The Courage To Do The Impossible ...

Marlon Brando in "Mutiny on the Bounty". Russell Crowe in "Master and Commander". Captain Angus Walters aboard the famous Bluenose.

What do these three men have in common? The connection is found through their vessels; the replicas of the HMS Bounty and the HMS Rose (later HMS Surprise) and the original Bluenose were all built at the Smith and Rhuland Shipyard, in Lunenburg Nova Scotia.

The replica of HMS Bounty was launched in 1960, to the cheers of thousands of Lunenburgers and visitors to the community. It sparked the movement to build a replica of our own Bluenose, and in 1963, Bluenose II slid down the ways at the Smith and Rhuland Shipyard.

In 1970, the replica of HMS Rose was constructed at the same Yard. Marine history buffs were delighted to see another part of nautical history come to life under the skilled hands of Lunenburg craftsmen. In 2003, HMS Rose was immortalized in the release of "Master and Commander", as the vessel HMS Surprise. In honour of that role, the name of the ship was officially changed to HMS Surprise.

The Smith and Rhuland Shipyard was one of the best-known shipyards in Nova Scotia. Located on the Lunenburg waterfront, the Yard produced more than one hundred fine ships. The Shipyard was the creation of Richard Smith and George Rhuland and was established in 1900. In their first year, they built two vessels: Palatia and Quisetta.

From 1900 until the mid-1970s, many vessel designs went from half-models to full-sized craft. Fishing vessels, like the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic’s Theresa E. Connor were built there, as were larger "ocean-going" ships. Vessels that were used for pleasure craft and in serious work went hand-in-glove with other, adventurous ships ~ like rum runners!

The mainstay of the Smith and Rhuland Shipyard, though, remained in the fishery. The fine vessels, the shipwrights that crafted them and the men who sailed them can all be brought together under the same tagline used in the movie "Master and Commander": The Courage To Do The Impossible Lies in the Hearts of Men.

For every fisherman who has gone to sea and for their brave families on shore, the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic celebrates their dreams and honours their sacrifices.

Wishing you Smooth Sailing,
Heather