Climb Aboard the St. Roch
Explore one of the world’s great Arctic explorers and a National Historic Site of Canada. Walk the decks, tour the interior cabins and wonder at the close-knit quarters.
The St. Roch was the first vessel to traverse the Northwest Passage from west to east (1940-1942), the first to complete the passage in one season (1944) and the first to circumnavigate North America.
Built in British Columbia, named after a parish in Quebec, captained by a Norwegian immigrant, crewed by farm boys from across the country and helped by the Inuit, the St. Roch is a treasured piece of our maritime heritage.
One of the only ships in service in the Arctic in the early 20th century, the St. Roch is made of an unusual design featuring thick Douglas fir planks reinforced with heavy beams to withstand ice pressure and an outer shell made of some of the hardest wood in the world, Australian Eucalyptus “iron bark.”
Between 1928 and 1954, the St. Roch logged tens of thousands of miles in the Arctic, acting as a floating detachment of the RCMP in the north. As a supply ship, a patrol vessel and a transport, the St. Roch was the only link between the scattered northern communities.
For many years, it had been the dream of Captain Henry Larsen to cross the Northwest Passage, just as Roald Amundsen had for the first time in the Goja in 1903. But time and time again, the dream had to remain a dream.
Finally, with the outbreak of the Second World War and the Nazi invasion of Denmark (Greenland), the opportunity presented itself. Launched on its famous voyage on a secret mission to cross the Arctic during the war, this amazing vessel travelled through treacherous and uncharted waters to cross the Northwest Passage and the high Arctic, with only a small crew of steadfast men who had to rely on their skills, talents and no small amount of luck. Incredibly, they managed to make the crossing not once, but twice, and in only 86 days the second time!
The St. Roch is open for self-guided tours between 10:45 am and 4:30 pm Tuesday to Sunday.
Want to learn more about this amazing vessel? Check out the St. Roch Research Guide.
