Bluenose postage stamp of 1929
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History | |
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Name: | Bluenose |
Port of registry: | Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |
Builder: | Smith and Rhuland |
Launched: | 26 March 1921 |
In service: | April 1921 |
Out of service: | 1946 |
Fate: | Foundered on reef 28 January 1946 off Haiti |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Schooner |
Displacement: | 258 t (284 short tons) |
Length: | |
Beam: | 8.2 m (26 ft 11 in) |
Height: | 38.4 m (126 ft 0 in) |
Draught: | 4.85 m (15 ft 11 in) |
Propulsion: | Sails |
Mainmast, height from deck | 38.4 m (126 ft 0 in) |
Foremast, height from deck | 31.3 m (102 ft 8 in) |
Sail area | 930 m2 (10,000 sq ft) |
Mainsail area | 386 m2 (4,150 sq ft) |
Crew: | 20 |
Bluenose was a fishing and racing schooner built in 1921 in Nova Scotia, Canada. A celebrated racing ship and fishing vessel, Bluenose under the command of Angus Walters became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s, serving as a working vessel until she was wrecked in 1946. Nicknamed the "Queen of the North Atlantic," she was later commemorated by a replica, Bluenose II, built in 1963. The name Bluenose originated as a nickname for Nova Scotians from as early as the late 18th century.
Designed by William Roué, the vessel was intended for both fishing and racing duties. Intended to compete with American schooners for speed, the design that Roué originally drafted in Fall 1920 had a waterline length of 36.6 metres (120 ft 1 in) which was 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) too long for the competition. Sent back to redesign the schooner, Roué produced a revised outline. The accepted revisal placed the inside ballast on top of the keel to ensure that it was as low as possible, improving the overall speed of the vessel. One further alteration to the revised design took place during construction. The bow was raised by .5 metres (1 ft 8 in) to allow more room in the forecastle for the crew to eat and sleep. The alteration was approved of by Roué. The change in increased the sheer in the vessel's bow, giving the schooner a unique appearance.
The design that was accepted and later built was a combination of the designs of both Nova Scotian and American shipbuilders had been constructing for the North Atlantic fishing fleet. The vessel was constructed of Nova Scotian pine, spruce, birch and oak and the masts were created from Oregon pine.Bluenose had a displacement of 258 tonnes (284 short tons) and was 43.6 metres (143 ft 1 in) long overall and 34.1 metres (111 ft 11 in) at the waterline. The vessel had a beam of 8.2 metres (26 ft 11 in) and a draught of 4.85 metres (15 ft 11 in).