Nova Scotia Comes Alive in 2011!

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic chronicles the marine history of Nova Scotia in artifacts, journals, exhibits and discussions. One of 27 museums operated by the province of Nova Scotia it creates an awareness and appreciation for the history and preservation of the oceans and the seafaring tradition.

Included in the collection are artifacts, images, charts and plans relating to the marine history of Nova Scotia. The Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian merchant marine, Nova Scotia small craft and local shipwrecks are particular strengths of the collection much of which represents the period 1850 to the present. You’ll find everything from extants, binnacles and figureheads to small craft, anchors, armaments and marine portraits and our largest artifact, the 1913 hydrographic vessel, CSS Arcadia.

In addition to the static displays museum interpreters create unique and compelling programs to engage visitors such as roving Press Gangs who press visitors in the manner of the forcible recruitment gangs of the Royal Navy which lurked in Nova Scotia from the 1750s to 1815. Other programs teach visitors to hoist signal flags, demonstrate knotwork and explore the perilous world of medicine at sea in the age of sail.

The major permanent exhibits include the Small Craft Gallery; Halifax Wrecked, the Story of the Halifax Explosion; North Atlantic Convoy, The World War II struggle against German U-boats, RMS Titanic. Smaller exhibits explore the experience of single handed sailors such as Joshua Slocum or allow visitors to step into the moving deckhouse of the coastal schooner Rayo. A rich cross-section of the museum’s collection is displayed in Visible Storage.

One of the most incredible experiences is sitting in a replica of one of the deck chairs from the Titanic while sitting in an exact replica!