As I have mentioned before, during the winter traffic tends to slow through St. John's Harbour. We get the usual suspects going in and out, but it's rare that we have visits from ships that don't call this particular port home. This week, however, we had one such visitor, and since I haven't covered a Halifax-class ship yet, this week we are looking at the HMCS Toronto.
Read MoreHello all! The traffic in the harbour has started to slow as we move into the autumn, so I'm going to be changing the format a bit. Every Friday I will be showcasing one particular ship that calls St. John's home. I will report any new ships that sail in, of course, but this way I'd like to focus on ships that are more local rather than visiting. To start this off, I'm going to feature one of my favourite Canadian Coast Guard vessels, the CCGS Ann Harvey.
Read MoreNOTE 2018: I posted an updated copy of my Florizel article here for the centenary commemoration of the wreck.
In 1909, the Red Cross line, owned by Bowring Brothers commissioned the construction of their flagship vessel, the SS Florizel. She was built to replace the SS Silva, and would act as passenger vessel, troopship, and sealing ship. The Florizel lead a proud career until the fateful night when she sank off the coast of Cappahayden. She has a bunch of stories to tell, but right now, let's look at her stats.
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