Sunday, July 26, 2009

Carnival Cruise stop in Hallifax, Nova Scotia


Wednesday we docked in Halifax. My husband thought our tall ship sail was at 11:30, nope it was at 10:00, so we had to rush to get there on time. It was such fun. Of course, even though they put the sails up it was motor operated. We went out into the harbor and were regaled with the history of the pirates of McNab Island and it's importance to the defense of Halifax during times of war.


McNab Island was owned and occupied by a member of the McNab family from 1789 to 1933. In the picture below the island is on the left and to the right (if you look closely) is the lighthouse at Maugher Beach. The beach was called "Hangman's Beach." It was used by the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars to hang mutineers. In 1851 it was the first lighthouse operated on experimental fuel (kerosene). Prior to that whale oil was used.

As we returned to the dock, our guide told us about the sinking of the Titanic and of the boats that searched for bodies, how they ran out of embalming fluid and many souls had to be buried at sea. The entire community turned out to see the recovered bodies laid to rest at a cemetery in Halifax. On display at the Titanic Exhibit at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a pair of toddler's shoes that belonged to the unknown child. Ninety-five-years later, in 2007, DNA was used to identify the child as Sidney Lesley Goodwin, the only member of a family of eight whose body was recovered.

I've heard there is a traveling Titanic Exhibition that is excellent. If it visits close to you it would be worth checking into. I sure plan to.

In 1917 Halifax had it's own tragedy--an explosion in the harbor. The Mont Blanc sailed into the harbor without it's red flags raised to indicate it carried explosives. The Imo, carrying citizens to Belgium, was on a crash course. Signals got mixed and they collided. Upon collision, the ships burst into flames, but nineteen minutes later the Mont Blanc exploded hurling it's anchor 3 Kilometers away. The explosion generated a tidal wave, gouged a boulder out of the water onto another ship sinking it. The Halifax explosion was studied when creating the Atomic Bomb.

The picture below is of the CSS Acadia, the only surviving ship to serve in both world wars. She was decommissioned in 1969 and is now on display at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

There is so much more to see and experience in Halifax. I'd love to have been able to stay several days more, in particular to see the Citadel National Historical Site. I hope you've enjoyed the pictures and narrative. Our guide on the tall ship was a great resource.


Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment. Happy Reading and Writing!


Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/

14 comments:

  1. It sounds like you had a wonderful time, and we so enjoyed your blog about the history of the island and about the Titanic. What a wonderful trip. What a wonderful way to include us all.

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  2. Enjoyed your post here re:Halifax, together with photos and history. Very interesting about the Titanic.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Angelica and Zi,
    Glad you enjoyed it. You know, sharing helps cement facts in my mind.

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  4. Anna,
    Hope we can catch the Titanic exhibit when it makes it to our area.

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  5. How exciting, Linda!! Thanks for sharing some of your adventure. Love the glimpse of history too.

    Great post!

    --Chiron O'Keefe
    The Write Soul: www.chironokeefe.blogspot.com

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  6. We are so glad that you are back. Thanks for sharing with us and inviting us along with you on the trip! :)

    Tami

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  7. Hi!

    Great photos - I am so glad I found your lovely blog.

    I really love the films (old and new) of the Titanic. Thanks so much for sharing.

    I'm a follower now.

    Ella X

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  8. Hi Chiron,
    Thanks for stopping by, Chiron!

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  9. Hi Tami,
    You're welcome. I hope it wasn't too much. Had thought of including pictures of all the towel animals but will wait until a later date.:)

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  10. Hi Ella,
    I'm so glad you found me and find my blog of interest. I too love all the info about the Titanic. I wish I could remember to share the costs of tickets on the Titanic. I should have written it down.
    I'll be sending your copy of Recipe for Romance.

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  11. Thanks, Linda,

    Can't wait to read your Recipe for Romance -- what a lovely idea.

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  12. Great photo of you and Larry. The information was fun too. Glad you two had a nice trip. Love you, Barb

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  13. Linda--I love the book trailer--I need to make one for my Wayback story.
    I especially liked this post aobut your cruise--love the photos and the trip sounds wonderful. Celia

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  14. Thank you, Celia. Glad you enjoyed the post on Hallifax. It was an interesting trip.

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