Set directly in the hub of Halifax Harbor’s bustling waterfront is the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Canada’s largest and oldest maritime museum, featuring multiple exhibits focused on Nova Scotia’s rich maritime heritage. The museum was conceived in the 1940s by a group of Royal Canadian Navy officers who wanted to preserve Canada’s naval history. The current museum does an exceptional job fulfilling this mission.
The first object that catches your attention is the Sambro Island Lighthouse lens, which lit the way for mariners as they sailed into Halifax Harbor from 1906 to 1967. The bronze and glass lens was then replaced by an airport-type beacon and brought to the museum.
The first-floor exhibits recount Nova Scotia’s maritime history and that of the Royal Canadian Navy. At the time of my visit, a diorama depicting the Halifax Naval Yard in June 1813 was under construction. When completed, the diorama will display the arrival of the captured USS Chesapeake under escort of the HMS Shannon during the War of 1812. In the gallery, there are several artifacts from the Chesapeake, such as a chest and mess kettle. Throughout the museum are hundreds of other naval artifacts, taken from shipwrecks or given as sailors’ souvenirs.
Also in the first-floor exhibits is an open contact mine, which allows visitors to see its inner workings. Finally, toward the far end of the first floor and facing the water lies the Small Craft Gallery, where visitors can experience up close boats from different periods of Halifax Harbor’s history.
Perhaps the most powerful exhibit is Halifax Wrecked. On 6 December 1917, the explosives-laden SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship bound for Europe and World War I fighting, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo. The resulting explosion leveled the harbor; 2,000 people lost their lives and approximately 9,000 were injured. The exhibit presents the stories of Halifax’s “Darkest Day” and the devastation inflicted on its residents.
Upstairs, the museum has a lighter tone, with one of the best views of Halifax Harbor. Volunteers are actively working on ship models in the museum’s workshops, and an exhibit on underwater archeology and ship salvaging is also fascinating and full of artifacts. Tied into this is the exhibit Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax. The Canadian port played an important role following the sinking, as bodies were brought here for identification, with many buried in the surrounding cemeteries.
Off to the side on the upper floor is an exhibit focused on the age of sail in Nova Scotia. The room looks like the lower decks of a sailing ship; everything is wooden, and the floors creak as you walk through. The scenery bobs with the waves in the porthole, allowing visitors to feel the often claustrophobic conditions of life on board a ship.
Overall, the museum is an excellent complement to any trip to Halifax and is well worth the price of admission.