Misplaced Pages

#398601

36-400: As early as 1985, increased tourist traffic prompted talks of introducing a strategy to address capacity issues, as the facilities at Caribou and Wood Islands were operating well beyond capacity with vehicle lineups sometimes stretching several kilometers on either side of the route. By November 1991, a contract was signed between the federal government and Pictou Industries to locally construct

72-508: A hurricane caused extensive damage throughout the harbour. The water rose above the wharves, causing goods and lumber to be washed away. Wharves and coal piers on both sides of the harbour were extensively damaged and ships at anchor were driven ashore. The brigantine Willow Brae was driven up the Middle River and 300 tons of coal had to be unloaded before she could be salvaged. The schooner Guiding Star carrying 140 tons of coal went so far up

108-525: A new high-capacity ferry specifically designed for the route, with the anticipation of a second identical vessel eventually entering service. Both Caribou and Wood Islands terminals received major upgrades to accommodate the proposed vessels almost immediately in order to be completed by the maiden voyage of the new ferry. Construction of what would become known as the Confederation began in February, 1992 with

144-732: A port, and the United States government recognized its importance and operated a consulate from 1837 to 1897 to look after its interests in Pictou County coal and fish from the Gulf of St. Lawrence . Pictou opened as a port of registry in 1840 and at that time was registering between 20 and 40 ships a year. In 1874 the Customs House was built by the Dominion Government to collect tariffs and duties, and control goods and people flowing through

180-421: A scheduled completion of July 1993. Based on a Norwegian concept, the ferry was to be double-ended due to the inability of a vessel of its size to turn around in both harbours, and she was to have an ice-strengthened bow. By the 1993 tourist season, it became clear that the vessel would not be completed on schedule due to technical issues with safety equipment and issues with docking infrastructure. MV Confederation

216-402: A sister ship were no longer considered viable due to a predicted reduction of traffic in the following years, leaving Confederation as a completely unique vessel. In 2015, the original logos of Northumberland Ferries were removed from her hull and replaced with a redesigned logo, as well as the stripes running the length of her being repainted blue from their original red appearance. In 2016,

252-568: Is a natural harbour in Nova Scotia on the Northumberland Strait . The distance between the town of Pictou on the north shore, and the community of Pictou Landing to the south is about 1 km (0.62 mi). The south side of the harbour opens into the broad mouth of the East River of Pictou which flows inland through the towns of Trenton and New Glasgow . The south-west end of

288-642: Is a Canadian shipbuilding site located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia , and made famous by its use as an emergency shipbuilding facility in World War II , during which it constructed twenty-four 4,700-ton Scandinavian class freighters. It was founded at its current location in 1856, as the Pictou Iron Foundry, by William Henry Davies. Through many business booms and busts, as well as several changes of ownership, it has continued to operate until today, when it

324-517: Is owned by Aecon Atlantic Industrial Inc. Although the official founding by W. H. Davies did not occur until 1856, Pictou's ship registry began in 1840. Shipbuilding and ship repair began in Pictou in various places near the town a few years after settlement in 1773 via the Hector , with the first cargo of squared timber leaving Pictou in 1774. Other than the current site itself, the most significant site in

360-660: The East and Middle rivers. At the same time the Middle river was dammed to supply fresh water to the mill, and a causeway was constructed to carry Highway 106 across the harbour from Abercrombie Point to Pictou. In Pictou town, the Pictou Marine Terminals offer three berths for ships up to 150m, and a 17 berth marina for small pleasure craft and a Canadian Coast Guard Inshore Search and Rescue Service boat. The Hector Heritage Quay Visitor's Marina has moorings for 40 pleasure craft. On

396-505: The Middle River that she had to be abandoned. In 1879 the chief imports were flour, meal, beef, pork, sugar, tea and general merchandise, while exports were coal and lumber. At that time the minimum depth of water over the bar was reported as 24 feet, in the harbour 5 to 6 fathoms, and 21 feet at the wharves. The harbour was ice free until mid-December. There were two marine railways , one being able to handle ships of 1000 tons. The Canadian Trade Review reported in 1900 that Pictou harbour

SECTION 10

#1732856199399

432-594: The age of steam the types of ships built were schooners, brigs, and brigantines, barques and barquentines and full-rigged ships. Most notable was the yard's work on the SS Royal William on her fully steam-powered voyage across the Atlantic. W. H. Davies, who left the Albion Iron Foundry in 1854, completed and managed his own foundry on the Pictou waterfront in 1856. Davies's sons George and Charles carried on

