St. Roch Circles North America: First Vessel Through Arctic
The RCMP schooner St. Roch arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 29, 1950, completing the first circumnavigation of North America. The ship had previously been the first to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east (1940-42) and the first to complete the passage in a single season (1944). Captain Henry Larsen commanded the vessel throughout. The St. Roch was a 104-foot wooden schooner specifically designed for Arctic service, with a rounded hull that would ride up over pressure ice rather than being crushed. The circumnavigation, which took 16 months via the Panama Canal, was undertaken to assert Canadian sovereignty over Arctic waters. The St. Roch is now a museum ship in the Vancouver Maritime Museum and is designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
May 29, 1950
76 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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