Marlin Spike
The Maritime Museum of BC Despite what you might think, the marlin spike was not named after the long-billed fish, but instead gets its name from the small cord called marlin, which is typically tarred and used for the serving of rope. In fact, the fish is actually...
SS Iroquois Keys
Maritime Museum of BC If you spend summers bicycle riding along the Lochside Trail, you might know of Iroquois Park in Sidney. It's not named for the Haudenosaunee People, but rather it is named for a steamship known as the SS Iroquois. Long before BC Ferries, there...
Darn It! Our Maritime Make & Mend Culture Exhibit Opens at the Maritime Museum of BC
The Maritime Museum of BC is thrilled to announce that it will be home to an exhibit titled Darn It! Our Maritime Make & Mend Culture from 8 November 2022, to 1 April 2023. Life at sea meant long periods of isolation with no one to rely on but those on board....
‘Housewife’ and Toiletry Kit
Maritime Museum of BC Two incredibly practical pieces of issued kit from two different sailors are before me. Both were initially catalogued under a single descriptor: a housewife. What could they be? Since the 18th century a servicemembers small roll-Out sewing kit...
RCN Gas Mask
Maritime Museum of BC Though the tin that contains it might be dented and rusty, this anti-gas respirator and set of goggles are in great condition. It was one of the types of respirators issued during the Second World War. Using a British design, Canada produced its...
Lifeboat and Raft Ration Biscuits
Maritime Museum of BC Picture this: you're on a life boat, just launched. The ship you were on has sunk, and you now must wait to be rescued on the high seas. What do you have in your life boat to sustain you while you wait? On minesweeper HMCS Oshawa, these sealed...
Bubble Sextant
Maritime Museum of BC This object might look familiar if you have done celestial navigation, using angular measurements between celestial bodies like the sun and the horizon. This is a sextant. It is a bit different than the ones mariners use, because this one is for...
Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra Oil Painting
Maritime Museum of BC This oil painting is of Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra. it was painted in 1940 by Julio Garcia Condoy, and was added to the Museum's collection in 1958. Bodega y Quadra is probably best known for his encounters with Captain George Vancouver...
Boat Cloak
Maritime Museum of BC This is a beautiful textile object from our Collection, a boat cloak belonging to Rear Admiral Edward William Finch-Noyes. It is made of wool, fully lined, with this gorgeous fastening at the throat, and would have been worn as part of an...
Tattoo Flash Art
Maritime Museum of BC, 011.005.0001 Made by Nova Scotian tattoo artist “Sailor” Jerry Swallow--not to be confused with Sailor Jerry the American tattoo artist from Hawaii, whose tattoos are what we commonly associate with sailing. Tattoos have been around for over...