A piece of Canadian Arctic history is in danger of rotting away.
The leaky facility housing the first vessel to circumnavigate North America is not providing the proper environmental conditions for preserving it, says Simon Robinson, executive director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum.
He said a funding reallocation awaiting city-council approval will help with the historical St. Roch’s long-term preservation.
“The building has been leaking for quite some time,” he said. “There’s water coming in on the south end from the roof directly above the ship. At some points, when you come in, you’ll see buckets spread all over the building.”
“The St. Roch is one of the four great Arctic explorer vessels in the world in existence,” he added. “It is a national treasure and an icon of Canadian Arctic sovereignty.”
The RCMP schooner, which was built in 1928 as a supply ship for isolated Arctic RCMP detachments, was the first ship to travel the Northwest Passage from west to east.
Robinson said the city-owned building, which the ship acquired as its permanent indoor home in 1966, is in serious need of a new fire suppression system within the ship and a skylight glazing replacement.
“The building where the ship is contained ideally should have humidity control and have stable and constant temperature,” he said. “The shelter right now has fire suppression on the exterior side, but it’s not the optimal way of looking after the vessel.”
The ship has dry rot in the hold and stern, he added, and the leaking destabilizes any work they do to address the issue.
A report coming to council Tuesday is recommending a funding reallocation of $ 902,000 that will enable upgrades to the facility housing the St. Roch vessel.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
About The Reporter