468-544: The barque Orquell in 1879. Britain had been at war for less than a year when it was realized that Germany was destroying Britain's merchant ships faster than they could be replaced. Due to Britain's focus on the production of its own naval ships, it did not have the capacity to keep up with merchant vessel losses. This led to a British shipbuilding commission arriving in North America in October 1940 looking for help to supply

504-472: The firm, incorporated it as Ferguson Industries Ltd. and gained official ownership of the entire yard. The Fergusons built 107 steel ships in the post–World War II years, which included barges, trawlers, and ferry boats. The Fergusons' ownership lasted until 1984, when the firm faced bankruptcy and entered receivership . 45°40′41″N 62°42′00″W  /  45.678°N 62.700°W  / 45.678; -62.700 Pictou Harbour Pictou Harbour

540-458: The first Scottish settlers to arrive in the province directly from Scotland. Timber was being exported to Britain from Pictou harbour as early as 1777 and the first ship was built there in 1788 by Thomas Copeland. By 1803, fifty vessels loaded squared timber for Britain. The Harriet was launched in 1798 with a registered tonnage of 422 tons and is believed to be the largest built in Nova Scotia at

576-575: The foundry's operation until the late 1800s, when they sold it to Joseph Robb and Douglas Hannon. In 1906 Allan A. Ferguson bought out the interests of Robb, and the business was renamed as the Pictou Foundry and Machine Company. In 1910 Douglas Hannon died, and Ferguson became the sole owner and head of the business. During Ferguson's twenty-five years of management of the foundry, it was diversified, with an expansion of machine, moulding, boiler, carpenter and pattern-work operations. This allowed for

612-535: The harbour is bisected by the Harvey Veniot causeway that carries Nova Scotia Highway 106 . The causeway has limited the navigable portion of the harbour to approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) in length. Prior to the opening of the causeway in 1968, the harbour continued into the confluence of the West River of Pictou and Middle River of Pictou , both of which were navigable. The body of water immediately outside

648-574: The harbour is known as the Pictou Road. The entrance to the harbour is protected by two sandbars and is about 400m wide. A lighthouse was installed on this bar in 1834 and lost to fire in 1903. Its replacement, a 55-foot octagonal tower was also destroyed by fire on July 5, 2004. The first settlers arrived in Pictou Harbour in 1767 on the Betsey from Philadelphia . The Hector arrived in 1773, bringing

684-505: The lease of machine-shop facilities to early automobile mechanics. During 1913 the plant was equipped with electromotive power and was the first in the area to change from steam. After the outbreak of the Great War , the company participated in the war effort and machine finished thousands of shells forged in Trenton, Nova Scotia . Once the war was over and peace was enjoyed for another two decades,

720-576: The much needed transport. The commission found the help they were looking for, and the Canadian government was charged with the immediate construction of twenty-six 10,000-ton cargo ships for Britain. At the same time Canada decided to build more ships for its own benefit. It was some of these additional ships that would be built as Park ships in Pictou. A totally of twenty-four 4,700-ton Scandinavian class freighters would eventually be built, but not before major preparation and expansion measures were completed to

756-548: The new developments, the new yard was taken over by Foundation Maritime Shipbuilding Limited. This allowed for the Ferguson brothers to retain the operations of the original marine slip and carry out repairs and refits to naval vessels. The first ship to be built was the SS Victoria Park , which was launched on October 22, 1942. Twenty-three more would follow. The twenty-four Park ships built in Pictou were as follows: With

SECTION 20

#1732856199399

792-433: The other vessel on the route, MV Holiday Island was out of service for an extended length of time undergoing major repairs and overhaul leaving the Confederation alone on the ferry route for the prime summer months. Despite additional crossings scheduled for the vessel, local residents, the hospitality industry as a whole and commercial truckers protested as business suffered due to the reduction in service. Confederation

828-535: The outskirts of town is the private Pictou Marina, home of the Pictou Yacht Club. Directly across the harbour from there is a fishing wharf at Pictou Landing. Cruise ships began visiting Pictou in 2014. Being an estuary, the water is considered brackish , with a density of about 1019 kg/m that varies seasonally. The sand bar on the southside of the harbour entrance is an 8ha Provincial Nature Reserve, comprising beaches and dunes that provide habitat for

864-543: The port, which was a significant port of entry at the time, and the main passenger connection with Upper Canada . The first railway to reach Pictou Harbour was in 1867 when the Pictou extension of the Nova Scotia Railway reached Pictou Landing on the south shore of the harbour. From there the railway company operated a steam-powered ferry to take passengers across the harbour where they could connect with ships leaving for Prince Edward Island and Montreal . There

