was still the "big kid on the block " in Halifax. We recently installed the model in a dramatic perch in our steam gallery right beside the office sign recently donated by Svitzer Canada which hung above the tug wharves in Halifax.