Musée Maritime du Québec, Maritime museum in L'Islet, Canada
The Musée Maritime du Québec is a maritime museum in L'Islet with three ships on display, historic buildings, and grounds extending to the St. Lawrence River. The collection holds more than 15,000 objects including charts, documents, and artifacts that trace this region's connection to water and shipping.
The museum was founded in 1968 as Canada's first maritime institution and grew from a navigation school that Christian Brothers established in 1853. These roots show how the region has long maintained connections to maritime training and education.
The collection reveals how central water transport has been to this region's identity, with preserved objects that document the daily work of shipbuilders, sailors, and merchants. Visitors can see how river commerce shaped settlement patterns and local life along the waterfront.
The museum stands in the centre of L'Islet, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence about 100 km east of Québec City. The model-ship reserve holding 200 models can only be seen on guided tours, and booking is required. The chapel of the Sailors, with plaques naming those lost at sea, is on chemin des Pionniers.
The CCGS Ernest Lapointe is a Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker used on the Saint Lawrence River, acquired by the museum in 1980. The HMCS Bras d'Or, a Canadian Forces hydrofoil added in 1983, became the world's fastest warship in the early 1970s. The third museum ship, the J.E. Bernier II, sailed the Northwest Passage in 1977.
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