900-411: The primary work for the Pictou Foundry and Machine Company was both steel and wooden ship and dredge repairs. Ferguson died in 1932, and the business was then taken over by his eldest son, Robert A. Ferguson , who upon the outbreak of war was joined by his three brothers, Allan A. Ferguson Junior, Thomas Ferguson and James Ferguson. Before World War II there had not been a ship launched in Pictou since

936-561: The shipbuilding industry was located on Windmill Point where Captain William Lowden first settled in 1788. He eventually moved into the town of Pictou and continued his ship work. Captain Lowden is traditionally considered to be the father of shipbuilding in Pictou County , as he was made famous by his construction of the Harriet in 1798. At 600 tons she was built with room for twenty-four guns and

972-413: The time. By 1830 coal was being brought from the inland towns by steamboat for transshipment and soon coal and iron were the chief exports through the harbour. The Pictou coalfield may not have developed prior to the building of the mainline railways in the 1860s and 1870s if it weren't for its proximity to Pictou harbour, and coal shipments continued until shortly after World War II . Pictou thrived as

1008-417: The twenty-four Park ships built and the war over, Foundation Maritime Limited closed the shipyard and the equipment was sold. Convinced that shipbuilding could be a viable industry in Pictou, the Ferguson brothers, with the support of the Nova Scotia government, took over the shipyard building and re-equipped the yard. Although the senior brother, Robert A. Ferguson, died in 1942, the remaining brothers continued

1044-425: The wreck that it could be identified. Pictou Shipyard was established during World War II, causing the population of the town to triple, and is notable for its construction of 24 Park ships over a two-year period during World War II , and continues in business today. The landscape of the harbour changed considerably in the late 1960s with the construction of a kraft pulp mill at Abercrombie Point, between

1080-400: The yard and town to accommodate the new booming business. When the good news hit Pictou on October 9, 1941, the Pictou shipyard consisted of a marine slip with refit and repair capability. Major changes thus had to be made, launch ways had to be built, and more space had to be created. To create more space, the landmark of Battery Hill was bulldozed to make room for the new yard. Along with

1116-550: Was also a coal pier there for loading ships. The Intercolonial Railway opened a line into Pictou town in 1887, crossing the harbour at the mouth of the West River. The bridge, known as Mile Bridge, was destroyed by fire in 1993. Ferry service from the upriver towns declined with the introduction of rail service and ceased in the 1920s due to the increasing use of cars, but the ferry between Pictou, Pictou Landing and Abercrombie continued until after World War II. On August 24, 1873,

MV Confederation - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-581: Was also handling produce and dairy products from Prince Edward Island, as well as most of the lobster from the eastern end of the Gulf. It was also importing iron ore from the mine at Belle Isle , Newfoundland, for the Nova Scotia Iron Company smelters at Ferrona , and copper ore for the Copper Crown Company in Pictou. A pier at Granton on the Middle River, 3 miles upstream from the harbour,

1188-545: Was also out of service from 29 September to 2 October that year due to an electrical problem. In September 2024, Confederation collided with her berth at Wood Islands. While a mechanical issue was initially suspected as the cause, NFL later confirmed that was not the case. The collision damaged Confederation ’s bow visor heavily, resulting in the need to turn the vessel and all vehicles having to be backed off. NFL expects Confederation to return to service in early December, 2024. Pictou Shipyard The Pictou Shipyard

1224-625: Was loading steamships of 3,000 ton capacity with coal from the Drummond colliery in Westville . On September 25, 1925, the cargo steamer Dieuze caught fire and sank outside the shipping lane. The captain was the only person aboard at the time and he survived. The wreck was rediscovered in 2015 during surveying work by the Canadian Hydrographic Service sitting upright on the bottom in 13.5 metre deep water, but it wasn't until divers explored

1260-412: Was officially completed on October 28, 1993 at a price tag of $ 45 Million CAD and nearly 4 months behind schedule. MV Confederation officially entered service on November 1, 1993, replacing 2 smaller ferries, the previous MV Confederation (1962) and MV Lord Selkirk (1958). In light of the announcement of the fixed link to Prince Edward Island around the same time of her introduction, plans to construct

1296-502: Was supposed to be the largest and finest ship built in the province at that time. He was not the first builder, however, as there is a record of a small one-mast vessel being launched in Pictou Harbour in 1788 by Thomas Copeland, and the county's first schooner named the Anne was built in 1788 at Merigomish, Nova Scotia . Shipbuilding and work continued throughout the early 1800s. Before

#398601